Budget Meal Planning

/ Health, Lifestyle, Mental Health

Budget Meal Planning

As the majority of you know I help people change their habits. One of my favorite things to discuss with someone is how much meal prep costs. Most people see “Healthy” food as expensive.

I can call you out on this because I too once believed the same thing. I lived in St. Louis during college and I felt a $5 breakfast sandwich and a $1.75 Diet coke was less expensive than buying groceries. But let me break this down for you:

“grocery shopping I spend $60 a week on groceries. That means I saved $81.75 each week by meal prepping, over $327 a month towards whatever you want.”

-Rach

At $6.75 per meal you would be spending, it is $141.75 per person a week. If you have the standard 4 people in a household that can be up to $567 a week on eating out.

Just from that $5 sandwich and a coke. But let’s keep the focus on yourself. You spend $141.75 a week to eat your $5 meal, 3x a day.

Let’s Save Some Money!

You don’t want to start Meal prepping because you will spend $100 at the grocery store. It’s easier to spend $141.75 in smaller chunks then using that towards one time at the grocery store. I get the mentality, but I’m about to completely change your view.

What if I told you I spend less than $11 a day on my meals. The first grocery trip I send new meal preppers, I prepare them for the initial $100 of food.

This includes everything you need for that first week, plus the food you will use all month. After that initial week of grocery shopping I spend $60 a week on groceries (these are LA prices*).

That means I saved $81.75 each week by meal prepping, over $327 a month towards whatever you want. So why is the initial week of meal prepping $40 more expensive?

Meal Prep Staples

What is in your pantry right now? I bet there are some chips, sugar, maybe some flour you haven’t used since the holidays. Some random things that aren’t necessarily healthy for you, or they are healthy for you and you won’t touch them.

Get rid of that bird food you don’t like. It’s just a waste of space. The first week of grocery shopping will include staples you need for meal prep including:

Meal Prep Staples:

-Fresh Herbs
-Lemons
-Salsa
-Almond/coconut milk
-Almond/coconut yogurt
-Olive oil spray
-Oatmeal
-Spices
-Rubs (gluten-free)
-Himalayan Salt
-Peanut butter
-Lentil Pasta

These are just a few staples I am assuming you may not own (or know how to use it)

Meal Prep under $60 a week

After you get some of the staples, these will last you for a long time. You won’t need to buy pasta, oatmeal, and spices every week, now you can spend less money per week. I will post a generic meal Prep Grocery plan I use to shape my personalized meal prepping for my clients. It is a good example of a grocery list under $60 a week.

Also, I added an Example day of how I plan out meal preparations for the week for my clients. I do this through the 30 Days of healthy living & 15 Days of healthy living.

*LA prices are usually higher than other state grocery stores. The state of California does not tax food. You must calculate your own state taxes on food, and account for lower prices on certain items.

Also, I added an Example day of how I plan out meal preparations for the week for my clients. I do this through the 30 Days of healthy living & 15 Days of healthy living. 

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Meal Prep Variety

In my health coaching kits, we talk about specific ratios of protein, complex carbs, and fruits and veggies tailored to the individual and a doctor’s suggestion.

But for the purpose of this article, we are going to look at my intake and how I change up my menu every week. 

Protein 

I focus on chicken as the main source of protein. Not only is chicken low in fat, but it’s the least expensive of meats per lbs. I rotate between carnitas steak, skirt steak, ground beef (%5 fat), Turkey, and wild game & wild-caught Halibut or Salmon for my protein.

I often get gifted protein from my family. We are a family of farmers and hunters who help provide for their extended family. I understand not everyone is as fortunate, and I budget accordingly. 

Also, I get protein from nuts, beans, veggies, almond yogurt, Vegan protein powder, GF oatmeal, Almond butter, Cashew butter, and egg whites.

If you want to go vegetarian or vegan I have extra supplements to help your body absorb nutrients while you make the transition. 

Complex carbs 

Complex carbs are a variety of foods, some that we have already listed. Lately, a keto has been making carbs seem like a bad word, but I eat pasta every week. It’s Gluten-Free (GF) lentil pasta, but still pasta.

A complex carbs “pack in more nutrients than simple carbs. They’re higher in fiber and digest more slowly. This also makes them more filling, which means they’re a good option for weight control. “(source)

Some of the complex carbs I consume include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, carrots, red potatoes, fiber, and rice. 

Veggies & Fruits 

So we all did the same health class with the pyramid talking about how much fruit and veggies you need. Yet we ignore it completely.

The majority of Americans are not eating enough fruits or veggies. I try to shove as many fruits and veggies as possible in my morning shake. I also use supplements that help me get a serving of veggies and fruits first thing in the morning. And let me tell you, it’s made a world of difference.

Water helps with losing weight, clear skin, better digestion, absorb nutrients better, Hydrogen and oxygen molecules are in every part of our body and constantly need to be replenished. Gentle Reminder: Go drink a glass of water.

Water

The last thing we need to talk about as new meal preppers are your water intake. You should be drinking your weight in Ounces (oz) of water daily. That means if you weigh 150 lbs you should be drinking 150 oz of water.

If you lose weight you can lower the water intake. If you gain weight to keep the intake the same until the water blot comes down to a normal level. And the great thing about water? It’s free. 

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With all these options, the variety is endless. Feel free to check out other recipes on my blog or Pinterest for inspiration, and have fun with it!

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