The Athlete's Guide to Budget Meal Planning

For everyday athletes, nutritious meals can make or break your training. You’re putting in the hours to improve your endurance - don’t let it go to waste by not prioritizing nutrition. Meal planning may not be the first thing on your list of favorites, but spending a few extra minutes deciding on a menu for the days or week ahead can be a game changer when it comes to your time and your food budget. This combination of saving cash on food while also fueling your endurance exercise presents a unique challenge. So, I’m sharing this 5-step, simple guide to budget meal planning for everyday athletes.

Step 1: Inventory

This is a critical first step to budget meal planning - don’t skip it! Taking inventory of what you already have on hand can help you both prioritize meals based on ingredients while also preventing double (or triple) purchasing of foods. This combination can save you lots of cash in the long run. I recommend taking an inventory in three categories:

• Refrigerator - write down what you already have and focus on the foods that are quick to spoil (produce, dairy, eggs, meats). You will want to make sure those soon-to-spoil items are used in your recipes over the next few days.

• Freezer - make a list of what you have on hand. There might be frozen meals you forgot about (that’s essentially a free meal this week!). Other frozen foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, and meats can be the starter for the upcoming week’s of meals, so don’t forget to put those on your list for the recipe search.

• Pantry - this is usually where we tend to stock-up and forget. Most of us have experienced finding a can of beans or a bag of grains in the back of the pantry that we completely forgot we purchased. Dig around and list out everything you have, especially the items where you’ve doubled up inadvertently.

  Need a guide to help? Download this inventory sheet to get started.

Step 2: Recipe search

Now that you have your inventory list, it’s time to sit down and do a recipe search. This can be as simple as typing an ingredient like “kidney beans” into the search bar of Google and seeing what comes up.

Keep these tips in mind when searching for recipes:

• Start your recipe search with the food you already have on hand and build from there. This prevents the need to purchase every ingredient for a new recipe. If you have barley in the cabinet, search for barley recipes to find something that sounds delicious to you and make a grocery list based on the recipe, but omitting what is in your cabinet/fridge/freezer.

• Be flexible! Use the recipes as inspiration, but customize them based on what you enjoy or for the ingredients you have. Take this example: let’s say you find a recipe for a power bowl that uses cauliflower, quinoa, tofu, and kale, but you don’t have tofu in your fridge, you have tempeh or chicken. Or you don’t have quinoa, you have farro or rice. That recipe can still be used for inspiration by subbing the ingredients you already have. You’ll not only save on the grocery bill, but you will cut your food waste as well.

Want more customized recipes? I offer a meal planning subscription as part of my nutrition coaching package. Schedule a free discovery call if you’d like to learn more.

Step 3: List is out

Now it’s time to make your grocery list. Use your inventory sheet to compare what you have on hand with the ingredients of the recipes you chose for the week. If you already have it, don’t write it down. Go through each recipe and make a list of the items you need to purchase to prepare your meals.

Step 4: Purchase smart

All of the work you’ve done to get to the point of purchasing your food can’t be put to waste by not knowing how to make smart purchases. This isn’t about cutting coupons (although go for it if you’re organized enough to keep this around). Instead, making smart purchases is about shopping for seasonal produce (which is often cheaper), purchasing generic (which is often of same quality), looking for sales on staples, and having flexibility in your menu/recipes.

• Shop Seasonal
  Seasonal produce is usually at the entrance of the grocery store and is very likely to be on sale. By choosing seasonal produce, you’ll not only save money, but you’ll also add diversity to your produce intake by choosing a variety of produce throughout the year.

• Be Picky About Prep
  In other words, decide what you have the time to prep at home and what would be the most convenient to buy already prepped. This goes for produce, meats, and other prepared foods. The prepared foods purchased from the grocery store (think cooked meats, pre-made meals from the deli, or pre-chopped produce) is usually more expensive, so choose wisely.

• Choose Generic
  Did you know that generic brands are usually of the same quality as their branded counterparts? And they’re less expensive! Don’t be afraid to stock your cart and cabinet with generic brands to save on the bottom line.

• Shop Sales
  This goes without saying, but sales can be a big money saver. This also includes signing up for rewards cards to snag deals specific to card holders.

• Be Flexible
  Your recipe calls for tuna, but the salmon is on sale. Can you swap it? This type of example is bound to happen again and again. Try to stay flexible to take advantage of deals while shopping.

Check out this guide for more details on how you can shop smart the next time you’re in the store.

Step 5: Store and Use Produce Strategically

Here’s the scenario…you buy a bunch of fresh vegetables in an attempt to eat more vegetables (yes!), bring them home, and hide them in the drawer in the bottom of the fridge. There they sit until you realize they’ve spoiled and you have to throw them out. Sound familiar? On the one hand, you did what you needed to do by storing produce in a location that helps to extend its life, but on the other hand that exact spot led to you forgetting the produce was there. This is why I recommend finding a balance between the spot in the fridge that helps the produce last longer and the spot that keeps the produce top of mind. If putting your greens on the middle shelf at eye level means you’re more likely to use them then please, do it!

Second, prioritize the produce that will spoil the fastest. As a general rule, fresh produce like greens, peppers, berries, stone fruit, mushrooms, and bananas all spoil more rapidly than root vegetables like potatoes and beets, winter squash like butternut squash and spaghetti squash, and heartier fruits like apples and citrus. Aim to use the produce that spoils faster earlier in the week and hold the longer lasting produce to later in the week (or right before you plan to shop again).

Favorite Resources

I’ve linked to a few of my favorite resources to help you save on your grocery bill and create a budget-friendly meal plan.

Budget Bytes - Budget-friendly recipes and shopping lists

Cooksmarts - Cooking tips, budget meal planning, and beautiful infographics

MyPlate Budget Planning - government website offering tips on eating well on a budget

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics budget meal planning tips - a list of articles on how to plan meals on a budget

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