Shop to Prep 28 Meals for 70 Dollars!

Planning Your Meals

I tend to plan my meals around protein. The first thing that I do is price check my options and build lunches and dinners with the protein as the star of the meal. Next I think about side dishes, which is usually just a basic vegetable, and then a carb. My go to carb sources are either instant rice, or classic bread and butter. I usually make 2-4 servings for dinner and then use the leftovers for lunch the next day, so this plan does have some duplicated meals. Consistency is one way to rein in tracking fatigue. You just have to plan once and then duplicate your success through the week. I would recommend checking out the Quick Guide – The Performance Plate, as well as the supplemental article on adapting the model to real world eating. All of the foods were priced at my local Aldi Market, though you can get similar prices at Wal-Mart or any other discount grocery store. The lone exception is the protein powder, which is available on Amazon. It is by far the best price for whey protein that I have found.

The Shopping List

• 2 lbs Ground Turkey
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Package Pork Chops
• 2 lbs Chicken Thighs
• 1/2 Gallon Milk
• 1 Dozen Eggs
• 1 Can Corn
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Box Instant Rice
• 1 Pack of Flour Tortillas (Taco Sized)
• 1 Loaf of Wheat Bread
• 1 Block of Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Variety Pack of Instant Oatmeal
• 1 32 Oz Package of Stir Fry Vegetables
• 1 12 Oz Package of Frozen Broccoli
• 3 Pack of Bell Peppers
• 1 Package of Single Serve Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• 1 Tub of Protein Powder (Available on Amazon)

The Meals

Breakfast

High Protein Oatmeal (4 Days)

Egg and Turkey Sausage Wrap (3 Days)

Lunches/Dinners

Egg Salad Sandwiches (2 Servings)

Tacos (3 Servings)

Stuffed Peppers (2 Servings)

Beef Patty Melt and Broccoli (1 Serving)

Chicken Stir Fry with Rice (3 Servings)

Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes (2 Servings)

Snacks

Protein Shake with Milk

Additional Comments

There is actually enough protein powder for 2-3 weeks. Be sure to check out the linked recipes. I’ll link more soon once I get them written up. As always with performance-based nutrition – keep your protein consistent and scale your carbs to your goals and level of activity. To lose weight make your carb portion 1/2 to 2/3 the size of your protein portion. To maintain make them about the same. If you are trying to put on muscle or had an especially intense workout then make your carb portion a little bigger than your protein portion. Check out maxvaluenutrition.com for more information on recipes, shopping lists, quick guides and more.