Meal Planning for May

My boyfriend gifted me with half of his Costco membership recently, and now I am super into buying in bulk. Buying food this way can help cut costs and save time. The key is having a plan so the food doesn't spoil and you have what you need.

Subject to change, but here is a sketch of my meal plan for May with what I plan to buy this month. The plan is mainly for Monday-Friday, as I typically free style it for nutrition a bit more on weekends. Feel free to copy + paste this and use it as is, or use it as a template to plan your own meals and shopping for this month. My calorie target is 1800-1900kcal, and my protein target is 110g or more.

Meal Plan

Breakfast

-Kodiak cakes, 180kcal (50g)

(I bought 6 boxes from Amazon, so I'm set here for the whole month)

-Dymatize Vanilla Complete Plant Protein Powder, 150kcal (one scoop)

(I got some on Amazon for cheap–hot tip, always by this on Amazon for the best price, I will alternate this with greek yogurt from Costco–I love getting Fage best, but plain non-fat greek yogurt is cheapest from Costco)

-Peach cups, 30kcal

(I bought these at the store last week, but for future weeks I will do berries, which I love buying fresh when they are on sale, but they are cheapest frozen at Costco for a 3lb bag)

-Almond butter, 95kcal (16g)

(I have been enjoying Simple Truth no stir creamy from King Soopers, I have some but I will buy more at King Sooper for later this month)

-Coffee with unsweetened almond milk and sugar free sweetener, 15kcal (~.25-.5 c almond milk)

(I have some almond milk, but I'll run out, so I will get it this week, and it will likely last all month)

Nutrition Summary

470kcal, 41g protein (this will change slightly when I swap the berries for peaches and greek yogurt for protein powder, but not drastically)

Post-Workout (morning)

-Protein banana bread, 290kcal

(I made a big batch last week, so I have 2 batches in the freezer, one for this week and one for next, I have most of the ingredients, so I will get some green bananas to make this again next weekend, I also have some MRE bars I may eat)

-Lactose free yogurt, 60kcal

(I have some Chobani zero sugar yogurts to use up, but I don't like them very much, I will buy some carbmaster yogurts from King Soopers to swap out for next week. I will likely need to go shopping for this kind of yogurt again in the middle of the month, or I can just but a lot)

Nutrition Summary

350kcal, 26g protein (less protein and more calories when yogurt swap is made; more protein if banana bread is swapped for the MRE bars)

Lunch (4 servs)

-Barilla red lentil spaghetti, 210kcal (roughly, when box is divided into 4)

(So good!! I got it on sale for $.35, and this is my last box. I would love to buy more, but I have whole wheat pasta in my pantry that will last me for about 2 weeks. I'll maybe buy one or two more boxes anyways 😋)

-Italian style canned tomatoes, 20kcal (roughly when can divided by 4)

(This is kind of the sauce, I might like to do a butternut version next week and the week after, so I will buy a jar of Rao's butternut squash soup and 2 more cans of tomatoes)

-Canned mushrooms halves, 15kcal (roughly, when divided by 4)

(To match the tomatoes, I'll go for 2 more cans of these)

-2 Frigo light cheese sticks, 100kcal

(After prepping, I have 4 more cheese sticks, so I will buy another bag and maybe switch it up after I finish those)

Nutrition Summary

350kcal, 28g protein (will be more when Butternut squash sauce is used)

Snacks

-Flexible! 200-250kcal to use

(I have been wanting to try the Good & Gather sunbutter and strawberry jam sandwiches from Target, so I may pick up some of those, I may go get ice cream one of the days, and rice cakes are calling my name so I will get some at Kings–the Quaker lightly salted are awesome!)

-I also love to have an iced coffee for snack, it's the same as the coffee from breakfast but with cinnamon, ice, and a little more almond milk

Dinner (4 servs)

-Laura's Lean Beef, 96% Lean 4% Fat, 140kcal

(I also have chicken and ground turkey in the freezer, so I am likely good on meat, but I always like to check for markdown meat–and other items–at King Sooper so I can freeze them and have them on hand)

-Lundberg Organic California white sushi rice, 160kcal (45g)

(I got this on sale and have more, but it's been amazing, and I am going to get more–my boyfriend and I are also going to learn how to make sushi at some point, so it will be good to have–it's cheapest on Amazon right now, but I have a coupon, so I'll do Kings)

-Green Giant, Simply Steam, Garden Vegetable Medley, Lightly Sauced, 90kcal (I used 2 packages and split into 4)

(I'm OBSESSED. So good! The sauce is awesome and the snap peas are perfect. I will maybe just go wild and buy lots of these)

-Green Giant, Antioxidant Blend, Lightly Sauced, 50kcal (I used 2 packages and split into 4)

(I may also go wild on these. Tried and true. It's a quick meal too. I think I will get a couple to keep at my boyfriend's house with a couple cans or packs of tuna–it's nice to have some stuff there so I don't steal all his food 😋 We also like the Home Chef Meals, so that might be fun for the weekend)

Nutrition Summary

440kcal, 30g protein

Week 1 Grocery List

Costco

[  ] Berries

[  ] Greek yogurt

King Soopers

[  ] Simple Truth no stir almond butter

[  ] Unsweetened vanilla almond milk

[  ] 3-6 green bananas

[  ] 6-12 Carbmaster yogurts

[  ] Barilla red lentil spaghetti

[  ] Frigo cheese sticks

[  ] 2 cans Italian tomatoes

[  ] 2 cans mushroom halves

[  ] Rao's butternut squash soup

[  ] Rice large cakes (one or 2 flavors)

[  ] All the Green Giant Veggies

[  ] 2 packs of tuna for my boyfriend's house

[  ] Look at Home Chef meals

[  ] Check for markdown meat

[  ] Check for markdown non-perishable items

Target

[  ] Good & Gather sunbutter and strawberry Jam sandwiches

Week 2 and Beyond

-May need more yogurt (I love Oikos Triple Zero, so maybe get some for a weekend)

-Food on the weekend

-Sushi treat during the week

-Halo Top treat during the week

Woohoo!

I feel nice and prepared for this month, and hopefully this can help you feel prepared too. ☺️