how to eat on a budget: part 2

Last week I posted about how we spend $300 a month on groceries while buying local ingredients. But what's a blog post about eating healthy without the recipes? Here are a few of our "go-to" recipes that help us stay below budget and a little more for how we plan our meals, as well as a quick breakdown of how we plan our meals.



This week's menu:

Dinner/lunch

• Carrot, parsnip & potato fritters with cilantro pistachio pesto
• Three mushroom ragu with quinoa
• Goat cheese and leek crust-less tart 
• Spinach and black bean enchiladas (back-up recipe)

Breakfast

• Fruit and kale smoothies
• Grain-free granola
• Pumpkin almond flour muffins
• Fruit with almond butter

As you can see, our dinner menu doubles as our lunch menu. I really think that's the key to eating well on a budget. By spending just a few extra dollars and time on extra ingredients, we have lunch for the next day already prepped and ready by the time we go to bed. Then, all we have to do is supplement it with some fruit, nuts or other veggies as snacks for the day.

Now for the recipes!

I get our recipes from one of three places:

1. Pinterest
2. Cookbooks (my favorite is Fresh & Fast Vegetarian)
3. Making them up using The Flavor Bible

Winter Borscht from
Fresh & Fast Vegetarian.
I think we ate this for a total of 8 meals!

While I do like to make recipes up, most of our meal planning comes from recipes I find on  Pinterest and in cookbooks. I alter most recipes slightly, depending on what we have in our pantry and what is in season at the market. So, please visit the sites of all these great recipes to get more great meal ideas.

Here are my favorite recipes, found via Pinterest:

Dinner:
Five Ingredient Coconut Curry via Pinch of Yum
note: Mix and match veggies based on what's in season
Zucchini Fritters via Smitten Kitchen and Souvlaki for the Soul
note: When zucchini isn't in season, I add carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc. 
Roasted Veggie Quinoa Salad via The Talking Kitchen
note: You could use rice or lentils instead of quinoa and also change up the veggies
Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa via Cookin' Canuck
note: This is also delicious without the chicken!
No-Cream of Mushroom Soup via Lunchboxbunch
note: I recommend adding some chard or kale :)
Chipotle Chicken Salad via Simply Scratch
note: This is a great recipe to take for lunch - no heating required!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins - my favorite!

Breakfast:
Paleo Blueberry Muffins via PaleOMG
note: I have also subbed bananas for blueberries
Breakfast Cookies via The Girl Who Went Paleo
note: These are great for dessert too!
Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins via The Urban Poser
note: double the cinnamon and chives and they'll taste exactly like pumpkin pie!

Desserts:
Chocolate Mousse via Vegan Magic
Avocado Chocolate Pudding via Forgiving Martha

How about you? Do you have any go-to meals that you rely on?