Planning weekly menus is a great way to avoid making unnecessary purchases at the grocery store. Not only does this keep the grocery bill down, it helps to cut down on food waste; many times we purchase things without having a plan and then that food ends up in the garbage. Meal planning is just one simple and easy way to help reduce costs and eat healthy.
Here is an example:
Monday
Spaghetti with ground beef, homemade tomato vegetable sauce and whole wheat noodles (save some of the cooked ground beef for later).
Balance your meal out with a side salad or your favourite veggie.
Wednesday
Taco salad using leftover ground beef, tossed with lots of fresh veggies.
At our house last week on Monday we had Sweet Potato Nachos, and on Wednesday using the leftover black beans, tomatoes, and green onions we chowed down on a delicious Chopped Salad with Homemade Sweet Avocado Dressing
Here are the recipes:
Sweet Potato Nachos
Ingredients
1 medium-large sweet potato
½ can black beans (rinsed)
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
¼ cup diced green onions
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional: low-fat sour cream or Greek yoghurt and salsa for toppings
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350F and slice potatoes very thin (I used a mandolin) and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet until potatoes become soft
2) Remove potatoes from the oven and top with half of the cheese, tomatoes, black beans, green onions and then remainder of the cheese
3) Once cheese has melted, remove from oven and serve with low-fat sour cream or Greek yoghurt and salsa
Round out your meal with a side of veggies or tossed salad.
Chopped Salad with Homemade Sweet Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
4 cups lettuce, kale or any leafy green
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
½ cup black beans
½ cup chickpeas
¼ cup green onions
2 avocado
½ cup couscous
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp plain yoghurt
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
½ lime
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp white vinegar
Directions
1) Layer lettuce, tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, green onions, 1 avocado, bell pepper and couscous in a large bowl
2) For the dressing combine the other avocado, olive oil, yoghurt, cilantro, juice from the lime, honey and vinegar in a blender and pulse until conbined
Serve with whole wheat pitas.
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