This week, I am meal planning for September!
Similar to last year, I am preparing in these final weeks of August for a no-spend September challenge. I detailed four weeks of groceries and meals in a series last September; here’s my week one post if you want to look back at September 2022.
I wanted to buckle down even more this year and really clear out older items from my pantry and freezer. My goal is to use 75% or more of the items I already have in the house by the end of September.
I’ll still purchase some fresh produce and similar perishable items each week, but even with the challenging grocery prices these days, I’m going to aim to keep my weekly budget to $50 or less.
(This $50 budget will exclude the weekly one-on-one breakfasts I’ve been doing with my kids (our mom-son “date”), which have averaged $15-20 per trip).
To set myself up for success, I decided to take a full inventory of my pantries and freezers.
Here’s what I have to work with:
Pantry and Freezer Inventory
| Frozen (Vegetables and Fruit) | Shelf-Stable (Grains, Flours, etc.) | Frozen (Meats) |
| Peas – 1 | Rice cakes – 2 | Grilled chicken strips – 1 |
| Corn – 1 | Cheerios – 1 box | Bratwurst, assorted – 3 |
| Butternut squash – 3 | Popcorn kernels – 2 bags | Sirloin steak – 1 |
| Edamame – 1/2 | Shredded coconut – 2 bags | Ground beef – 1 lb |
| Pineapple chunks – 3 | Chia seeds – 1/2 large bag | Beef bones – 1 bag |
| Cherry berry blend – 1/2 | Steel cut oats – 3 | |
| Mango chunks – 1/2 | Cornmeal – 1 (plus 1 Jiffy mix) | Frozen (Other misc.) |
| Frozen (Breads) | Whole wheat flour – 2 5-lb | Carrot pulp – 2 |
| English muffins – 6 | Bread flour – 1 5-lb | Larabars – many |
| Rye bread – 2 | Rolled oats – many | Nuts, assorted – many |
| Brioche – 1 | Brown rice – several pounds | Vegan butter – 1 |
| Naan – 1 | Gluten-free flour – 1 5-lb | Homemade stock – 3 |
| Mini naan – 1 | All-purpose flour – 1 5-lb | Popsicles – 3 packages |
| Hot dog buns – 1 | Gluten-free brownie mix – 1 box | |
| Hamburger buns – 1 | Regular brownie mix – 2 boxes | Shelf-Stable (Veggies and Fruit) |
| Whole wheat bread – 2 | Gluten-free graham crust – 2 | Diced tomatoes – many |
| Dinner rolls – 1 | Cacao nibs – 1 bag | Beets – 1 can |
| Spicy tortillas – 1 | Chocolate chips – many bags | Pumpkin puree – 3 |
| Frozen (Premade Items) | Vital wheat gluten – 2 bags | Lemon curd – 3 |
| Homemade sauce/pesto – 5 ea | Potato flakes – 1 1/2 bags | Applesauce – 7 |
| Cooked kidney beans – 4 | Forbidden rice – 2 lbs | Apple slices and pie filling – 4 each |
| Hungarian mushroom soup – 1 | Minute rice – 1 box | Pineapple – 2 |
| Seiten “turkey” – 1 | Shelf-Stable (Pasta) | Pear halves – 1 |
| Assorted pizzas – 6 | Lasagna noodles – 1 | Peach jam – 3 |
| Morningstar corn “dogs” – many | Lentil penne – 1 | Raspberry preserves – 2 |
| Morningstar veggie burgers – many | Gluten-free penne – 1 | Grape jelly – 2 |
| Morningstar chicken alternatives – many | Chickpea fusilli – 1 | Strawberry-peach jam – 2 |
| Morningstar “bacon” – many | Ramen – 2 blocks | Apple butter – 3 |
| Morningstar “sausage” – many | Rice ramen – 14 blocks | Apple syrup – 3 |
| French fries – 3 | Elbow macaroni – 1 | Green beans – 3 |
| Vegetable fried rice meal – 1 | Rigatoni – 1 | |
| Mandarin “chicken” – 1 | Brown rice rotini – 1 | Shelf-Stable (Condiments) |
| Mongolian beef meal – 1 | Mac and cheese – 3 boxes | Ketchup – 3 |
| Buffalo chicken mac and cheese meal – 1 | Knorr teriyaki noodle kit – 1 | Relish – 1 |
| Muffins, assorted – 4 | Shelf-Stable (Meats and Proteins) | Dijon mustard – 1 |
| Shelf-Stable (Other) | Jackfruit – 3 | Ranch – 1 |
| Balsamic vinegar – 1 | Trout filets – 3 | BBQ sauce – 1 |
| Rice vinegar – 2 | Salmon – 1 | Maple syrup – 2 |
| Miso – 1 | Tuna – 3 | Soy sauce – 1 |
| Stuffed grape leaves – 3 | Sardines – 6 | Salsa – 6 |
| Kalamata olives – 1 | Canned chickpeas – many | Salad dressing – 2 |
| Capers – 1 | Canned black beans – many | Pickled jalapenos – 2 |
| Vegan fish sauce – 1 | Dried mung beans – 2 | Spicy mustard – 1 |
| Chili garlic sauce – 1 | Dried lentils – 4 | Mustard – 3 |
| Pickles – 1 | Dried black eyed peas – 1 | Shelf-Stable (Soups) |
| Shelf-Stable (Dried Fruits) | Dried chickpeas – 3 | Chicken noodle – 1 |
| Craisins – 1 | Dried black beans – 3 | Cream of mushroom – 2 |
| Raisins – 1 | Canned kidney/chili beans – 1 ea. | Tomato – 1 |
| Figs – 1 | Dried pinto/pink beans – 1 ea. |
Our snack food stores were pretty slim, so we only had some unopened Ritz crackers in our back-up pantry. We also had 7 quarts of non-dairy, shelf-stable milk and 4 non-dairy, shelf-stable creamers.
In addition to our spices and opened supplies of other items (I didn’t include already opened packages of quinoa, oats, etc. in my inventory above), I feel pretty confident in our ability to make it through September with minimal grocery purchases.
Meal Planning
After taking this inventory, I then set to meal planning, using the items in our pantry as a guide. Given the surplus of dried and canned beans and tomatoes, I knew I wanted to include these as the base of a dinner at least twice a week.
I also knew I could make some muffins and breakfast bars using the baking ingredients and canned fruit preserves I have on my shelves.
We were fairly low on rices and pastas, but I thought I could incorporate one meal per week with these items as well.
And given that September will be the start of homeschooling, I plan to keep lunches simple and easy. I’ll probably use the (less healthy) convenience foods we have in surplus just to get us through September until we settle into our new school routine.
So, after thinking it through, here’s the basic framework I’ll use to meal plan each week in September:
| Sundays | Mondays | Tuesdays | Wednesdays | Thursdays | Fridays | Saturdays | |
| B | Pancakes | Muffins or bars | Muffins or bars | Oatmeal | Oatmeal | Muffins or bars | Muffins or bars |
| S | Veg/fruit | Canned fish/crackers | Canned fish/crackers | Veg/fruit | Veg/fruit | Veg/fruit | Veg-fruit |
| L | Leftovers | Indian curry | Veg burgers | Tuna or hummus | Chick’n patties or nuggets | Veg burgers | Pizza |
| D | w.family | Jackfruit | Lentil or black bean tacos | Bean and rice bowls | Pasta | Meat | Bean-based soup or ramen |
It’s amazing how a little planning and strategizing can energize you for a challenge.
I’m looking forward to no-spend September, and I can’t wait to share our meals with you!