Keeping Your Low Carb Food Costs Down

I try to save as much money as I can by buying foods in their whole state or in bulk, no more pre cut veggies, no more individually sealed chicken breasts, no more marinated meat in a bag. I save a lot of money but it requires a lot of prep work which adds to the amount of time it takes to make a low carb meal. I spend about 3-4 hours on Sunday (my only consistent day off each week) prepping and cooking for the week to come. Although I rather being doing almost anything else (or nothing at all), this day is the key to me sticking to my budget and to my low carb diet!

My meal plan for the week helps me know what I will need and I try to prep everything I can on Sunday. I divide large packs of meats into freezer and fridge portions, chop veggies for recipes later in the week, prep sauces and marinate the next day’s dinner. I cut tubs of diced red onion, cucumber, celery and romaine lettuce (I use a special plastic lettuce knife so it does not brown) all ready for me to throw together a salad without a fuss during the week.

Every Sunday I also make a large one low carb meal that I can eat through out the week. My favorites are a hearty soup of which I have several versions, bean less chili or a roast. This is usually my Sunday night dinner that serves as a quick lunch or dinner throughout the week that just needs to be heated.

I make a meal plan for the week and keep it flexible so I can interchange meals in case I have a crazy day at work or if I just don’t feel like having leftovers that night! On average, I cook three or four large meals during the week and make sure there are plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners.

Here is an example of one of my weekly meal plans:

	Break	Lunch	Dinner
Sun		Spinach and Feta Frittata (brunch)	Large Pot of Bean-less Chili
Mon	Frittata	Italian Roll Ups	Baked Chicken & Veggies
Tues	Frittata	Chili Dogs with Cheese	Baked Chicken Salad
Wed	Sausage and eggs	Baked Chicken Parm	Chili
Thurs	Chili Eggs	Chef Salad	Pork Chops & Veggies
Fri	Pork Chops and eggs	Italian Roll Ups	Leftover night!!!
Sat		“Leftover” Omelet (brunch)	Low Carb Flatbread Pizza