The grocery list I’ve designed as a part of the One Week Menu Plan for my Prescription for Happy, Healthy Children includes all the ingredients needed to prepare breakfast, dinner and an after school snack for a family of two adults and two children for a total of 8 days. The menu includes a Sunday-to-Sunday week, plus an extra dish of lentil soup we are going to keep in the freezer for that unpredictable busy day when we may not have time to cook.

It is impossible to know exactly how much each member of the family is going to eat; therefore I made the menu considering a family of four, two adults and two teens. If we prepare the same amount for a family of two adults and two preschoolers, for example, the same quantity of food is going to last 10 days instead of 8, since there is going to be at least two occasions when the family is going to have enough leftovers to skip one cooking day.

Based on prices obtained from my local grocery store in March, 2010, the grocery list needed to prepare this menu amounts to approximately $116, taking into account the proportional part of the ingredients that we are not going to finish, such as spices and such. A family of two adults and two teens will spend $436 in one month; a family of two adults and two preschoolers will spend $348.

Do you consider it expensive? It will be if you also spend a considerable amount of money on junk food, but it is not expensive, if the new good habit of “cooking at home from scratch” is to take the place of your old “buying prepared food” habits.

Let’s look at it from a different angle. A family of four spending $436 at month in breakfast, dinner and after school snack would be spending $14.50 per day, and $3.60 per day, per person. It is actually very reasonable when we compare it to the price of eating out or buying prepared food. Of course, the caveat is that we are not adding to the equation the cost of the time needed for grocery shopping and food preparation, and I have to admit it translates into money for the busy family. But the payoff is in the form of improved health and the opportunity to engage in a family activity that is going to create traditions. After all, we are what we eat and we get what we pay for.

I have prepared a handy menu chart and grocery list that you can download:

About Dr. Marta Katalenas M.D.

Dr. Marta Katalenas is a Board Certified Pediatrician and owns the Pediatric Center of Round Rock located in Round Rock, Texas. Dr. Katalenas is a professional speaker and is available to speak on childhood obesity and healthy eating topics. She is also the author of the upcoming book "From Scratch", a guide to healthy cooking and eating for busy families.