Simple, Budget Friendly 7-Day Meal Plan & Grocery List

by:  Melissa Sell & Kimberly Roberto

Shopping for healthy food on a budget can seem intimidating but there are ways to make it work.  Most healthy meals just require a few simple ingredients and take a very short time to make.  This 7 day meal plan is based on 1-2 people so adjust the amounts accordingly to feed more people.

All of the items are Advanced & Core Plan Approved
Grocery List

• 1 pound antibiotic free ground turkey  ($4.99 Whole Foods)
• 1 pound grass fed beef ($6ish)
• 2 pounds organic chicken ($8-12)
• 2 dozen eggs (hormone/antibiotic free- $3.99)
• 1 cans black beans ($2)
• 1 bag coconut flakes ($3ish)
• 2 cans coconut milk ($4)
• 1 box organic butter ($5ish)
• 1 jar almond butter ($4.99)
• 1 head org. kale ($2.49)
• 1 bag org spinach ($3ish)
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes ($2ish)
• 2 org. Granny smith apples
• 1 cucumber
• Org. red pepper, org green pepper
• 1 avocado
•  Head of broccoli
• 1 large onion
• ½ lb deli turkey ($3ish)
• Fresh strawberries ($3ish)
• Romaine Lettuce ($2ish)
• Small bag walnuts ($3ish)
• Small bag cashews ($2ish)
• 1 container hummus ($3ish)
• 1 can organic crushed tomatoes ($2ish)
• 1 quart organic chicken broth($3ish)

*hard to estimate price of some produce
Total= $60ish
Try to buy 1 item you can get a lot of uses out of per week (so it doesn’t get too expensive in one grocery store visit)
Ex: one week buy butter, the next olive oil, the next coconut oil
This way you can stock up and not need to buy them for a while after your first get them

7 Day – Meal Plan

Monday
Breakfast – 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach
Snack – Handful of cashews or coconut flakes
Lunch – Salad- kale, ½  cucumber, red pepper, black beans, olive oil, balsamic or apple cider vinegar
Dinner – Turkey burger w/ steamed broccoli
Use half of your turkey, mix in desired spices (curry and cumin are really good) and create 2 patties- cook in butter or coconut oil
Steam broccoli for 3 minutes

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, spinach, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Granny Smith Apple with almond butter
Lunch – Leftover turkey burger with a salad
Dinner – Chicken with black beans and onions
Chop 1/3 of your onion and cook in down in butter, cook chicken (chop into chunks for quicker cooking) in same pan, heat black beans (you can add spices.  Eat with kale or spinach

Wednesday
Breakfast – 2 eggs scrambled and cooked in butter over a bed of spinach.  Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety
Snack – Handful of coconut flakes
Lunch – Left over chicken with salad
Dinner – Tex Mex over kale with avocado
Put grass fed beef and the rest of the ground turkey in pan and cook through. Chop 1/3 onion, ½ green pepper, 1 clove garlic- sauté in butter for 3-5 minutes. Drain meat if necessary- add meat to veggies- add 1 can drained black beans and ½- 1 can tomatoes (depends how much liquid you want in there). Season with cumin and paprika.

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Apple with almond butter
Lunch – Left over Tex Mex with kale
Dinner – Curry Chicken – Cut up chicken and cook in butter. Add in chopped up onions, peppers and broccoli. Add in ½-1 can coconut milk and add spices (red curry or yellow curry)

Friday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Handful of coconut flakes
Lunch – Salad with left over curry chicken
Dinner – 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach.  Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety

Saturday
Breakfast – 2 spoonfuls almond butter w/ sliced strawberries, coconut milk poured over and sprinkled with stevia
Snack – Hard boiled egg
Lunch – Berry Salad – Romaine with chopped strawberries, walnuts, deli turkey (roll and then slice), poppy seeds (optional), olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Dinner – Quiche – chop deli turkey and any veggies you like.  Whip 6-8 eggs, add sea salt and pepper and veggies.  Butter a round baking dish, pour egg mixture in and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Sunday
Breakfast – Veggie Omelet – scramble eggs but don’t stir.  Let set underneath and carefully flip over.  Fill with desired filling and fold the egg over and slide on to a plate
Snack – Hummus with slices veggies
Lunch – Leftover Quiche and/or Lettuce wrap – spread hummus on lettuce leaves with turkey slices and any other desired toppings
Dinner – Beef Veggie Soup.- brown the remaining ½ lb ground beef.  Add salt (about 1 tsp), pepper, and ½ tsp chili powder.  Pour in undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, and any veggies you want.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Father’s Day Menu

This is a great menu line up for Father’s Day.  It can double as a nice menu for a summer get-together of family meal.

On the Menu

Caprese Salad
Grass Fed NY Strip Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce
Chile-Zucchini Mash
Mashed No-tatoes (recipe in the book)

Starter: Caprese Salad

MAIN COURSE: Grass-Fed NY Strip Steaks w/ Chimichurri Sauce

SIDE DISH: Chile-Zucchini Mash

SIDE DISH: Mashed No-Tatoes - Recipe in the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans Book

Kids Lunch Ideas

I always get questions about packing healthy lunches for kids.  This is a unique challenge for parents, especially if these are new changes for children.  Here is a list of some ideas to get you started.

Getting your kids to eat and to LIKE what you make them may be difficult at times but don’t give up.  Keep trying and you will be surprised how quickly they make changes.

I have found that using something like a bento box (what Japanese children use – it has several different small containers that keep lunch components separate and makes for a presentation kids love.  Plus…it cut’s down on plastic bags which are toxic and bad for the environment anyway.

LEGEND:  C = Core Plan,  A= Adavanced Plan,  MLNP= Maximized Living Nutrition Plans Book

•    Chicken Salad – C,A  Recipe in MLNP.  Organic chicken, homemade mayo or grapeseed oil vegenaise, and any combination of:  celery, onions, curry powder, lemon juice, nuts, grapes (core plan only), raisins (core plan only).
•    Cold Meatloaf – C, A (with flax instead of breadcrumbs) Recipe in MLNP
•    Cold Meatballs on skewers (with Fruit (core plan only) or Cheese) – C, A
•    Turkey – Melon Wrap – C .   Organic deli turkey with thinly sliced melon wrapped in a sprouted grain tortilla.
•    Fresh Mozzerella, Tomatoes, and Basil with Balsamic & Olive oil – C, A
•    Chicken Wings – C, A.  Just bake chicken wings with hot sauce (check ingredients)
•    Salmon Cakes – C, A  Recipe in MLNP
•    Hummus – C, A  Recipe in MLNP
•    Chili – C, A  Recipe in MLNP
•    Guacamole with veggie dippers– C, A  Recipe in MLNP
•    Organic Egg Salad – C, A
•    Organic Hard Boiled Eggs – C, A
•    Dried Fruit – C
•    Plain Organic Yogurt with fruit or Strawberry Syrup – C, A  Make sure you check ingredients!  Yogurt is a common hiding place for lots of sugar.
•    Cookie Cutter Sandwiches – just cut out shapes of sprouted grain bread, organic deli meat, cheese, hummus, almond butter, banana,  – C, A (depending on ingredients)
•    Trail Mix – nuts, coconut flakes, chunks of chocolate bark (recipe in MLNP), seeds – C, A
•    Smoothies – C, can be A
•    Kale Chips – C, A  Recipe on this blog.
•    Organic Deli Meat Rollups – Organic Deli Meat spread with organic cream cheese or hummus, dill pickle, etc. C, A
•    Ezekiel Bread French Toast Sticks with Strawberry Syrup – C Recipe in MLNP
•    Sliced Leftover Chicken – C, A
•    Raw Cheese Cubes – C, A
•    Tamari Almonds – soaked almonds sprinkled with tamari and lightly roasted – C, A
•    Pickles – C, A
•    Frozen Grapes – C
•    Organic Popcorn – C
•    Grass Fed Beef or Turkey Jerky – C, A Recipe in MLNP
•    Soup in a thermos…put hot water into your thermos and let stand for 5 minutes, remove water and refill with the soup – this will keep it warm even longer
•    Salad – get creative!

Menu Planning Tips

Here is some great meal planning information from one of our makeover success stories, Kathy Patell.  She has lost over 60 pounds and has really figured out some great ways to make it work for her and her family.  She was gracious enough to share them with us!  Thanks Kathy.

From Kathy…

Although some patients would like you to hand them a week of menus and a shopping list, there are too many likes and dislikes to really be successful in the long term.  I think the real stumbling block is creating menus.  I would like to help facilitate your patients to come up with their own menu with their likes and circumstance.  (Cooking for family vs individual). Teach them the skill to make menus.  Establish a few rules like: you must try one new entree recipe from the book each week; no salad can be repeated until the fourth day;  there must be at least 3 different colors on your plate; you must have 2 beef, 3 white meat and 2 fish for the week; and so on.   For the advanced plan I choose one meat, one hot vegetable, and one cold salad.  I then add grains for my daughter, who is not on the advanced plan, like brown rice or sweet potatoes.

I first started by looking at the food lists in the book and checking off all the things I already liked.  I could then see how much variety I could choose my menus from.  Menus need to be written down and posted on the cabinet or fridge.  When I come down in the morning and see what to defrost for dinner, I read:

Mon:  Stir fry coconut chicken and snow peas, tomato-mozzarella salad
Tues:  :  Teriyaki salmon, green beans almandine (mine are Green Giant brand), spring mix with raspberry vinaigrette and walnuts
Wed:   Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Caesar salad
Thurs:  Grilled chicken, broccoli cranberry salad, cottage cheese with chives (from my garden)

I think I just made my menus for the next few days!  The point is, when I see what is coming at the end of the day I say to myself YUMM!  I am not being deprived.  I’m eating from a restaurant menu.  The added benefit is that when my husband comes home he can jump right in to help prepare.  It’s written down.  If you are trying a new recipe each week, the pantry items will gradually change.

For breakfast and lunch you could do it like the hospital does.  Write several options and alternate each day: eggs (scrambled, fried, omelet), smoothie, grainless pancakes, grainless granola with almond milk.

One more strategy that must be considered when making menus; the activities commitments that interfere with meal times.  I always consult my calendar and jot down on the menu  which nights I have a class or Steph has to work.  If I need to be somewhere at 6pm and she needs to be somewhere at 7pm and Dan may or may not be home, that’s Taco night!  A meal that can be prepared ahead and hold.

Kathy Petell

Family Taco Night

We just had one of our Maximized Living Makeover and I was explaining to people how easy and FAST it is to cook a good healthy meal.  Here is an example of a super fast meal that the whole family will love.  The best part is that is it much healthier than takeout or the little yellow “taco flavor” packets.

1 lb grass fed ground beef

2 tbsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

½ onion, grated

2 tsp oregano

Greens + ‘fixins’

 

Brown the ground beef with the grated onion until almost done, add the rest of the ingredients.  You may need to add a small amount of water for consistency.

Serve as taco salad over greens with tomatoes, avocado, black beans, raw cheese, etc.

OR serve in sprouted grain tortillas (CORE PLAN ONLY – not Advanced Plan Approved)

Stuffed Porto Patty

Last night, I decided to go meatless and made Stuffed Porto Pattys from the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans Book.  One of the many joys of cooking is being able to improvise.  I was out of tomatoes so I just substituted chopped zucchini instead.  I also substituted a very light sprinkle of raw cheddar cheese instead of goat cheese.   The portobello mushrooms are so rich and meaty and satisfying that will satisfy even big appetites.

Before Cooking

These portobello mushroom caps make the perfect ‘bowl’ and can be stuffed with any veggies you have on hand.  You can even leave off the cheese entirely.   The recipe suggests grilling, but since it was raining last night, I just popped mine in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

You can also assemble the mushrooms ahead of time and just sprinkle with the cheese and pop them in the oven when you are ready.  It only took me minutes to gather and chop the ingredients, then just 25 minutes in the oven.  You can’t get much faster than that AND it is 100% healthy!

After Cooking

Advanced Plan – On The Go Ideas

I have people ask me all the time for quick and easy Advanced Plan snack and on-the-go ideas.  This is especially important now that we are entering the summer months and people are traveling, picnicing, and spending a lot of time outdoors.  When you are commited to eating well, you must also be organized and plan ahead.  Here are some ideas to get you going.  The items below are great for packing in a cooler or insulated lunch container.

raw veggies / dips

grass fed beef jerky (homemade is easy, just slice grass fed beef very thin and marinate in tamari or liquid aminos, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and any other spices you like.  Lay them in a dehydrator and let them go until done)

Grilled chicken

Any type of salad mixture (see my prior post for terrific Smoked salmon

Hard boiled eggs

Almond power bars (just make sure you keep them cool)

Apple/flax muffins

Mini omelet muffins (just mix eggs, salsa, onions, etc and bake them in muffin cups)

Homemade trail mix

Kale chips – you can do them in a dehydrator or in the oven (see my prior post for recipe)

Nuts/seeds

Almond butter w/ granny smith apples or celery sticks

Deli turkey (check ingredients) rolled up with hummus and a pickle in the middle

Mushrooms stuffed w/ cream cheese & chopped/cooked turkey bacon

Lettuce wraps – turkey bacon/tomato/lettuce wraps, hummus/sprout/cucumber, smoked salmon/avocado, etc

I love it when a meal comes together

One of my main goals on my mission for better nutrition is to GET PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN!  Most people are surprised to learn that most of the meals I make come together in less than 30 minutes, use few ingredients, and appeal to the whole family.  This is an example of one of those quick, easy, and tasty meals that I made on a night that was very hectic.  I actually found that taking that short mental break while I was preparing the food was just what I needed.  I enrolled my kids to help which allowed us some time to cooperate and communicate.  Not to mention, when the kids help, they are much more likely to try the food.  For example, my 7 year old helped chop the zucchini and my 9 year old skewered the chicken.

On the menu:

CHICKEN SATAY (from Maximized Living Nutrition Plans) – CORE & ADVANCED PLAN

2 tablespons raw almond butter

1/2 cup liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or organic tamari

1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons curry powder

6 skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts, cubed

1 teaspoon hot pepper or chili sauce (check ingredients!)

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

Combine almond buter, aminos, lime juice, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce.  Place the cubed chicken in the marinade and let marinate 30 minutes – overnight.  Weave the chicken on to wooden skewers (presoaked in water to prevent burning) Preheat an indoor cast iron grill pan to high than reduce to medium heat.  Cook skewers approximately 5-8 minutes on each side until no longer pink inside.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

2-3 large zucchini – chopped into cubes

1/2 onion – chopped into cubes

Sea salt

Spices to taste

Coconut oil or grapeseed oil

Heat oil in a pan (I used GreenPans here but cast iron or stainless steel will also work – stay away from aluminum or teflon!) to med-high heat, put vegetables in the pan and do not touch until browned.  This gives the vegetables a nice color and provides a different taste.  I used a premade spice mix – just check the ingredients.

WILTED SWISS CHARD

1 bunch swiss chard or any type of greens

olive oil

garlic

salt

lemon juice

To prepare the chard, start by cutting out the hard pink stalks and chop the rest of the greens into bite sized chunks.  Combine the chopped chard with the salt, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl.  Massage the chard to combine the flavors and soften the leaves.  Put into a pan and heat lightly until desired doneness.  I prefer mine just lightly wilted.  DO NOT heat the olive oil too much because it cannot withstand high heat.

On the Menu Tonight

On the menu tonight:  Grass fed beef meatloaf:  2 lbs grass fed ground beef, 1/2 – 3/4 cup quinoa (in place of breadcrumbs), 2 cage free organic eggs, parsley, carmelized onions, salt, & pepper; smashed sweet potatoes (chunked and boiled) with shredded granny smith apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of stevia; fresh steamed broccoli with lemon juice & grated rind.  No recipe required- just adjust ingredients to your taste.

More Core Plan Menu Ideas

CORE PLAN MENU IDEAS

As requested, here are some more core plan menu ideas.  This is actually what I prepared for myself (and my family) last week. 

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Salad Smoothie – 1 head romaine, cocoa powder, coconut milk, chocolate Nature Pro	Salad w/ chick peas, hearts of palm, hard boiled eggs, fresh basil, olive oil/vinegar	Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf (see recipe) with Mashed No-tatoes (recipe in book)
Tuesday	Apple slices w/ almond butter	jerk chicken w/ brown rice and plantains	Teriyaki chicken with vegetables and fried brown rice
Wednesday	Vegetable omelette	Turkey wrap with hummus spread	smoked salmon with asparagus
Thursday	Berry Smoothie	Curry chicken salad over greens	Grass Fed burger with sweet potato
Friday	Ezekiel bread with almond butter and sliced apple	Chicken/vegetable fried brown rice	salmon with wilted spinach
Saturday	oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, and nuts	tomato soup with not-tuna salad (recipe in book)	Greek salad with grilled chicken
Sunday	Apple Flax Muffin	Ezekiel bread with tomato, avocado, and gomasio	Chicken cacciatore with broccoli and salad