We have about 8-10 meals in rotation and switch it up depending on the season. I don't do the major cook on Sunday because my commute home is pretty short, kids are in late elementary and DH is a great cook. We do meal plan and shop pretty much just once a week. Once a month we hit the commissary and once a month do Whole Foods.

- Grilled fish (tilapia, salmon, tuna), pilaf, steamed veggies
- Flank steak or tri-tip, baked potato, grilled asparagus (if I am feeling really motivated I make chimichuri sauce)
- Turkey tacos, guacamole, black beans, rice
- Whole grain pasta, shrimp scampi, salad, garlic bread
- Chicken enchiladas, beans, guacamole
- Make your own tostada with toppings like chicken, veggies, beans
- Chicken curry, lentils, naan, salad

Veggies we eat depends on the season - green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, tossed salad, broccoli

Once or twice a month we splurge with the neighbors on a really good cut of meat and have them over or my mom.

Two nights out or one night out and one lunch out on the weekend.

Good luck! Maybe set a goal for the number of meals and then make a plan and shop for the plan.

Blue apron. It makes cooking fun and you feel like you are eating out.

Strong second the meal planning suggestion.

- bake about 3 pounds of chicken breasts in the oven, seasoned in a yummy but not ethnically specific way. When they are finished, slice them up and put them in a tupperware into the refrigerator. They go in tacos, salads, on their own with olives and hummus and carrots or whatever, etc.
- boil a dozen eggs, put them back in the carton, label the carton (very important - you really only forget and make that mistake one time)
- make hummus using food processor (very easy from scratch)
- make a pork shoulder (in slow cooker or dutch oven in the oven) and shred it for BBQ (put in tacos, put on sandwiches, etc.)
- make an entire box of (in your case GF) pasta and put that away as well, to be used in pasta salad or finger food for toddler

Keep a decent supply of apples and oranges for snacks. Also baby carrots, sliced peppers, snap peas or fresh green beans. Berries and bananas do not keep as well. We also have a ton of things like cheese sticks and yogurt. I basically have yogurt for breakfast and dinner every day, with honey or jam on it.

Are you eating out breakfast as well?

I agree with the comments to ease into it by shooting for 5 meals at home and the rest out. And keep it simple, make corn tortilla quesadillas, sandwiches, or pasta/sauce. You'll probably get a little push back from your family as there won't be as many options as a restaurant but it'll be good for everyone in the long run.

Totally agree with everyone who said to plan the meals for the week before grocery shopping. And go grocery shopping at non-peak times, if at all possible. Going to Whole Foods on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon makes me want to punch a B in the throat...

Also, figure out some staple meals, or even "themes" for meals, that you know you can whip up quickly every week. For example, pasta is easy and cheap. Mexican is also easy and cheap. We also try to make a huge pot of soup at least once a week, which then becomes lunch or dinner for several days. Pair it with a salad with beans and a hard boiled egg and that's a pretty decent meal.

I admit that we go to the grocery store more than once a week - usually it's two or three times - but the recurring visits are usually because we want to have, say, fish on a certain night and don't want to buy that too far in advance.

Also, Pinterest has become our best friend since we started trying to save money by eating at home.

Lots of good tips here, thanks!

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious as to how you can eat out 3x/day while gluten free!

That's why we eat so much meat!! And it's not the entire family that's gf just two of us.

Anonymous wrote:Be realistic -- don't think that you can go from eating out 10 meals a week to cooking at home for 10 meals a week. Set a realistic goal -- maybe start off saying you want to eat 4-5 meals at home and 5 out.

Then have easy "staple" foods around for some of those meals. By that I mean -- gluten free pasta that you can boil and throw some veggies and sauce in; or frozen pizza; or rice and beans; or scrambled eggs with toast.

I think you're more likely to succeed with this if you take it in stages and don't create an overwhelming amount of shopping, cooking, and clean up work for yourself all of a sudden. It'll be harder to go from not cooking at all to thinking you can get an entrée and 3 sides on the table 5 nights a week.

This. I go back and forth between stints of cooking and periods of eating out alot. It all depends on how busy things are at work. Meal planning and being realistic about how many times we are to eat out has been a life saver. I buy frozen and fresh veggies and use the fresh first. I grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday and do the meat prep on Sunday...like grill/roast chicken breasts. I also purchase frozen fish from Costco for quick meals. I make blackened tilapia or use the same tilapia for fish tacos. I also make a crockpot soup (me and my DD love soup) at the beginning of the week that I can take for lunch and she usually eats for a couple of dinners. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:Blue Apron. It changed our lives.
https://www.blueapron.com/

I don't see a gluten-free option.

Be realistic -- don't think that you can go from eating out 10 meals a week to cooking at home for 10 meals a week. Set a realistic goal -- maybe start off saying you want to eat 4-5 meals at home and 5 out.

Then have easy "staple" foods around for some of those meals. By that I mean -- gluten free pasta that you can boil and throw some veggies and sauce in; or frozen pizza; or rice and beans; or scrambled eggs with toast.

I think you're more likely to succeed with this if you take it in stages and don't create an overwhelming amount of shopping, cooking, and clean up work for yourself all of a sudden. It'll be harder to go from not cooking at all to thinking you can get an entrée and 3 sides on the table 5 nights a week.