Weekly Meal Prep

Weekly

Ingredient	Package bought at Aldi	Amount used/week	Cost per store item	Cost charged to week
Great Northern beans	32 oz bag	16 oz	$2.19	$1.10
Carrots	2 lb bag	1 lb	$1.99	$1.00
Celery	1 lb bag	½ lb	$1.89	$0.95
Red onions	2 lb bag	1 lb	$2.19	$1.10
Cabbage	3 lb head	1.5 lb	$2.37	$1.19
Tomato paste	6 oz can	1 can	$0.86	$0.86
Garlic	3-pack	1/3 pack	$1.69	$0.56
Extra virgin olive oil	17 fl oz bottle	4 fl oz	$7.25	$1.71
Canola oil	48 fl oz bottle	2 fl oz	$3.89	$0.16
Full-fat Greek yogurt	32 oz tub	64 oz needed	$2.79/tub	$5.58
Cottage cheese	24 oz tub	entire tub	$2.85	$2.85
Sunflower kernels	16 oz bag	15.8 oz needed	$2.55	$2.55
MoserRoth chocolate	5-bar pack (25 g ea)	5 bars	$3.00	$3.00
Iodized salt	26 oz container	tiny amount	$0.79	$0.02
Total				$22.63

Meal	Meal part	Food	Weight	Calories	Carbs	Protein	Fat	Fiber	Sat. fat	Mono fat	Poly fat
Breakfast	Part 1	Full-fat Greek yogurt	240 g	220	10 g	20 g	12 g	0 g	7 g	3 g	0.5 g
Breakfast	Part 2	Sunflower kernels	64 g	376	13 g	14 g	33 g	6 g	3 g	10 g	20 g
Lunch	Part 1	Fasolada	450 g	390	55 g	11 g	16 g	13 g	2 g	9 g	4 g
Lunch	Part 2	Cottage cheese	68 g	65	3 g	7 g	3 g	0 g	2 g	1 g	0 g
Dinner	Part 1	Fasolada	450 g	390	55 g	11 g	16 g	13 g	2 g	9 g	4 g
Dinner	Part 2	Cottage cheese	68 g	65	3 g	7 g	3 g	0 g	2 g	1 g	0 g
Snack	Part 1	chocolate (5x/week)	25 g	133	13 g	2 g	8 g	2 g	5 g	3 g	1 g

Micronutrient	Daily amount	% Daily Value (adult)	Main sources
Calcium	1,000 mg	75–100%	yogurt, cottage cheese
Iron	15 mg	80%	beans, sunflower seeds
Magnesium	600 mg	140%	beans, sunflower seeds
Potassium	4,300 mg	90%	beans, vegetables, yogurt
Zinc	10 mg	90%	beans, seeds, dairy
Selenium	100 mcg	180%	beans, dairy, grains/seeds
Phosphorus	1,800 mg	140%	dairy, beans
Copper	1.5 mg	170%	beans, sunflower seeds, chocolate
Manganese	5 mg	>200%	beans, seeds
Sodium	1,500–2,500 mg	variable	iodized salt, cottage cheese
Folate	600 mcg DFE	150%	beans, vegetables
Vitamin A	1,200–1,500 mcg RAE	>100%	carrots
Vitamin C	70–100 mg	80–110%	cabbage, tomato
Vitamin E	30 mg	200%	sunflower seeds
Vitamin K	150–250 mcg	>100%	cabbage
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)	1.5 mg	>100%	beans, seeds
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	2 mg	>150%	yogurt, cottage cheese
Vitamin B3 (niacin)	8–10 mg	50–60%	beans, seeds
Vitamin B6	1.5 mg	>100%	beans, vegetables
Vitamin B12	3–5 mcg	>100%	dairy
Vitamin D	2–5 mcg diet + variable from sun	10–25% diet-only; sun exposure can close the gap on clear days	dairy (unless fortified); daily outdoor walk (highly variable — season/cloud cover/skin exposed)
Choline	150–250 mg	30–45%	beans, dairy

Wash and soak white beans with salt at least 8 hours, and ideally overnight. Then drain and set aside. (Canned beans work in a pinch, but may be more expensive for the quantity)
Dice celery, carrots, and onion, and mince the garlic.
In a large pot, sautee the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic until translucent and fragrant.
Stir in tomato paste and beans, and cover with water, adding at least an inch of water. Spices vary by region, as well as amount of water. Bay leaves and oregano are typical choices, although no spices are truly required. Salt can also be added at this stage, but I prefer it without. Adding an apple whole into the soup will also thicken it, but is not necessary.
Simmer for around 1 hour, or until the beans and vegetables become soft.
Enjoy!