Stuck in a food rut.. help!

[rainbowmum]

I am trying to plan our meals so I can do a weekly shop instead of a daily one. I have a limited budget of approx $100/week to feed me and 4 children on a vegetarian diet. At the moment we seem stuck. It always seems to be a sandwich or pasta for lunch which I find boring now. Can anyone share what they have for lunch, a sample of frugal veggie dinners and also snacks. My kids snack alot but are fed up of me offering bread/butter and an apple. I need some inspiration.
Thanks in advance xxx

[azariahsmom]

Wow that's a difficult one when you are a vegetarian, because the food is so costly (I was one for two years). I would suggest going to cheaper markets to buy larger quantities and greater varieties of food. Try Sav a lot or Aldi, your local farmer's market, and and hit up Asian food stores, they always have great prices on food.

Snack ideas:

Celery with peanut/almond butter and raisons/craisons
Carrots and apples
Triscuts and dip (you can make a quick and cheap dip out of a dried salad dressing mix and a tub of sour cream)
trail mix (make your own with granola, pretzels, chocolate chips, and dried fruit)
orange slices and jello

How strict of a vegetarian are you?

[rainbowmum]

Originally Posted by azariahsmom

Wow that's a difficult one when you are a vegetarian, because the food is so costly (I was one for two years). I would suggest going to cheaper markets to buy larger quantities and greater varieties of food. Try Sav a lot or Aldi, your local farmer's market, and and hit up Asian food stores, they always have great prices on food.

Snack ideas:

Celery with peanut/almond butter and raisons/craisons
Carrots and apples
Triscuts and dip (you can make a quick and cheap dip out of a dried salad dressing mix and a tub of sour cream)
trail mix (make your own with granola, pretzels, chocolate chips, and dried fruit)
orange slices and jello

How strict of a vegetarian are you?

We are strict vegetarians in that we eat no animal products. We seem to eat the same meals every week which is getting dull lol. I think the kids don't mind though. On a cheap week we eat lots of potatoes, rice, puy lentils, veggie mince made into dishes. We always have veg even if frozen and usually salad sticks.
My kids wanna snack lots and seem to think I can rustle up interesting snacks for them. Maybe I should bake more!
Do you have a good recipe for granola?

[*Jessica*]

Bumping because all of those moved threads are distracting!

[BetsyS]

For lunch, we most often eat:

cheese quesadillas
grilled cheese
"cold plate", which is odds and ends--cheese, crackers, pickles, a raw veggie, maybe a dip
peanut butter sandwiches
mini pizzas--on bagels or english muffins
pot pies (frozen )
tomato sandwiches, this time of year
leftovers
soup (when I make soup, I freeze the leftovers, so there are always several to choose from)
rice and beans (usually pinto, rice, topped with salsa)