Good morning!
I hope life is going good for you. Life is so busy over here, but good. All good things.
If time allows, I wanted to start sharing my vegan meal plans for the week along with my grocery list. I am being more conscious of writing down a plan so I don’t stray far from the ingredients I need while shopping. In the past, I would often just browse and grab whatever looked good. No problem with that, but I do find that I spend more money that way. So in an effort to stay on course, I’ve been planning out and writing down all meals ahead of time along with what I need from the store.
As a family of three, I like to stick to a $35-$40 week budget. Some weeks may be around $50 (if we need speciality ingredients), but for the most part, I like keeping it on the lower end. It isn’t too hard when you have a plan in place! Here’s a sample of how I write out my plan:
I don’t include Sundays because that is usually a “whatever leftovers we have” kind of day. Or we may grab bagels or breakfast or something. But Monday – Saturday, I like having a plan. My husband takes leftovers for lunch and I typically eat a lot of leftovers, too. I love leftovers. I know a lot of people don’t, but I think it is so much better to cook a big batch of something and have more. So much easier than cooking one meal at a time!
I also didn’t include snacks because usually I will snack on whatever fruit I have, smoothies, or even a handful of nuts if we have them. I have been trying not to snack as much, too. I also didn’t include some ingredients like oil, spices, garlic, or nut butter. These are items I already have in my house and they last me way beyond this list. I am assuming that most of you will have these ingredients, as well.
Willow eats whatever we are having for the most part, but I will also make her/give her a few other things here and there (sweet potato fries, avocado, fruit, apple sauce, roasted zucchini, etc.) Honestly, whatever leftover veggies or fruit I have on hand, I make it work for her!
So based on the above meals for the week, this is what my grocery list might look like for around $35.
Grocery List
- Rolled oats – $2.59
- Strawberries – $2.50
- Spaghetti – $0.99
- Rigatoni – $0.99
- 1 can of chickpeas – $0.79
- 2 cans pinto beans – $0.79
- Whole wheat bread – $0.99
- 1 lb potatoes – $0.89
- Corn tortillas – $2.39
- Red lentils – $1.59
- 1 can tomato paste – $0.49
- 1 can crushed tomatoes – $1.09
- 1 lb onions – $0.99
- 1 can spinach – $0.79
- 2 (1-lb) dough – $2.38
- 2 lbs bananas – $1.18
- 1 lb zucchini – $1.09
- 1 lb peppers – $1.39
- 2 lbs sweet potato – $3.38
- 2 packs ramen noodles – $0.58
- 2 avocados – $1.98
- Lettuce – $1.69
- 1 lb plum tomatoes – $1.09
- Almond milk – $2.99
Total: $35.62
So there you have it. My weekly list! $35 for a family of 3 is not too shabby, right?
Do you like posts like this? Should I do this every few weeks? If you are interested in seeing my lists and meal plans, let me know. I’d be happy to start making more notes of this as time allows. It will help keep me on track, too! Talk about accountability.
Also – in case you are interested… the recipe for my lemon chickpea pasta is here.
Okay friends – I hope this is helpful. Again, let me know your thoughts in the comments or message me on IG. Love hearing from you guys and want to put content out that you care about. Have a beautiful day! xx bianca
