How I Meal Plan in an Ingredient Household—and Keep the Grocery Bill Down

Sunday is a good time to look at the week ahead and figure out what we’re going to eat. Nothing elaborate. I don’t need every bite assigned a time slot, but I do like knowing what’s for dinner before everyone starts asking.

We are a “stock the pantry” kind of household. An ingredient household. We keep things on hand that we can turn into meals, so my planning starts with what we already have.

First, look in the house

Before taking out the grocery flyer, look through the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.

What meat is in the freezer? Do you have rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, or eggs? What vegetables are on hand? Is there something in the refrigerator that needs to be used soon?

Put together a couple of meals from those ingredients first. If you have chicken, rice, and frozen vegetables, you may already have most of a dinner. If you have eggs, cheese, and a few vegetables, perhaps it’s a quiche or an omelet night.

You’ve already paid for that food. Give it a job before buying more.

Next, get out the calendar

What does this week actually look like?

Work schedules, sports activities, appointments, school events—all of those things should be considered when planning meals.

The busiest day is probably not the day to make something that requires an hour of hands-on preparation. That’s where a dump meal, such as my Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken, can help. Get it started according to the recipe and your cooker’s instructions, and dinner is one less thing to figure out later.

Save the meals that need more attention for days when you have time to make them.

And leave yourself an easy backup. Leftovers from the freezer, grilled cheese, or eggs and toast can keep a difficult day from becoming an expensive takeout night.

Keep a few inexpensive favorites in rotation

You don’t need seven brand-new recipes every week. Familiar meals make planning easier, and you already know whether your family will eat them.

Some of our inexpensive favorites include:

• Chicken and rice cooked together in one pan.
• Spaghetti.
• Chili or soup.
• Baked chicken with potatoes and vegetables.
• Egg fried rice.
• Pancakes or eggs and toast for dinner.
• Baked potatoes topped with leftovers.
• Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken served over rice or in tortillas.

Your list may look different. Write down the meals your household enjoys so you have somewhere to start when your brain says, “I have absolutely no ideas.”

Now take out the grocery flyer

Once you’ve planned a couple of meals using what’s in the house, look at the flyer for the store where you shop.

What protein is on sale? Boneless chicken? Whole chickens? Pork chops?

Buy two: one for this week and one for another week. That might mean two whole chickens or enough pork chops for two family meals. Package and freeze the portion for later.

This is part of how an ingredient household stays stocked. You’re buying something you use when it’s on sale, and giving yourself the beginnings of a future dinner.

Next week, when you check the freezer, that second package will be there waiting.

Buy what’s missing for this week’s meals

Now fill in the gaps.

If you’re making chicken and rice, do you need rice—or is there already a bag in the pantry? If you’re making chili, do you have the beans and tomatoes?

Write down the ingredients you actually need. Check before adding them to the list. It’s easy to buy another package of something because you can’t remember whether you have it.

For vegetables, I often reach for frozen. They’re easy to keep on hand, and I can use what I need without worrying about the rest spoiling. Frozen steam-in-bag vegetables are a quick option for busy nights; compare their price with the plain frozen bags too.

Check seasonal fruit and the sales. Right now, apples are a natural choice for our fall meal plan.

Don’t forget lunches and snacks

Dinner may get most of the attention, but lunches and snacks belong on the list too.

What will people take to work or school? Do you need sandwich ingredients, fruit, yogurt, or something crunchy?

We also have food thermoses for the kids, so lunch doesn’t have to mean a sandwich. We preheat them with boiling water, empty the water, and then fill them with thoroughly heated food and close them right away. Soup, chili, or leftovers from dinner can become a warm lunch the next day. Use a food thermos designed to keep the contents hot until lunchtime, following its instructions.

That’s food we already have getting another job—and another lunch taken care of.

Packaging matters, too. Individual servings often cost more for the convenience. Compare the unit prices, and consider buying a larger bag of chips or crackers and portioning it yourself.

The kids can help with that job. Set out the containers, divide everything up, and have several days of snacks ready to grab.

The same idea works with yogurt and other foods you can portion at home. You’re making your own convenience instead of paying for every little package.

Plan a job for the leftovers

Before the week starts, think about what those meals can become.

A roasted chicken can give you chicken salad or another chicken dinner. Extra rice can become fried rice. Chili can go over a baked potato. Salsa chicken can become burritos or quesadillas.

A portion packed for lunch is one less meal you need to buy ingredients for. You can also freeze an extra portion for a day when cooking is just not happening.

Leftovers are much more useful when you have a plan for them. Otherwise, they can become little containers that migrate to the back of the refrigerator until nobody wants to investigate.

Keep the plan useful

A meal plan should make the week easier. It doesn’t have to be fancy, and switching two dinners around is perfectly fine.

Start with the food you have. Look at the calendar. Use the sales to help choose the rest. Buy the missing ingredients, include lunches and snacks, and give the leftovers another job.

That’s how I approach it: ordinary food, familiar meals, and a little thought before I spend the money.