Week 1 Meal Plan

This week starts football - last season and this past baseball season we really added on the pounds and blew our budget on dining out with too many drive-thru dinners. I am determined to keep our family on track with a meal plan that includes healthy, budget friendly meals. You can do both. My goal when I first began the Body for Life program a couple of years ago was to make foods that the whole family would enjoy. (When I first started, it took a hit on my weekly budget as we were also doing the Financial Peace program.) I had to figure out a way to do both.

We just got back from the grocery store and I will break down the weekly plan. The written plan in your budget and your diet will keep you on track.

(The Body for Life program is the basis for my eating plan. )

Note: I am starting on Sunday with a free day because of when I did my grocery shopping. I usually go Monday to Sunday. We also have a busy week of football practice three nights this week, so I am using the grilling time to make ahead a couple of meals so I will just need to reheat and go. This extra time saves big on the long run - money and calories. This trip for groceries put us a slightly over our $100/ week budget. We spent $140, but I stocked up on chicken that was marked down and I bought extra ground beef and some other items for snacks for the boys since they will be having football practice this week.

Note on breakfast and lunch - I keep them simple and usually the same week to week. I can handle a few days of the same lunch and breakfast. I need variety in dinner. This is where I try to get creative - for me - this is creative. :) There are tons of meals out there, but I try to keep it simple to manage costs and to make sure my boys will eat what I serve.

Sunday: Free Day
Grilling - burgers/ hot dog/ sausage / chicken (for use during the week).
When I go through the trouble to get out the grill, I cook as much as I can.
I use the 96/4 extra lean ground beef for the burgers for my "clean" days.

Monday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Low fat cottage cheese with Strawberries
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Chicken salad with reduced fat Wheat Thins
M5 - Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and steamed peas
M6 - Meal replacement shake

Tuesday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Low fat cottage cheese with fat free yogurt
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Chicken salad with reduced fat Wheat Thins
M5 - Sandwiches with whole wheat bread/ lean turkey breast/ lean ham slices
M6 - Meal replacement shake

Wednesday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Low fat cottage cheese with Strawberries
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Chicken salad with reduced fat Wheat Thins
M5 - Deluxe Turkey Dinner from Eating For Life p. 141 - modified with chicken breast
M6 - Meal replacement shake

Thursday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Low fat cottage cheese with fat free yogurt
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Tuna salad with reduced fat Wheat Thins
M5 - BBQ Chicken breast/ Ranch Style Beans with BBQ sauce/ Mixed Veggies/ Fresh Salad
M6 - Meal replacement shake

Friday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Low fat cottage cheese with Strawberries/ Grapes
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Chicken salad with reduced fat Wheat Thins
M5 - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce/ Green Beans/ Fresh Salad
M6 - Meal replacement shake

Saturday:
M1 - Meal replacement shake
M2 - Egg whites/ oatmeal
M3 - Meal replacement shake
M4 - Sandwiches with whole wheat bread/ lean turkey breast/ lean ham slices
M5 - Taco Night (extra lean grnd. beef with whole grain tortillas for me and regular for family)
M6 - Meal replacement shake