Eat Fit for $40 a week
Molly Kimball, registered dietitian, challenged herself to put together a shopping list, a meal plan, and recipes to help you keep fit for $40 a week. She didn’t quite get there, but she was able to come up with a terrific meal plan for under $45 a week. Credit and a huge thank-you to Eat Fit NOLA Ambassador Emily Chauvin for her research on this feature.
Grocery List:
- Walmart:
- 1 Carton of eggs – $1.68 (12 ct Grade AA) or $1.80 (12 ct Grade A)
- Carton of Greek yogurt – $3.78 for GV 32 oz
- Almond milk (Blue Diamond) – $1.94 for 32 oz Almond Breeze
- 1 bag part-skim mozzarella (Great Value) – $2.22/2 cup bag
- 1 Lg Cauliflower Head – $2.97 per head (Green Giant)
- 1 green bell pepper (1/2 lb)- $0.78/ lb → $0.39
- 2 onions (1 lb) – $0.98 per pound
- 1 carrot stick (Bulk Carrot Sticks ½ lb) – $0.67/lb → $0.335
- 1 garlic (1 piece = ¼ lb) – $3.98/pound → $0.995
- 1 (or 2) celery stalks (Green Giant) – $1.34/bag
- 4.5 cups spinach (Marketside) – $2.98/bag of 8 cups spinach
- 1 apple (4 oz) – $1.47/lb → $0.3675
- 1.5 lbs white beans (Great Value) – $1.56/1 lb bag → $3.12
- 1 container rolled oats (Great Value) – $1.64/18 oz container
- Total Estimated Cost: $24.85
- Langenstein’s
- Naked Rotisserie Chicken – $6.99
- Total Estimated Cost: $6.99
- Naked Rotisserie Chicken – $6.99
- Farmer’s Market
- Blueberries – $6.00/2 lbs
- Okra – $2.00/basket
- Green Beans – $5.00/container
- Total Estimated Cost: $13.00 (only spend 6.50 and match that)
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Meal Plan
| Day | Meal Time | Menu | Nutrition Facts | Ingredients/Description |
| Monday | Breakfast | Veggie Omelet + Greek yogurt covered blueberries |
350 calories, 14.5g fat, 4g sat fat, 150 mg sodium, 27g carbs, 5g fiber, 18g sugar, 0 grams added sugar, 27g protein |
2 eggs, ¼ bell pepper, ¼ onion, 1 tsp olive oil + ½ cup Greek yogurt, ½ cup blueberries
|
| Lunch | White Bean Salad |
270 calories, 12g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 270mg sodium, 20g carbs, 6g fiber, 2g sugar, 25g protein |
2 cups spinach, ½ cup white beans, 2 oz rotiss chicken, ½ cup celery, 2 tbsp dressing | |
| Dinner | Rotiss Chicken “Bowl” |
230 calories, 4.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 515 mg sodium, 14g carbs, 5g fiber, 4g sugar, 38g protein |
4 oz rotiss chicken, 1 cup veggies, 1 cup cauliflower rice, 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Overnight oats w/ Greek yogurt + blueberries |
390 calories, 4.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 90mg sodium, 54g carbs, 8g fiber, 23g sugar, 31g protein |
½ cup rolled oats, 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ cup blueberries |
| Lunch | Chicken Salad w/ apple slices |
200 calories, 3.5g fat, 1g sat fat, 350mg sodium, 12g carbs, 2g fiber, 10g sugar, 32g protein |
¼ cup Greek yogurt, salt/pepper to taste, ¼ cup grapes, ½ celery stalk (chopped), 3 oz chicken, 1 apple, sliced | |
| Dinner | Crispy Chicken Pizza Crust (makes 4 servings) |
2 slices pizza crust= 120 calories, 2 g fat, 0g sat fat, 400mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 26g protein |
½ cup packed minced chicken, ½ cup packed shredded mozzarella, ½ tbsp. dried parsley, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder topped w/ rotiss chicken + vegs | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | Egg Muffins |
100 calories, 5 g fat, 2g sat fat, 6g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugar, 12g protein |
1 egg, 1 egg white, 2 oz spinach, ¼ bell pepper, ¼ onion |
| Lunch | Cauliflower Fried Rice |
190 calories, 9g fat, 4g sat fat, 240mg sodium, 18g carbs, 5g fiber, 7g sugar, 11g protein |
½ tbsp butter, 1 whisked egg, ½ carrot peeled/diced, ¼ onion diced, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 cup cauliflower rice, 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce | |
| Dinner | White Bean Chili |
370 cals, 6.5g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 930mg sodium, 41g carbs, 9g fiber, 4g sugar, 41g protein |
8 oz beans, 1 tbsp butter, ½ cup chopped yellow onion, ¼ garlic clove minced, 1.5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, ½ tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper w/ chicken crust to dip | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Smoothie |
240 calories, 4g fat, 0g sat fat, 40g carbs, 6g fiber, 10g sugar, 12g protein |
½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup almond milk, ½ cup blueberries, ¼ cup Greek yogurt |
| Lunch | White Bean Hummus w/ cauliflower thins (makes 6 thins) | 600 calories, 47g fat, 9g sat fat, 460 mg sodium, 27g carbs, 9g fiber, 8g sugar, 21g protein | ½ lb dried beans, 1 lemon, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 garlic cloves chopped, ½ cup tahini paste, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lg cauliflower head, 2 eggs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper |
|
| Dinner | Chicken + Hummus |
785 calories, 25.25g fat, 8g sat fat, 710mg sodium, 57g carbs, 15g fiber, 9g sugar, 44g protein |
2 oz chicken topped w/ 2 tbsp hummus + 1 cauliflower thin over leftover chili | |
| Friday | Breakfast | Eggs + Oats |
410 calories, 11g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 110mg sodium, 54g carbs, 10g fiber, 2g sugar, 19g protein |
1 egg + 1 cup rolled oats w/ ¼ cup almond milk |
| Lunch | Chicken salad on cauliflower thins |
480 calories, 21.5g fat, 6g sat fat, 960mg sodium, 29g carbs, 7g fiber, 15g sugar, 46g protein |
Leftover chicken salad on 2 cauliflower thins | |
| Dinner | Salad Trio: Egg salad, hummus, chicken salad | 410 cals, 15g fat, 6.5g sat fat, 140mg sodium, 10g carb, 3g fiber, 3g sugar, 16g protein | Egg Salad: 1 boiled eggs, ½ carrot chopped, ¼ cup cheese, 2 tbsp Greek yogurt.
2 tbsp hummus Leftover chicken salad |
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Recipes:
Overnight oats w/ Greek yogurt + blueberries
Ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup blueberries
Instructions:
Place the oats and yogurt in a mixing bowl and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Add honey and stir again until evenly mixed. (Note: adding the honey after the oats and yogurt are mixed will allow it to stir in more evenly.) Cover and refrigerate. Place the frozen berries in a sealable container and add lemon juice. Cover, shake to mix juice and berries, and refrigerate.
Chicken Salad
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup red seedless grapes
- 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
Instructions:
In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Refrigerate dressing until ready to make the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.
Dice rotisserie chicken into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in grapes, celery, and dressing. Serve with apple slices. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 200 calories, 3.5 grams fat, 1 grams saturated fat, 350 milligrams sodium, 11 grams carbohydrate,1 gram fiber, 9 grams sugar, 32 grams protein.
Low Carb, Gluten-Free Crispy {Chicken} Pizza Crust
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cooked, packed minced chicken breast
- 1/2 cup packed mozzarella, shredded
- 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine chicken and cheese, mixing until reaches a thick, dense crumb consistency. Press mixture into a 12-inch round on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Top with parsley, onion and garlic powder and bake for 12 minutes.
Let cool for five minutes, then top with sauce, cheese, and toppings of choice. Bake for 6-8 minutes more, or until toppings are lightly browned. Let cool for five minutes, then slice and serve.
Per serving: 60 calories, 3 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat,115 milligrams sodium, 1 gram carbohydrate, less than 1 gram fiber, less than 1 gram sugar, 11 grams protein.
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