I am so excited to be actually doing a full week’s meal plan with you guys. Obviously, some of the things that I have on this plan can be modified, but I will be trying to make them exactly as written. This blog has been all about using what you have available to make something delicious and healthy.

If you already have some of these ingredients (like I do) or would like to modify anything to help save money, that is totally okay! This plan is just what works best with what I have currently in my kitchen, as I only needed to go out and buy a few items.

 “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child

Monday

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with cinnamon and apple slices
  
• Lunch: Tuna rice bowl — canned tuna, rice, seaweed packet, sriracha mayo, cucumbers….which I in fact did not have before I went shopping, but that’s okay!
  
• Dinner: Shepherd’s pie. One of the favs, of course. Check out my previous post about my favorite budget recipes.
  

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Overnight oats with peanut butter and banana. For this, I put an overfilled 1/2 cup of oats, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 1 mashed banana, 1 cup of milk, and about 2 teaspoons of chia seeds, which is optional.
  
• Lunch: Turkey/ham wraps with lettuce and carrots. Mine was with cucumbers instead of carrots, but you can add whatever veggies you’d please.
  
• Dinner: Egg fried rice with mixed veggies and soy sauce. For mine, I used carrots, jalapenos, and onions. In addition, I also added some oyster sauce, but that is up to you.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and toast with fruit
  
• Lunch: Leftover shepherd’s pie
  
• Dinner: Garlic Parm chicken and potatoes (crock pot). Literally, I just threw two chicken breasts, half a bag of baby potatoes cut in half, one carrot cut into sticks, and some lemon pepper, paprika, seasoning salt, and onion powder. After that, I put a couple of butter cubes, along with just enough milk to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I made sure to season this up really good.
  

Thursday

• Breakfast: Breakfast burrito (eggs, rice, cheese, meat if desired). Mine had some jalapenos and a hashbrown.
  
• Lunch: Leftover rice bowl
  
• Dinner: Pizza, dinner rolls. These are so quick and easy. I toasted the bottom half of the buns for a couple of minutes to get some crispiness. Then I layered on some pizza sauce, ham, pepperoni, and cheese, but honestly, any meat would’ve been just as delicious. Brush the top of the buns with garlic butter and stick them in the oven at 300 degrees until crispy to your liking.

Friday

• Breakfast: Peanut butter toast and a banana. I ended up having avocado toast and blueberries, but you know what? Any toast and fruit combination works.

• Lunch: Tuna on crackers. I used a small can of lemon pepper tuna with rice crackers. You can always melt cheese onto these or make a tuna salad with mayo and onions to put on toast if you’re hungrier.
  
• Dinner: Sausage stir-fry with rice and vegetables

Saturday

• Breakfast: Smoothie!! I love smoothies. All I do is add in a couple of spoons of yogurt (plain Greek or vanilla), frozen fruit, and milk. You can choose which fruits to use; most of the time, I enjoy tropical fruits like mango, banana, and pineapple, but I also love strawberries, blueberries, and spinach. I like to add about 1/4 cup of orange or apple juice just for extra flavor.

• Lunch: Leftover Shepherds pie
  
• Dinner: Ground beef tacos or rice burritos with veggies
  

Sunday

• Breakfast: Oat pancakes. These oat pancakes are the perfect way to start the day. They are dense, filling, and taste delicious. https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSyd9UfFq
  
• Lunch: Egg salad Sandwich
  
• Dinner: Tomato soup (grilled cheese optional). As stated in a previous post about easy, healthy recipes, this recipe is one of my favorites. Tomato soup is so easy to switch up depending on your taste. This time around, I used tomato, onion, garlic, and peppers. Check out my previous post for more details on this lovely soup.

🛒 Core Grocery List

Protein

• 2 lb ground beef
  
• 2 cans tuna
  
• 1 dozen eggs
  
• 200g deli lunch meat (ham, turkey, or chicken)
  
• 1 block tofu or beans (optional vegan protein)
  

Carbs

• 2 lbs rice
  
• 1 loaf whole grain bread or wraps
  
• 1 lb oats
  
• 1 lb pasta
  
• Potatoes (3–4 medium)
  

Fruits & Veggies

• Frozen mixed vegetables and fruits (1–2 bags)
  
• Fresh produce: Bananas, apples, carrots, onions, garlic, bell peppers, spinach (or mixed greens)
  

Other Essentials

• Cooking oil or butter
  
• Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
  
• Peanut butter
  
• Tomato sauce or canned tomatoes
  
• Spices (salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder)
  
• Milk or milk alternative

💡 Tips to Stretch Your Budget

• Buy rice, oats, and pasta in bulk.
  
• Use frozen vegetables and fruits! Cheaper, less waste.
  
• Cook double batches for leftovers.
  
• Rotate proteins (tuna → eggs → ground beef) to stay balanced.
  

Final Thoughts

Honestly, this was my first full week of meal planning, and it was a lot easier and fun than I expected. Waking up in the morning, I typically wander around the house for like half an hour trying to decide what I’m going to eat. Not only was I able to figure out breakfast right away, but a lot of the time, I felt more prepared and organized going into my day simply because I didn’t have to put too much thought into what I was going to make. Adding in the fact that I definitely did save money as well is important. Going into the store and figuring out what to buy once I got there used to be a bad habit of mine, but while doing my meal planning for the past week, I confidently walked into the grocery store, and had all my groceries within 10 minutes. That never happens!

After actually committing to an entire week, I can tell you firsthand that meal planning made me feel much more in control of my day-to-day life and brought down my stress by a lot. One thing I’ve noticed, particularly now that I attend post-secondary education, is that I feel constrained by time and sometimes become overstimulated by the amount of things I “need to do.” Meal planning also helped with this aspect of my life, as I could come home to a meal ready in the fridge or a plan tailored to my needs for the week.

Thank you again for tuning in to this week’s post! I’m so grateful to be spreading this knowledge, and I hope that some of the information in my posts proves useful to you.😁