Dinner's sorted. All month.

At a glance

At a Glance

• One meal for everyone: everyone eats the same protein and vegetables. Adults keep the carb small; kids get a full scoop of rice, potatoes, fruit, or whole grains.
• Adult protein: about 0.8–1 g per lb of goal body weight per day, which works out to roughly 35–50 g per meal plus 1–2 protein snacks.
• 4-week dinner rotation: 10 crock pot meals (marked Crock pot), 6 sheet-pan meals (Sheet pan), and a Sunday batch cook (Batch cook) each week. One night a week is leftovers.
• Sunday prep (about 2–2.5 hrs) covers most weekday breakfasts, lunches, and two crock pot dinners.
• Estimated cost: about $1,457/month for food (weekly list × 4.33 weeks + a monthly bulk run), about $43 under the $1,500 budget. See Section 4.

This plan uses general nutrition guidelines only and is not medical advice. Check with your pediatrician before adding new foods or allergens for the 7-month-old, and ask a doctor before big diet changes for anyone with a health condition.

Breakfasts, lunches, snacks & baby

Crock pot tip: on Sunday, load the Mon and Thu crock pot meals into labeled freezer bags (meat + chopped veg + seasonings). The night before, move the bag to the fridge. In the morning, dump it in, set LOW for 7–8 hrs, and leave for the day.

Breakfast Rotation (repeats every week)

Lunch Rotation

High-Protein Snacks (whole foods)

• Hard-boiled eggs, about 6 g each (boil 18 on Sunday)
• Cottage cheese + pineapple/berries, about 14 g per 1/2 cup
• Plain Greek yogurt + fruit + cinnamon, about 17 g per 3/4 cup
• Cheese cubes cut from a block (cheaper than sticks) + apple
• Leftover chicken or pork "roll-ups" with cucumber or a slice of cheese
• Frozen edamame (microwave), about 9 g per 1/2 cup; roasted chickpeas
• Apple or banana + peanut butter; a glass of milk for kids
• Toddler-safe: cut eggs, cheese, and chicken into small pieces. Quarter grapes lengthwise. No whole nuts or big spoonfuls of peanut butter for little ones.

Baby (7 months): purees from family food

• Before seasoning, set aside plain cooked chicken, beef, salmon, lentils, sweet potato, squash, carrots, peas, and potatoes. Blend or mash with breast milk, formula, or homemade unsalted broth.
• Good first-protein ideas (confirm with your pediatrician): pureed chicken or beef, well-cooked mashed egg, mashed lentils/beans, plain whole-milk yogurt.
• Freeze purees in ice-cube trays on Sunday (1 cube ≈ 1 oz). They keep about 1–2 months frozen.
• General guidelines: no honey before age 1, no cow's milk as a drink before age 1 (yogurt and cheese are usually okay), little to no added salt or sugar, and avoid choking hazards.
• ⚠ Breast milk or formula is still the main nutrition at this age. Ask your pediatrician about timing for allergens (egg, peanut, dairy, fish), textures, and iron needs.

Daily Protein Targets & the Plate Approach

Adults (Mom & Dad): lose fat, build muscle

Target: 0.8–1.0 g of protein per lb of GOAL body weight each day. Spread it over 3 meals plus 1–2 snacks. Plug in your own goal weights; the rows below are examples.

What 40 g of protein looks like: 6 oz cooked chicken thigh (~40 g) • 3 eggs + 3/4 cup cottage cheese (~40 g) • 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (~36 g) • 5 oz can tuna + 2 eggs (~37 g) • 6 oz cooked 88% ground beef (~42 g). To lose fat, lean on vegetables, protein, and water. Keep starchy carbs to about 1/2 cup per meal, mostly around workouts, and keep strength training 3–4x/week.

Kids: general guidelines for growth (U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes)

No protein powders or "diet" foods for the kids. Their protein should come from regular family food, with whole-milk dairy for the under-2s. Kids need healthy fats and carbs for energy and brain growth, so don't cut their carbs.

The Family Plate: cook once, serve two ways

How it works: cook one pot of protein and vegetables. Make one carb (rice, potatoes, tortillas, or pasta) and serve it on the side. Kids take a full scoop; adults take a small spoonful or eat theirs over salad or cauliflower rice. Before adding salt, hot sauce, or strong seasoning, set aside a few spoonfuls of the plain food for the baby.

Weekly Sunday Batch-Prep Plan (about 2–2.5 hours)

Wednesday mini-prep (20 min): boil another dozen eggs, chop vegetables for Thu/Fri, move the Thu freezer bag to the fridge, and make another batch of yogurt cups. Get the kids involved: the 6-year-old can peel eggs and fill muffin tins, and the 4-year-old can wash produce.

Money-Saving Tips

• Shop once a month in bulk, then weekly for fresh food: go to Costco or Sam's in Cedar Park on the first weekend for meat, eggs, rice, oats, oil, and frozen berries. Do a quick H-E-B or Walmart run (Burnet or Marble Falls) each week for produce, dairy, and bread. Combine the Costco trip with other errands, since it's about 35–45 min each way.
• Portion and freeze meat the day you buy it: split family packs into 1–2 lb freezer bags, label them with the meal and date, and lay them flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Use H-E-B digital coupons and weekly ad: plan the flexible "week-specific extras" around what's on sale. When chicken thighs or pork loin drop below $2/lb, stock the freezer.
• Whole chickens beat cut-up chicken on price: one roast gives you dinner, shredded chicken for lunches, and free broth from the bones.
• Stretch meat with beans and lentils: swapping half the beef in chili or sloppy joes for lentils keeps the protein and cuts the cost by about $3–5 per meal.
• Buy cheese in blocks and yogurt in tubs, not single cups: that saves about 30–50%. Portion them yourself on Sunday.
• Frozen vegetables and fruit are just as nutritious and cost less: buy fresh produce that's in season and inexpensive, and use frozen for the rest.
• Plan a leftovers night: Saturday leftovers plus a freezer stash (chili, meatballs, pulled pork) prevent pricey takeout nights.
• Costco vs H-E-B in short: Costco wins on eggs, thighs, rice, oats, oil, butter, frozen berries, and rotisserie chicken. H-E-B wins on sale meat, produce, and whole chickens. Walmart wins on cottage cheese, canned tuna, and pantry basics. Prices on core meats are often close, so the bulk savings only count if you freeze it and use it all.
• If the month runs over budget: make two extra bean or lentil dinners, use more eggs and whole chicken, and buy less ground beef.

Kid-Friendly Tips

• Serve family-style or as a "build your own" bowl (taco, burrito, fried-rice nights) so each kid picks toppings. They eat more when they choose.
• Always include one "safe" food the kids like (rice, fruit, bread) next to new foods. Offer new vegetables many times without pressure; it can take 10–15 tries.
• Dips help: plain Greek yogurt ranch (yogurt + dried dill, garlic, onion powder), hummus, or mild salsa.
• Give the kids jobs: the 6-year-old cracks eggs and stirs, the 4-year-old washes vegetables and sprinkles cheese, and the 2-year-old tears lettuce.
• Serve protein first at breakfast and snacks (eggs, yogurt, cheese) and keep juice to a minimum. Milk and water are the main drinks.
• Choking safety for the 2-year-old and baby: cut meat finely, quarter grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthwise, avoid whole nuts and popcorn, and soften raw carrots.
• Make a "sauce-on-the-side" rule: everyone gets the same plain protein, then adults add hot sauce, salsa, or spice at the table.

Sources for Price Estimates (accessed Oct 2026)

• H-E-B Natural Whole Chicken, $1.87/lb: heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-natural-whole-chicken/684576
• H-E-B Ground Beef Chuck 80% Texas-Size Pack, $5.69/lb; 93% lean $7.49/lb: heb.com (product 703152, 1265452)
• H-E-B 17g Protein Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt 32 oz, $5.38: heb.com/product-detail/12016560
• Costco Kirkland boneless skinless chicken thighs, $2.99–3.29/lb (Sept 2026): app.warehouserunner.com/costco/47731
• Costco Kirkland ground beef 88/12, $5.39–5.99/lb: warehouserunner.com; sameday.costco.com
• Costco 5-dozen eggs $7.99–8.99, rotisserie chicken $4.99, Walmart meat comparisons: grocerybudget.app/blog/costco-grocery-price-list-2026
• Walmart Great Value cottage cheese 24 oz, $2.87 (Sept 2026): fortheconsumers.com
• Walmart GV canned tuna $0.98/can; US avg boneless pork $4.25/lb (BLS, July 2026): daily-life-hacks.com protein-per-dollar data
• Recipe inspiration: payhip.com/HealthyLivingTips/blog/news/casserole-recipes. The recipes here are adapted to swap canned cream soups, Ritz, and Fritos for whole-food sauces like Greek yogurt, milk with cheese, and broth.
• Protein guidelines for kids: U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes (National Academies). Infant feeding: AAP general guidance. Ask your pediatrician for individual advice.