May: Meal Plan on a Budget!
It’s May! May is my favourite month and my least favourite month all wrapped in to 1 lol. As the sun comes out, my family finds that we eat lighter dinners. More sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and lots of colourful veggies! In season vegetables, help bring down our grocery prices as well as gardening our own herbs and veggies! I am not a gardener. However, we love to grow our own herbs and make lots of dishes using fresh basil. Enjoy!
According to Canada’s Food Price Report for 2024, a family of 4 will spend $16,297.20 on food this year — that’s up $701.79 from 2023!
That’s $1,358.10 a month.
That’s roughly $313.40 a week.
NEW CHALLENGE!!!
Let’s feed me, my husband, our 15 year old and our 11 year old for about HALF that and make a week long menu plan for under $160.00!
Here is the May weekly meal plan staying close to my budget of $160.00! I want you to have all the tools to be able to feed your family 7 healthy(ish) meals, while not putting yourself into the poorhouse! I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you follow this weekly plan and if you were able to stick to the budget! NEW FEATURE ALERT!!!! Now you can click on the recipe listed in the MENU below and it will take you directly to the recipe!!
MENU
Sunday: Italian Drunken Noodles
Monday: Asian Tacos
Tuesday: Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon
Wednesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap
Thursday: Sheet Pan Frittata with Vegetables with Coleslaw
Friday: Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)
Saturday: Pork Banh mi Burgers with French Fries
Staple Items
These items are ALWAYS in my pantry or fridge. This tip bares repeating… As soon as I see an item running out it goes on the my shopping list. If they come up on my PC Points list or go on sale, I buy them. We have a second fridge in the garage, so I always have eggs, mayo, soy sauce, etc. on hand. It may take you a while and some money to get this system going but once you do… your wallet will thank you. Things I need for this week’s menu that I already have in my kitchen (my staple items) are listed below on the left. The items that I need to buy are listed on the right.
SHOPPING LIST:
5 tablespoons oil
1 inch ginger
20 ounces inside round steak
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon brown sugar
salt & pepper
1 can corn
8 slices bacon
1 2/3 cup uncooked orzo
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
4 pickles
4 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
6 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
4 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup + 4 teaspoon vinegar
1 lb ground chicken
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons Sriracha
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup white wine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 can of diced tomatoes, with juice
19 cloves garlic
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 head of lettuce
3 onions
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 Italian sausage links
12 chicken tenders
6 tablespoons peanuts
Basil (if you can get a bunch of regular basil AND Thai basil)
3 red bell pepper
2 limes
4 carrots
1 bag spinach
parsley
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 small bagged coleslaw mix
1 bunch radishes
2 to 4 Thai bird’s eye chilis
1 cup green beans
6 green onions
cilantro
1 cucumber
10-12 flour tortillas
12-14 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 lb ground pork
4 buns
8 oz. pappardelle noodles
SUNDAY: Italian Drunken Noodles
In town, we have this amazing Thai place that makes my favourite Thai drunken noodles! Ninja is a big fan too, but even though he likes Thai noodles, his favourite type of noodles are Italian noodles. So I combined the two and made Italian Drunken Noodles! This was a fantastic pasta dish, and although I made it at the beginning of the week, this would be a perfect dish to make at the end of the week to use up all those vegetables in your fridge!
Ingredients
4 Italian sausage links, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, quartered and sliced thinly
8 oz. pappardelle noodles, uncooked
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly slice
½ cup white wine
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup basil leaves, julienned, divided use
1 can of diced tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Directions
Following the package directions, cook the pappardelle noodles. Drain when done.
Meanwhile, crumble the Italian sausage in hot oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan, keep the sausage chunky, and brown for a few minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions into the pan with the sausage drippings and let it cook until brown and caramelized, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, season with salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
Add the bell peppers and garlic and sauté until cooked and golden, about 2 minutes. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the white wine and let it decrease for a few moments until nearly evaporated.
Add the sausage back to the pan. Add diced tomatoes and their juice to the pan and stir to incorporate. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the flavours to meld, then remove from heat.
Add the parsley and half of the basil and pour in approximately 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil to produce a smooth, rich taste.
Toss the cooked pappardelle noodles into the sauce.
Divide among bowls and top with the basil, top with shaved Parmesan.
MONDAY: Asian Tacos
Anytime you can add peanuts to a dish, I’m in! Every. Time. We have had a lot of tacos lately preparing for Cinco de Mayo so I changed it up by making Asian Tacos this time! Just like yesterday, combining Asian and Italian, combining Mexican and Asian was a BIG winner! These tacos were SO good there were NO leftovers!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons oil, divided
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 clove garlic, minced
10 basil leaves, julienned
1 1/2 bell peppers, sliced
10 ounces steak
4-6 flour tortillas
6 tablespoons peanuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon brown sugar
Sriracha sauce, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
a lime cut into wedges, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and place into oven to warm.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute ginger and garlic in 1/2 tablespoon oil until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Replace pan to heat.
Pat steak dry with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to hot pan and sear steaks 2 minutes per side. Transfer cooked steak to plate and set aside.
Add peanuts and red pepper to hot pan, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Slice cooked steak into 1/4 inch slices and add to pan with cooked garlic and ginger. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar and salt, pepper and sriracha to taste.
Remove tortillas from oven. Fill warm tortillas with steak and pepper mixture and garnish with basil and a squeeze of lime wedges
TUESDAY: Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon
HBear loves orzo. I love spinach, SBean loves cheese, and Ninja loves bacon so this Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon dish was a hit with the entire family! I added a handful of grape tomatoes because I bought a jumbo clamshell and wanted to use them up.
Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon
4
servings5
minutes25
minutesIngredients
8 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
1/2 cup reserved pasta water, after pasta is done boiling
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 can corn
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Directions
Add bacon to a large skillet and place over medium heat, cook bacon on both sides until crispy and golden brown. Once bacon is done, blot with a paper towel, then chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Place a large pot of water over high heat and add in a generous amount of salt. Once water boils, stir in the orzo and cook until al dente about 7-9 minutes. Once orzo is done cooking, drain pasta and set aside in the colander. Make sure to reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
In the same pot you cooked the bacon in, using about a tablespoon of bacon grease, place over medium heat and add in garlic, carrot, corn, bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add in spinach, cooking until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
Add the cooked orzo back into the pot and turn the heat to low. Stir in the reserved pasta water, parmesan, garlic powder and red chili pepper flakes. Stir in bacon and add salt and pepper to taste.
WEDNESDAY: Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap
In the spring, we eat lighter. We really like to try more sandwiches, salads, and wraps. This Honey Mustard, Chicken Wrap was so easy to make, crunchy, and delicious! The perfect light dinner on a hot day!
Ingredients
8-12 chicken fingers
1 cup bagged coleslaw mix
1 cup lettuce, chopped
2 pickles, diced
4-6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 tortillas
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
4 teaspoon honey
4 teaspoon white vinegar
Directions
Make your chicken fingers in the air fryer according to the directions on the box.
Whisking together the yogurt, mayo, Dijon mustard, honey and vinegar in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine coleslaw mix, shredded lettuce, pickles, radishes and cherry tomatoes.
Drizzle with about ¾ of the honey mustard sauce (save some for drizzling at the end of making your wrap).
To the center of each tortilla, add ½ of the coleslaw mixture, top with 2-3 chicken strips, sprinkle with ¼ cup of cheese and finish with a drizzle of the honey mustard sauce.
Wrap up your tortillas by folding in the sides, bringing the bottom flap up and continuing to roll gently pressing down to ensure the wrap is tight!
THURSDAY: Sheet Pan Frittata with Vegetables
You guys know I’m always looking for new egg dishes that are easy! Breakfast is for all times of the day Lol! This Sheet Pan Frittata with Vegetables was SO easy! I had some asparagus in the fridge and some extra bell pepper so I chopped them up and threw them in as well. Feel free to use up any veggies you have in this adaptable dish. Fresh mozzarella was ridiculously expensive so I bought some good quality, pizza mozzarella, and sliced it into thin circles instead of shredding it, this dinner would be perfect if you were having people over for brunch… or dinner LOL! I served this meal with the rest of the bagged coleslaw from our wraps the other night.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cups spinach
1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes
10 eggs
1/3 cup basil, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
1/2-1 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with oil. Place the sheet in the oven while preheating.
In a medium pan, preheat 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion, bell pepper, and asparagus (if using other vegetables, throw them in now) and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in spinach and continue cooking until wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl. Add remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan along with tomatoes. Cover and cook until the tomatoes start to pop.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, grainy mustard, hot sauce, milk, onion-spinach mixture, tomatoes, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Pull out the baking sheet from the oven, pour egg mixture onto the pan and spread over shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until the frittata is puffed around the edges and set in the middle.
FRIDAY: Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)
If you ever want to make an authentic Asian takeout dish, but wanted to take as long as it would take for the food to be delivered to your house, this Thai Basil Chicken, is the dish for you! This meal is done in less than a half an hour, is bursting with flavor, And fantastic the next day… If you have any leftovers that is! Lol
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)
4
servings5
minutes20
minutesIngredients
1 lb ground chicken/turkey
2 to 4 Thai bird’s eye chilis, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup green beans, cut into 1” pieces
1 bunch basil, chopped
Fried eggs (Optional)
Directions
Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, annd fish sauce in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the oil, garlic, and chilis to a wok and heat over medium-high heat. Cook until fragrant and the garlic is starting to brown.
Add the ground chicken and break it apart, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through.
Pour in the sauce and stir to mix well.
Add the onion and green beans. Cook for another minute or two, until the sauce is distributed and slightly reduced.
Turn off the heat and add the basil. Toss until wilted and serve hot over rice with a crispy fried egg and a squeeze of lime juice.
SATURDAY: Pork Banh mi Burgers
In the spring, we limit our soup intake, but definitely level up on our burger grilling and eating! As we have takeout once a week, we don’t necessarily want cheeseburgers added to our weekly menu. So I used ground pork and made Pork Banh Mi Burgers instead! We are a big fan of pickled vegetables and Banh Mi! Banh Mi salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta. The flavours are so fresh and you won’t feel heavy after eating this refreshing pork burger!
Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup, finely chopped basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 green onions, finely chopped and separated
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons hot sauce, separated
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 buns
a few leaves of lettuce
- Quick Pickled Veggies
1 lb carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 lb radish, cut into matchsticks
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions
In a large bowl combine carrots, radishes, cucumbers and salt. Using your hands, gently massage carrots and radishes until they begin to get tender, about 4-5 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat water, vinegar and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pack prepared vegetables into a large mason jar and pour the warm vinegar mixture over the top. Seal and store in your fridge for up to 5 weeks. You can use them as soon as they are chilled. (I adjusted the recipe amount for just this dinner).
In a small bowl combine mayo, half the green onions and 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce and whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl combine pork, basil, garlic, the rest of the green onions, fish sauce, hot sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper until fully combine and separate into 4-5 equal patties.
Preheat grill to medium/high heat. Add patties to the grill and cook without moving for 5 minutes. Flip the patties and repeat with the other side.
Add hot sauce mayo to both sides of the bun and top with the pork patty, lettuce, cilantro and plenty of pickled vegetables.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Ep.380: Double Date. This week, we get together to discuss: Bare Naked Ladies, Stormy Daniels, prostates, water restrictions, Grizzly competition, movie date, first dates, SOW, & fun songs.
This week, I finished another book as SBean took her turn at the dentist, we enjoyed the gorgeous weather, and supported the Ronald McDonald house on McHappy Day. HBear is in total spring mode while SBean had her heart broken when a fatal accident on the highway stopped us from getting to the Grizzly Gymnastics competition. Ninja took her to her favourite (P)Denny’s to try to cheer her up. HBear got an amazing 70’s/80’s glam haircut this week, SBean had her G6Besty sleepover and Ninja took the Kids for a little drive to see the amazing northern lights that were out because of the solar storm in the atmosphere. HBear had the wrapup party for Youth Action Committee and, SBean been went with her G6Besty, 1 of her Columbia besties and another little boy to the movies, while I stocked up on library books before the month closure in June! SBean stayed up way too late on Friday and was a nappy/grumpy bear by Saturday evening lol.
We had a beautiful Mother’s Day. I spent the entire morning listening to Taylor Swift, something that never happens in our house unless it’s just me and SBean lol and then went up to visit Mommies, and all the other relatives we miss that rest on the bench with my Mom. Then we went to my mom‘s favourite spot, Linden Gardens! We had brunch at the Frog City Café with Ninja’s parents, and then took a walk around the beautiful grounds! I will definitely have to go back when more is in bloom!! We spent the afternoon at the Kiwanis Performing Arts Highlights Gala. SBean and her Soundstage Productions group were invited to perform and we were so proud of her up there! What a fantastic way to end the first year of musical theatre and Glee. Happy Mother’s Day to all of Moms out there!
4 thoughts on “May: Meal Plan on a Budget”
Wow – those are some great dishes!! I don’t know how you do it with a teenager in the house!! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Hope the rest of your week is awesome.
Thank you! HA, I’m super lucky that I have an awesome partner that enjoys cooking as much as I do! Thanks for hosting a great link up party!
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Welcome! Thanks for stopping by, following and commenting! I appreciate it 🙂