Menu Planning Parents Weekend

Menu planning can be incredible when you have the liberty of letting your parents take you grocery shopping! It's essentially having the ability to splurge while someone else handles the bill--a great benefit of Parents' Weekend and having them visit campus!

For this week's planning, I did not include a full list or price tally since your parents would likely be picking up the tab, but you will need to go over the recipes to make sure that you have an complete list. Another benefit of this menu is that you will likely have multiple meals to either share or freeze for future use--make the most of this week!  You will be well-fed!

The Menu This Week
Total: 28 meals 
Cost: whatever your parents can spare

Sunday: 

• Orange Oatmeal Pancakes with Sliced Fruit with powdered sugar / 8 oz milk.
• Autumn Chili with Green Salad and Crusty Bread
• Cut up carrots and veggies for the rest of the week. Wash and store lettuce.
• Prep your roasted chicken
• Chicken Hoagies with Pepperoncini with Chips & Salsa
• Yoghurt with fresh fruit
• Save pancake batter 1/2 dry & 1/2 wet or 1/2 of the batter
• Prep your Tuna Fish 

Monday:

• 2 eggs with Toast / O. J. /  8 oz milk / 
• Tuna Fish Sandwich / Carrot sticks / Fruit / Granola Bars
• Avgolemono Soup with Crusty Bread  
• Triscuits with Cheese / Fruit
• Make Homemade Granola

Tuesday:

• Homemade Granola with Berries / 8 oz milk 
• Leftover Avgolemono Soup / Celery / Carrots / Granola Bar / Fruit
• Easy Meatloaf / Sweet Potato / Roasted Green Beans
• Freeze 2 thin hamburger patties for future Classic Diner Cheeseburger
• Save 6 slices of bacon 

Wednesday:

• 2-3 egg omelet with 2 Toasts / 2-3 slices Bacon / O. J. / 8 oz milk
• Leftover Meatloaf / 1/2 of sweet potato / Roasted Green Beans or make a meatloaf sandwich
• Carrots / Celery / Peppers / Fruit
• Leftover Autumn Chili with Cheesy Mushroom Toasts
• Fruit & Yoghurt

Thursday:

• Homemade Granola with Berries & Milk
• PB & J Sandwich with carrots / fruit
• Seared Pork Chops / Roasted Greek Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Dip
• Celery / Carrots / Leftover Garlic Dip
• Make up second 1/2 of pancake batter
• Save at least 1-2 pork chops for PLs Cuban Sandwiches

Friday:

• Orange Oatmeal Pancakes with Sliced Fruit with powdered sugar / 8 oz milk.
• PL's Cuban Sandwiches / Chips & Salsa / Carrots
• Classic Diner Cheeseburger / Chili-Lime Pepper Salad
• Yoghurt with fruit

Saturday:

• Plan next weeks menu and budget
• English Muffin with cheddar, egg, bacon / 8 oz milk
• Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup / Veggies
• Out for night (Take only Cash $20-30 from not having to buy groceries this week)

Menu Planning 4 College Cooking No 2

Benefits of menu planning extend past saving money and eating well. You are consciously taking steps to reduce waste not only in what you consume, but what you throw away, and thus, minimize your footprint on this earth! 

This week's menu is not an ultra cheap menu trying to meet the ridiculous living standard of SNAP Dollars, i.e. $4 / day per person as I attempted (and failed) on my last post; however, the benefit of this week's menu is that you will likely have a freezer with additional meals for the following week, i.e. you will have some excess from the recipes as well as a few left over grocery items that you can carry in to the following week. This week also assumes that you have a few items remaining from your previous week's shopping, i.e. oatmeal, slices of bread, etc.

Switch things up if you like. 
Pull in other recipes, but whatever you do, get planning…even if it is not a typical thing to do for a college student, learn this simple skill. 
Make it a challenge or game to see if you can reduce spending and waste all while eating better. Take it up a notch and invite someone to share your excess from the meals you create; thus, benefiting two people while building community and conversation.

The Menu This Week
Approximate grocery total outside of Chicago: $75
(Not necessarily shopping at Aldi's or other low-priced stores)
Total: 28 meals 
Cost: $2.75-3.00 / meal

Sunday: 

• Large Pancake In A Skillet with jam, syrup, powdered sugar / 8 oz milk
• Fiery Black Bean Burritos with cheese, sour cream and green onions / Chili-Lime Pepper Salad
• Freeze 2/3 in 2 separate containers for future meals.
• Rigatoni Up A Notch (use 3 slices of bacon) / Green Salad
• Freeze 2/3 in 2 separate containers for future meals.
• Cut up carrots and veggies for the rest of the week. Wash and store lettuce.
• Yoghurt with fresh fruit
• Prep your Tuna Fish 
• Make Cinnamon Apple Cake

Monday:

• Eggs In A Nest / 8 oz milk
• Tuna Fish Sandwich / Carrot sticks / Apple Cake
• 50-50 Burgers / Roasted Green Beans
• Freeze burgers uncooked in sets of 2. Make 3 slices of bacon ahead for morning sandwich.
• Popcorn with parmesan

Tuesday:

• English Muffin with cheddar, egg, bacon / 8 oz milk
• PB & J Sandwich / carrots 
• Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup (use 1 cup milk to make soup) / Green Salad with veggies
• Roasted Greek Yoghurt Dip with veggies 
• You will use yoghurt dip for tomorrow's lunch 

Wednesday:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup milk with cinnamon sugar / Fruit
• Power Veggie Wrap with hummus, veggies, and Roasted Greek Yoghurt
• Fiery Black Bean Burritos Leftovers / Cucumber Salad
• Save 50% Cucumber Salad
• Snack Attack Apple Muffins / 8 oz milk

Thursday:

• 2 eggs with English Muffin /  8 oz milk
• PB & J Sandwich with carrots / fruit
• Thaw one container of Rigatoni before leaving house.
• Rigatoni Up A Notch leftovers / Cucumber Salad Leftovers
• Popcorn and parmesan
• Make up second pouch of Tuna Fish for tomorrow's lunch.

Friday:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup milk with cinnamon sugar / Fruit /  8 oz milk
• Tuna Sandwich with remaining veggies / fruit
• Marinate chicken breasts for Bandilicious Chicken before leaving house
• Bandilicious Chicken / Cashew Rice Pilaf / Chili-Lime Pepper Salad
• Save 50% Rice Pilaf and one chicken breast for tomorrow's Quesadillas
• Yoghurt with fruit

Saturday:

• Plan next weeks menu and budget
• 2-3 egg omelet with 2 Toasts / Remaining Bacon / 8 oz milk
• Starter Quesadillas with cheese / chicken / Tomato Soup
• Thaw 50-50 Burgers before tailgating or leaving house.
• 50-50 Burgers / Cashew Rice Pilaf Leftovers / any remaining veggies
• Popcorn and a movie
• Out for night (Take only Cash $15-20)

College Menu Planning 4 Low Income

One of the best ways anyone can stick to a low income budget, such as a tight college budget, is to plan ahead. How do you stretch your dollars when you have none to little income? Why does it matter? I'm in college…YOLO, right?

Let's say, you randomly spend $200 a week for hungry, impulse-prone, thoughtless grocery shopping, plus eating out, plus weekend tailgating, and/or buying beer--this will add $9600 to your student debt and college loans (or credit cards)--UGH!--for one year--UGH!UGH!UGH! Multiply by four years, provided you graduate on time, and you have now increased your financial burden by $38400--OUCH!!!

Hopefully the debt you are accumulating is paying for more than food and parties; and, remember, the interest you'll pay back on this loan is more than interest on a car loan or getting a mortgage! YIKES!!  Yes, it SUCKS! 

And, it doesn't stop there! Once you graduate and get a job, your loan repayments kick in and tug at your hard earned money,i.e. car payment, rent, insurance, utilities, cell phone, water / garbage--all on you--parents have nothing to do with it! 

Be smart right now! Buy what you need and eat what you buy! Leave no waste behind when it comes to your college budget!

Yes, this isn't fair, but this is reality!

I may not have all the solutions, but start practicing thoughtful spending and budgeting in all aspects of independent living--plan your menu, find a decent grocery store, use a few coupon apps, buy in bulk, buy only what you will truly eat, and scour the stores for sales. Most importantly, STICK TO YOUR MENU and Grocery List…even if college debt cannot be wiped out completely by frugal shopping, at least it won't be exacerbated.

Thoughts To Consider

1. Learn some basic cooking skills.

2. Set 30 minutes aside on Friday or Saturday to plan your week. 

3. Goal: use everything you buy at the grocery store--maximize each purchase!

4. Learn to estimate prices at different stores and know their SALE days.

5. Stick to your menu and grocery plan.

6. Take a look at the examples below.  Feel free to use the menu, modify it, throw it out--just make one.

7. Every so often I will lay-out different menu ideas to fit low-income living.

(The menus assume that you have at least some basic cooking skills, basic pantry items and staples, either accumulated or brought from home--things most people and kitchens always have on hand!) 

The Menu This Week
Approximate grocery total outside of Chicago: $65-$70
Total: 28 meals 
Cost: $2.35-2.50 / meal

Sunday: 

• Pancakes (Bisquick Mix) with jam, syrup, powdered sugar / 8 oz milk
• Make additional Pocket Pancakes to freeze for later.
• Pasta Bake with Penne / Arugula Salad with lemon, olive oil, vinegar, parmesan
• Freeze 2/3 in 2 separate containers for later.
• Turkey Tacos (for tacos or taco salad or tortillas) / Roasted Broccoli 1/3
• Freeze 2/3 in 2 separate containers for later.
• Cut up carrots and celery for the rest of the week.
• Celery with PB for snack / 8 oz milk

Monday:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup milk with cinnamon sugar / Fruit
• PB & J Sandwich / Carrot sticks / Apple
• 1/3 Burger with bun, cheese, condiments / Oven-Fries 
• Freeze one remaining burger patty / Sear one additional patty for lunch tomorrow.
• Popcorn with parmesan

Tuesday:

• 2 eggs over-easy / 2 pieces of toast with butter and/or jam / 8 oz milk
• 1/3 burger with bun, cheese, condiments (get at cafeteria) / Carrots / Yoghurt
• Leftover Pasta Bake / Salad with olive oil, lemon, parm
• Apple with PB / 8 oz milk

Wednesday:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup milk with cinnamon sugar / Fruit
• Baked potato with 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• Quesadillas with cheese and seared red peppers / onions / Celery Sticks
• Make extra quesadillas for lunch tomorrow / cut a few extra red pepper sticks
• Popcorn with parmesan

Thursday:

• Microwave Pancake Pockets / 8 oz milk
• Quesadillas Leftovers / Red pepper / carrots / celery
• Thaw one container of Turkey Taco Meat / Chips & Salsa
• Apple with P.B.

Friday:

• 2 egg omelet / 2 pieces toast with butter and/or jam / 8 oz milk
• Grilled PB Sandwich / Chips & Salsa
• Thaw remaining 1/3 hamburger patty for dinner
• 1/3 lb burger, bun, cheese, condiments / Cucumber Salad 
• Save 50% of cucumber salad
• Pocket Pancakes or out-for-the-night (take only cash $10-15)

Saturday:

• Plan next weeks menu and budget
• 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup milk with cinnamon sugar / 8 oz milk
• Egg in a Nest / Leftover veggies or fruit
• Thaw remaining turkey taco meat mix
• Tortilla with turkey taco meat burrito / Cucumber Salad
• Popcorn and/or out-for-the-night (take only cash $10-15)

You Did It!!!

• Did you know that the federal assistance program called SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) allots for $4 / person / day in additional dollars, i.e. $28 / week or $112 / month for your food??  $65-$70 per week sounds pretty good after all!
• Even couples making $2000 / month with a rent of $750 / month will not qualify! Are you kidding me? 
• Did the person creating this program ever try living on $4 / day in the 21st century??
• We should all consider ourselves very fortunate if we can afford more--stuff to think about!