healthy eating on a budget – week 2

Another week down!

If you haven’t read the first part – check out Healthy Eating on a Budget – Week One.

I did a lot better this week in terms of budget but still a bit higher than I wanted to be.  Still though, my takeaways from last week helped a lot and I definitely feel confident that I can get down even more!

Healthy Eating on a Budget Week 2:

Money Spent: $43.44

Groceries Bought:

Produce: 2 peaches, 2 apples, 2 oranges, pint of strawberries, 1 bag of grapes, 1 medium sweet potato

Protein: 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 small can of enchilada sauce, 1 can of corn (no salt added)

Pantry Items: Box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares (on sale for $2.50!), box of brown rice, package of whole wheat wraps, bag of blue corn chips

Dairy Items: 3 6 oz. containers of greek yogurt, bag of shredded reduced-fat mexican blend cheese

Condiments: Hot sauce, salsa, enchilada sauce

Misc.: Pre-made guacamole (they were out of avocados!)

Things I had Leftover from Week One: carton of 4 eggs, remainder of my whole wheat loaf (which I froze), 1 multigrain naan (which I froze), remaining frozen broccoli and corn, carton of soymilk, hummus, mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 cup), coffee, oatmeal, chia seeds, mustard, block of firm tofu, whole wheat pasta, carrots, 2 chicken sausages and all my nut butters, chocolate chips

Meals:

Day One:

Breakfast #1: plain greek yogurt mixed with chia seeds, topped with fresh strawberries, cereal and sunflower seed butter plus coffee with soymilk on the side.

Lunch #1: Baked sweet potato topped with chipotle chicken sausage, broccoli, corn and a sprinkling of cheese.

Dinner #1: 2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread, 2 hard boiled eggs, carrot sticks and an orange

Day Two:

Breakfast #2: 1/2 cup old fashioned oats mixed with 1 tbsp. chia seeds, diced gala apple and drizzled with peanut butter.  Coffee with soymilk on the side.

Lunch #2: Double bean and corn over brown rice burrito bowl with guacamole, plain greek yogurt and chipotle hot sauce plus blue corn chips for scooping.

Dinner #2: double bean and corn enchiladas with guacamole, plain greek yogurt and brown rice

Day Three:

Breakfast #3: brown sugar quaker oatmeal squares with soymilk, red grapes on the side and coffee with soymilk.

Lunch #3: 2 egg and broccoli scramble with 2 slices of whole wheat toast and a fresh peach.

Dinner #3: re-purposed my double bean and corn enchiladas (recipe here) into an enchilada bowl that I topped with plain greek yogurt, guacamole and served with blue corn chips.

Day Four:

Breakfast #4: 1/3 cup oatmeal mixed with 1 tbsp. chia seed topped with a diced peach, granola oats with a spoonful of melty sunflower seed butter plus coffee with soymilk.

Lunch #4: Roasted tofu bowl with brown rice, broccoli and hummus plus grapes and a cranberry lime seltzer on the side

Dinner #4: used my leftover double bean and corn filling from my enchiladas to make a naan pizza with mexican blend cheese and chipotle hot sauce plus plain greek yogurt, guacamole and salsa for dipping.  despite the terrible lighting – this dinner was actually really good!

Day Five:

Breakfast #5: two slices of toasted whole wheat bread topped with peanut butter, plain greek yogurt mixed with chia seeds and diced apples with coffee on the side

Lunch #5: used my leftover penne pasta, frozen corn and broccoli (which I roasted) and baked tofu for one big strange-but-good pasta dish all topped with hummus and served with an orange.

Snacks: I made a batch of my peanut butter chocolate chip energy bites (WAY cheaper than buying a bar!) to have for snacks and enjoyed two while rolling the dough 🙂

Dinner #5: The last of my whole wheat double bean and corn enchiladas. served over brown rice with plain greek yogurt and guacamole for dipping and blue corn chips for scooping.

Overall I was pretty happy with this week.  Mostly because I more than cut my bill in half and, despite some temptation to walk into the grocery store every day on my way home, I managed to stay committed to using what I had!

This week, even more than last week, really showed me how easy it is to convince myself to pick up little things here and there that really add up.

Post-Week Takeaways:

• Frozen veggies are key!  I currently only have corn and broccoli which limited my ability to get super creative.  I think stocking up on others, as well as frozen fruit.
• I need to make some more breakfast options – (waffles or pancakes for example) to freeze so I can have a bit more variety and am not forced to just rotate cereal, yogurt, oatmeal and toast.
• While I really love the enchiladas, I had a tougher time translating them into other meals than I did the Italian theme from last week which meant a lot of repeats.  Perhaps if I do it again I won’t make the whole batch or I will freeze some for the future – three meals of them in one week was tough for me.

And that pretty much wraps up week 2 – time to go brainstorm what my main meal should be for next week!  Happy weekend everyone 🙂

disclaimer: i share these meals for inspiration and because i’m often asked for the recipes on instagram.  please note that i do not share these meals with the intention of them being prescriptive or because you should eat exactly what i eat.  everyone is different and requires different calories and nutrition.  if you’re seeking an individualized plan for you, consult a dietitian in your area.

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