I am still using up some pantry stocks, and I’m using up freezer stocks as well. This is the best way I know to save money on groceries. By using up what we have on hand and filling in with items we might have to purchase, we can save on our overall grocery bill. Here’s how my weekend meals, and meal prep for the coming week, went.
First I took a look at what I had on hand, then I thought about what I could make with those items, and what I would need to buy to pull off the number of meals I would need for the weekend and coming week. I noted the items I needed on my shopping list app, and headed to the store.
I went to the store thinking I was going to get a small chicken, rotisserie size, but they didn’t have whole chickens. They did have whole turkeys, little ones even, but with a $20 price tag that was a hard pass. The best option was the frozen breast chunks, so I got those at just under $8. Yep. I paid that much.
For about $20 I got:
chicken
oregano (See my notes on spices.)
lettuce
cucumber
zero net carb tortillas
That’s not a lot of items. The price of things is just so much higher than they used to be, and it seems like every time I shop the cost of something else has gone up. But with what I had on hand at home, I was able to pull together some decent meals.
My weekend meals were:
- A meal pack from the previous week
- Celery and peanut butter for breakfasts
- 1 serving of the corned beef meal from the freezer, with seasonings & nutritional yeast
- 1 serving of the easy skillet chili on tortillas topped with seasonings, nutritional yeast, and lettuce
- 1 serving of easy skillet chili heated with mozzarella cheese and garlic butter sauce on tortillas topped with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber
- Finished off the last of The Good Crisps chips – these chips have lasted me about a year and were surprisingly still crispy. I rarely ever had them because of the carbs. There was only about a half a serving left.
- Also had my last Zevia – a “soda” that is made with stevia. This had been in my fridge since last spring, so about a year. I don’t drink them often. It was refreshing to have something other than tea and water.
I’m so glad I had thrown the extra servings of my last few weeks meals into the freezer, because it meant that I paid nothing for those weekend meals. The cost was already counted in earlier meal prep days. This allowed me to save more than just one pretty penny at the grocery store.
I used up other things as well when Sunday rolled around and I was meal prepping for my work week.
- Some of the mozzarella was used to make a tossed salad, and the rest will be used on tortillas throughout the week. I don’t think there will be but, if there is any leftover it will go into the freezer.
- More of the minced garlic from the fridge was used to make the garlic butter chicken recipe, as was some of the avocado oil. There is a small amount of the garlic left, then I think I want to learn how to preserve my own minced garlic in the fridge.
- Much of the fruits and greens, and all of the celery and banana from the freezer were used up to make smoothies for the week.
- The last of the ChocZero caramel sauce was used in the hot cocoa, an amazing product also by ChocZero, though not cheap ones.
- The last of the Oregano I grew a couple years back was also used up.
My work week meals:
- For my work meal packs, I decided on tossed salad, garlic butter chicken, and celery.
- For morning snacking I popped corn and portioned out about 2/3 cup into reusable baggies for a grab and go snack. I also have plenty of celery and peanut butter.
- For lunches I am making tortillas filled with mozzarella and more of the chicken, along with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
I still, have stuff left in my tiny little freezer:
- Liquified fruit
- Liquified greens
- A block of cream cheese
- A partial block of mild cheddar
- A serving of goulash
- A serving of the skillet chili
I know the fruit will be used in my next batch of smoothies, and I can use the greens in that as well or in a soup or another meal. The cheeses will be great in a one-pan meal, and the single-serve meals can be eaten any time.
Are you doing more meal prep to help in saving money on your grocery bill? I am always interested in learning what others are doing. How are you making ends meet in the kitchen?
~ Shannon
