menu plan and shopping list #26: 6 nights of meals for about $2 per serving!

Wowza. 

You all have amazing food budgets.  I did a spot poll the other day on Facebook and it turns out you all really don’t need my help in the food budgeting department.  Seriously.  I need yours. I thought we were doing well with our $400/month budget for our family of four but one of you said your budget for yourself was $50 a month.  A month!  Please spill the beans (even if that’s all you’re eating)!  If you have tips, tricks or any other insight to share please leave a comment below!

And now for this week’s menu plan.  I’ve got a sausage pasta, potato and feta fritatta and a bacon and pear pizza too!  I’ve also included the famous macho salad, sausage with polenta and a chicken and peanut soup. 

Have a great week and keep up all the great work on eating well on a shoestring!

Dinner #1:

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Pasta and a Simple Side Salad

Prep and Cooking Time:  25 minutes

Total:  $6.80 + estimated $2.00 for the salad

Dinner #2:

Potato Frittata with Rosemary and Feta and Seasonal Fruit

Prep and Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Total:  $2.55 for the frittata + estimated $2.00 for the fruit

Dinner #3:

Bacon, Pear and Mascarpone Pizza and a Simple Side Salad

Prep and Cooking Time:  25 minutes

Total:  $5.78 for the pizza + estimated $2.00 for the salad

Dinner #4: 

Italian Sausage and Peppers on Asiago Polenta with your Favorite Veggie

Prep and Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Total:  $8.17 for the sausage and peppers + estimated $2.00 for the veggie

Dinner #5:

Bandera’s Macho Salad (possibly deconstructed slightly for the kids)

Prep and Cooking Time:  20 minutes (after chicken has been cooked)

Total:  $12.25

Dinner #6:

African Chicken Peanut Soup and a Crusty Baguette

Prep and Cooking Time:  2 hours (most of that is simmering time for the soup, so plan accordingly)

Total:  $11.80 + estimated $2.00 for bread

Total for 6 nights of dinners:  $57.35!  That’s about $2.05 per serving!

Shopping List:

Meat

• 3 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (use breasts for the soup instead of thighs)
• 2 pounds italian chicken sausage
• 4 strips bacon (I like turkey)

Produce/Herbs

• 1 head garlic
• 3 onions
• 1 russet potato
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• veggie of choice
• 1 red onion
• 1 pear
• fruit of choice (to accompany frittata)
• 1/2 cup basil
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 heads romaine or butter lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 cup corn
• 16 dates

Pantry

• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 fresh baguette
• 1 cup cornbread (to make croutons)
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 pizza dough
• 1 pound spiral or bow tie pasta

Dairy/Eggs

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup feta (for frittata, can sub goat or asiago cheeses instead since there are quite a few this week)
• 1 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 cup asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 cup cream or plain yogurt

Need more meal plans?  I’ve got plenty more to share if you need inspiration in the kitchen!

Browse more plans (with shopping lists!) here.