Weekly Meal Plan

Lately I’ve been on a mission to stick to a tighter grocery budget—and surprisingly, it’s actually been kind of fun for me. Each week feels like a little puzzle: working with what we have, planning meals around deals I see or what’s in season, and getting creative with pantry staples. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated to be delicious and nourishing for my family.

So I thought I’d start sharing my weekly meal plans here! Nothing fancy—just a peek at what we’re actually eating during the week. I pull ideas from Pinterest, flip through my well-loved recipe binder, or save recipes I find while scrolling Instagram. Some meals are make-agains, some are just “good enough,” but it’s helping me stay inspired and on track. Hopefully it gives you a few ideas too, especially if you’re trying to stretch your budget and not eat out so much:)

Here’s a look at last week’s dinners:

  • Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Shrimp

    • I already had frozen shrimp in the freezer and pasta in my pantry, the rest are staples I normally have on hand so I really just had to buy broccoli for this meal. and it was SO GOOD. Topped it off with a little parm, olive oil and maldon salt flakes and it was shockingly good for how simple it was.

    • https://balancewithjess.com/creamy-lemon-broccoli-pasta-with-shrimp/#recipe

  • Greek Chicken Bowls

    • This is a nearly bi-weekly meal in our household and it’s a little different each time I make it. This week I marinated some chicken in greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil then cooked that on kebab skewers. Put it on a bed of white rice and topped it with: air fried chick peas, feta, arugula, homegrown tomatoes, and homemade tzatziki!

  • Pork Tenderloin with Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Carrots

  • Chicken Thighs and Fried Rice

    • We love a good fried rice meal— this is another thing that I just wing it on. I prepped all of the veggies, cooked up some rice to chill and marinated the chicken during breakfast so it came together so so quick at dinner time.

    • For the chicken, I marinated boneless thighs in soy sacue and gouchang sauce (it’s just what I had in the fridge!)

    • For the fried rice, I cook the veggies first and chop up whatever we have on hand- carrots, green peas, green onion, shallot, and garlic. Then I add in the rice and cook until nice and crispy. Towards the end I crack a couple eggs in the pan and scramble them in. Top with soy sauce and green onions and bam, easy dinner!

Other Honorable non-dinner mentions from this week:

Carrington WinkelmannComment