I feel like a failure this month. Sadly, I don’t have a detailed printable pack this month and I don’t have a custom meal plan with my own recipes. I waited until this past week to begin working on it and wouldn’t you know, I would have major technical issues on top of being late to begin creating the monthly plan. My computer froze up on me many times this past week and weekend and put my work on hault until my husband could work his magic and get it running again. As a result, I had to quickly this weekend come up with a suitable spring frugal meal plan using recipes from other bloggers around the web. I do not have a grocery list, but I still tried to use all of the money saving techniques that I use in my custom plans. 1. Stretch protein 2. Meatless meals 3. Similar ingredients to reduce spending 4. Made from scratch ingredients. 5. Seasonal ingredients. This month I’m featuring radish, asparagus, strawberries, spinach, peas, and greens. Yum! Spring!
In spite of my failures, I hope you still find this April real food frugal monthly meal plan helpful in your real food budget needs. It’s always my desire to help families eat well on a budget, and I still stand behind this plan to help you do just that. I deeply apologize to those of you who depend on the detailed plans to feed your family. It is my hope that next month, I’ll be back up and running.
To save even further…
- Shop your pantry first and use ingredients that you have on hand first! Feel free to make substitutions based on what you have.
- Also check to see if any of the ingredients are on sale or can be substituted for ones that are on sale. I LOVE using online apps to get cash back on my groceries and save money! Ibotta is my favorite! Use my code “dgjqfhi” to get $10 back immediately when you sign up and verify your first rebate.
- Use dry beans for canned. Try cooking them in the slow cooker covered with water on low for 6-8 hours.
- Try shopping at discount grocers like Aldi.
Breakfasts
- eggs: scrambled, poached, fried, parboiled, soft boiled
- oatmeal: Use rolled oats and not overpriced instant packets
- toast: top with nut butter, eggs, honey, avocado, etc
- French toast
- pancakes
- breakfast burritos
- biscuits with gravy: omit meat and just use drippings if you are tight on cash
Lunches
- Leftovers always #1 option!
- peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches
- grilled cheese
- muffins
- fruit: banana, apples, seasonal cheap fruit
- veggies: carrot sticks, salad, celery sticks
- popcorn
- peanut butter balls: peanut butter, oats, honey, any add ins desired. Mix and form into balls
- cheese
Dinners
Weekly Prep
Bread: white or whole wheat
Chicken stock: Save any chicken bones that you have to make stock
Week 1
Chicken and snow peas, rice
Fancy grilled cheese: reserve some pea pesto and add bacon, cheese, pesto, and anything else that tickles your fancy.
Bacon, chard, feta quiche, salad
Greek meatballs with lemon dill rice: sub out any veg for seasonal veg if cheaper
Flex: Breakfast, leftovers, or out
Week 2
Note: Cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. Debone and divide the meat into 3-4 portions for spinach salad, buffalo chicken potatoes, quesadillas if desired, and chicken tetrazzini, . Put three portions in the fridge and one in the freezer.
Big spinach salads with sweet Italian dressing, crusty bread on the side: spinach, shredded carrots, hard boiled egg, chicken, bacon if desired, strawberries or any seasonal fruit.
Quesadillas, guacamole: spinach, bacon or black beans or chicken, onion, cheese
One pan ranch pork chops and veg
Flex night: Breakfast, leftovers, or out
Week 3
Chicken tetrazzini, salad
Curry: Use any protein you have on hand. Extra chicken, beans, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, etc.
Flex night: Breakfast, leftovers, or out
Week 4
Braised chicken with potatoes and tarragon: Use chicken thighs or legs to cut down costs.
Salmon patties and roasted radishes
Chickpea, leek and spinach soup
Cheeseburger macaroni, roasted broccoli
Flex night: Breakfast, leftovers, or out
Don’t feel bad. You are doing a great job.
Thank you for working so hard to help families like mine. We are changing the way we eat and learning to be frugal. It would be so much harder without having a place like We Got Real to come to.
Thank you!
Thanks for the encouragement! Good for you. You are doing a great job!
Don’t beat yourself up – you are still awesome! We love all the time and effort you put into your blog (it’s hard work!) and appreciate all your tips! We backpacked for almost 2 years and it changed the way our lifestyle tremendously. Now with two kids, we still live frugally and have seen the light!
Tara! You’re a real person who has a life too! I am so grateful for the love and care you have and choose to extend to all of us! Thank you!