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Saving on Food - Meal Plans (Long)

August 9th, 2007 at 10:24 pm

I was asked after my last post to give examples of all the food that I bring to work. (Thanks Moi Aussi!) I usually pack some food for breakfast, lunch & dinner, all of which I’ll eat at work during the week. At least while the overtime lasts.

I’ll admit to being pretty lazy and/or tired, so I try to make things easy on myself by preparing food on the weekends and putting it in the freezer to be able to grab and go later. I also make a lot of salads, which are really quick to make & can be prepared a day or two ahead of time. I also use fruit, which is easily grab and go or quick to cut up. I’m not above using canned fruit or veggies either.

I also take time once a week or so to make up individual servings of snacks that I can grab & go… like dry cereal, crackers and baked Cheetos. I just have a basket of baggies that sit in my pantry ready to grab when needed.

All of this helps because I’m very portion-conscious. I’m not a fan of leftover and I’m watching what I eat, but I refuse to eat only diet food.

Here are some examples of my breakfasts. I mix & match, but usually have one fruit & one grain-type item.

-Strawberries & Splenda or Lite Cool Whip
-Sliced green apples
-Fruit cocktail
-Banana
-Dry Cheerios
-Dry Rice Chex
-Oatmeal (the individual packs that you just add water to)
-Granola bar


Lunch Examples (sometimes I switch lunches with dinners)
-Sandwiches – turkey & chase, peanut butter & jelly, tuna salad. I vary them up by using different types of breads, pitas and wraps
-Different types of salads
– Big ones with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, green pepper and I vary my dressings a lot, as well as change things up with toppings (green beans, sunflower seeds, croutons, bacon bits, cheese, chicken and/or turkey)
– Cucumber & tomato salad (a summer favorite)
– Pasta salad with a little pasta & a lot of veggies and turkey pepperoni (very filling)
-Crackers with Peanut butter
-Crackers with sharp cheese & turkey pepperoni
-Soups in the winter-time


Dinner Examples, which could easily become lunch examples:
-Pasta with meat sauce or with red sauce & chicken strips
-Sloppy Joe (easy to freeze) with toast, bun or over pasta
-Meatloaf muffins (made with ground beef & stuffing – also easy to freeze)
-Chicken – lemon, shake-n-bake, barbeque
-Veggie burgers (can be cooked in the microwave) with bun
-Breaded chicken patties – on a bun or with a side of pasta
-Beef stew (easy to freeze)
-Chili (easy to freeze)

Sides/Snacks- baked cheetos, fruits & veggies, green beans, peas, apple sauce, baked fries (sliced potato baked with Old Bay), crackers and microwave popcorn

I drink lots of water (a minimum of 64 oz a day), have sodas at my desk (limit to 1 a day).

Hope this is helpful to anyone looking for meal ideas!

7 Responses to “Saving on Food - Meal Plans (Long)”

  1. Ima saver Says:
    1186697317

    I am sure that saves you a lot of money each week.

  2. LuckyRobin Says:
    1186697587

    Where do you buy turkey pepperoni? I've never seen it before. We try to not eat pork much, but pepperoni is a weakness for us.

  3. Aleta Says:
    1186700818

    Oh I agree about the pepperoni. I'm sure that most of us love the pepporoni without the pork side to it.

  4. Househopeful Says:
    1186703720

    Actually, the only turkey pepperoni I've found is Hormel. In my store, its located in the cheese section with the regular pepperoni. I know that Wal-Mart also carries it. I think turkey pep is better than regular because its less greasy & more tasty.

  5. Amber Says:
    1186710591

    Thanks for the post I like your ideas, I think I will start packing away my snacks also (earlier) I use to make a menu that included snacks, dinner and lunch ...why I stopped I don't know because I saved a ton

  6. LuckyRobin Says:
    1186712677

    Thanks, I'll look for it.

  7. moi aussi Says:
    1186754380

    WOW!! Great ideas. Thanks so much!!! I am seriously going to start brining my lunch everyday. I am going quite out of control eating out thesedays. I am going to incorporate a lot of your ideas into my meal planning. Thanks again!

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