Healthy Saving and Meal Planning

Do you meal plan?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I just go with the flow and try to use whatever has been in the fridge the longest. But whenever I make a meal I end up thinking out how uch or how little it cost me to make.

Id like to get in the habit of planning my meals out a bit more so that nothing in the house goes to waste. I make sure to stock up on things when they are on sale, so I almost always have things like rice, pasta, olives, canned pineapple, dry beans, quinoa, couscous, frozen corn & peas, spices & baking supplies, crackers, granola bars & cereal.
Which means that outside of the items which are amazing deals, I only buy dairy & fresh produce on a weekly basis. I try to make sunday my cooking day, and cook up a couple kinds of dry beans, maybe a batch of rice or other grain, and bread if I am making it that week. This is also a good time to make big stews, soups, chilli, etc. to freeze in small batches.

Using this system means that when i shop I focus almost entirely on the items which are incredibly cheap that I can stockpile, or whichever produce is on sale.

This week I got a ton of organic zucchini and yellow squash at Greenwise on sale. Plans for that include Stuffed Baked Zucchini- I stuff with seasoned rice & beans(I have everything else I need in my pantry!), Pasta Primavera, and raw veggie spears with several dips including homemade hummus. I will use up all my leftover veggies in an omelet or quiche.

I took advantage of the Summer Savings coupons and bought some Quorn. I haven't had it in a while but if you've never tried it, it is a meat replacement like no other! Made from a mycoprotein(think mushrooms), it is as close to chicken without being chicken.

Here is my plan:

Season Quorn patties with garlic powder, salt & pepper, paprika & a light shake of chili powder.
Saute in a tiny bit of olive oil until browned through.
Serve with brown rice, topped with chopped fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, cut fresh corn, a dollop of sour cream and a splash of hot sauce.
Side salad, of course!
I would take any of the leftover chopped veggie toppings and pack myself a taco in a soft tortilla to bring to work.

What are you guys eating this week?