Step One  |  Casually peruse the weekly ads, circling anything that sounds yummy with a thick, red sharpie. Add stars for things that sound extra delicious. My favorite place to shop is Sunflower Market, our local farmer’s market/grocery store. I circle all the wonderful fruits and veggies on the front of their ad, then check out their bulk section. This week I’m picking up brown rice for 79-cents/lb, and I usually also stock up on some couscous and walnuts when they’re on sale.

Step Two  |  Flip through your recipe book, looking for recipes that coincide with the weekly sales. My recipe book is filled with cards and printouts, divided by section. I also have a dinner inspiration section where I simple made a huge list of possible dinner ideas. It makes it easier just browse that list and pick a few. I also discovered Sunflower Market has a large collection of healthy recipes using mostly fresh, raw ingredients.

Step Three  |  Using your grocery list printout, write down the ingredients you’ll need for that week, recipe by recipe, day by day. Here’s what mine looks like this week (forgive me for the awful picture):

Step Four  |  Grab your reusable bags and head out the door. If I have time, I hit up Walmart and price match from the ads. Last night I price matched Sunflower Market’s fresh produce and got 4 large apples, 4 oranges, a head of romaine, a large head of broccoli, celery, cantaloupe, bananas, and a cucumber for $9. Not bad, but I will admit that Sunflower Market’s produce is much better quality. (I ended up having to go to Sunflower Market anyway because Walmart didn’t have strawberries.)

Step Five  |  When you’re home and everything is unloaded, tape your list to the fridge and follow your menu!

This week’s recipes are:
Tuesday  |  Beef Enchiladas (one change: we use red enchilada sauce instead of picante sauce)
Wednesday  |  Baked Potato Soup (I freeze the extras in the sour cream containers used for the soup, making individual servings. Then I just thaw two in the fridge!)
Thursday  |  Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry
Friday  |  Rib-eye steak with steamed broccoli and Caesar salad
Saturday  |  Twice-baked potatoes (we usually go out for lunch or dinner so I never plan much for Saturday)
Sunday  |  Breakfast: Souffle Omelet with Balsamic Strawberries, Dinner: Homemade Ravioli, roasted red potatoes, salad
Monday  |  Spaghetti, homemade french bread, salad
Tuesday  |  Chicken & Fish*, roasted red potatoes, steamed broccoli (I don’t eat fish, so I just substitute my serving of fish for chicken in for whatever recipe I am using)