Lidl Dairy-Free Meal Plan

BUDGET RATIONALE

Why these meals: Every dinner this week is dairy-free, with canola oil doing the cooking instead of butter, so the only label to check is the cocktail sauce on the shrimp tray before Friday. Chicken appears on two nights, as roasted drumsticks on Monday (the family pack is $2.97) and a whole chicken soup on Thursday ($7.96), with pork loin on Tuesday ($3.58) and eggs on Wednesday ($2.11) in between for variety. The produce does double duty: one 5 lb bag of russets covers Wednesday's hash and Thursday's soup, the avocado pack covers Wednesday and Friday, and the Granny Smith apples go into Tuesday's skillet and Friday's salad. Friday's shrimp ring tray ($9.99) needs no cooking at all, which is a nice finish after Thursday's simmer, and if you shred the chicken the night before, that soup comes together in about 30 minutes.

5-DAY MEAL PLAN

Monday
Meal: Oven-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Roasted Baby Carrots and Cut Green Beans
Description: Chicken drumsticks are tossed in poultry seasoning and roasted on a sheet pan with baby carrots until the skin is crisp. Warmed cut green beans round out a simple, savory weeknight plate.
Sale items used: Butcher's Specialty fresh chicken drumsticks, family pack; Peak Harvest baby carrots, 16 oz; cut green beans, 14.5 oz; poultry seasoning, 1.05 oz
Prep time: 50 minutes
Serving note: 3 lb drumsticks (assumed family pack total weight), 1 pack (16 oz) baby carrots, 1 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans, 1 tsp poultry seasoning from the jar. Toss with canola oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 425F for 40 to 45 minutes. Heat the green beans in a small pot.
Recipes:
- Big Family Healthy Chicken Drumsticks and Vegetable Easy Oven Dinner, Dairy-Free!
- Oven Roasted Drumsticks and Carrots Easy Sheet Pan Meal
- Chicken Drumsticks Dinner

Tuesday
Meal: Pan-Seared Pork Loin Medallions with Apple-Onion Skillet and Sauerkraut
Description: Smithfield half boneless pork loin is sliced into medallions and seared in a hot skillet until golden. It is served over a sweet-tart skillet of Granny Smith apples and yellow onion, with warm white wine sauerkraut alongside.
Sale items used: Smithfield half boneless pork loin; Granny Smith apples, 3 lb; yellow onions, 3 lb; Alpenfest white wine sauerkraut, 28.5 oz
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serving note: About 2 lb pork loin (assumed total weight), sliced into about 8 medallions. Use 3 apples (about 1.5 lb) and 1 onion from the packs, plus 1 jar (28.5 oz) sauerkraut. Sear in canola oil, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Recipes:
- Braised Pork and Sauerkraut
- Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Pan Sauce
- Pork Medallions with Apples and Cabbage

Wednesday
Meal: Russet Potato and Sweet Corn Skillet Hash with Fried Eggs and Avocado
Description: Diced jumbo russet potatoes are pan-fried in canola oil until crisp, then mixed with whole kernel sweet corn. They are topped with fried eggs and sliced avocado for an eggs-for-dinner plate.
Sale items used: jumbo russet potatoes, 5 lb; Hillandale jumbo white eggs, grade A, 12 ct; whole kernel sweet corn, no salt added, 15.25 oz; avocados, 4 ct
Prep time: 35 minutes
Serving note: 2.5 lb russet potatoes (half the 5 lb bag), 12 eggs (the full dozen, 3 per person), 1 can (15.25 oz) sweet corn, 2 avocados (half the pack). Fry the eggs in canola oil, not butter.
Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Hash Recipe
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
- Sweet Potato Hash (One-Pan, 30 Minutes) - Crispy Breakfast Favorite

Thursday
Meal: Whole Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery
Description: Farmer Focus fresh organic whole young chicken is simmered with yellow onion, celery, baby carrots, and russet potatoes. The meat is then shredded back into the pot for a hearty, comforting soup.
Sale items used: Farmer Focus fresh organic whole young chicken; yellow onions, 3 lb; Peak Harvest celery; Peak Harvest baby carrots, 16 oz; jumbo russet potatoes, 5 lb; poultry seasoning, 1.05 oz
Prep time: 90 minutes
Serving note: 4 lb whole chicken (assumed total weight), 1 onion, 3 stalks celery from the bunch, 1 pack (16 oz) baby carrots, 2.5 lb russet potatoes (the rest of the bag), 1 tsp poultry seasoning from the same jar. Simmer the chicken in water with salt and pepper for about 60 minutes, shred, then simmer the vegetables for 20 minutes. Make-ahead: the chicken can be simmered and shredded the night before, so dinner takes only about 30 minutes.
Recipes:
- Dairy-Free Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe (Slow Cooker)
- Simple Chicken Potato Soup
- Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Friday
Meal: Shrimp Cocktail Salad with Avocado, Celery, Corn, and Granny Smith Apple
Description: The cooked shrimp from the ring tray are tossed with diced avocado, crunchy celery, sweet corn, and tart Granny Smith apple. The salad is dressed with canola oil and the tray's cocktail sauce, and needs no cooking.
Sale items used: Lidl Preferred Selection frozen cooked shrimp ring tray with cocktail sauce; avocados, 4 ct; Peak Harvest celery; whole kernel sweet corn, no salt added, 15.25 oz; Granny Smith apples, 3 lb
Prep time: 20 minutes
Serving note: 1 shrimp ring tray with its cocktail sauce (thaw overnight in the fridge and check the sauce label for no dairy ingredients), 2 avocados (the rest of the pack), 2 stalks celery (the rest of the bunch), 1 can (15.25 oz) sweet corn, 2 apples (about 1 lb). Whisk a splash of canola oil with the cocktail sauce for the dressing.
Recipes:
- Avocado and Shrimp Salad
- Grilled Shrimp, Avocado, & Corn Salad Recipe
- Shrimp, Corn and Avocado Salad

SHOPPING LIST

Buy on sale:
- Butcher's Specialty fresh chicken drumsticks, family pack (3 lbs): $2.97
- Farmer Focus fresh organic whole young chicken (4 lbs): $7.96
- Smithfield half boneless pork loin (2 lbs): $3.58
- Lidl Preferred Selection frozen cooked shrimp ring tray with cocktail sauce (x1 tray): $9.99
- Hillandale jumbo white eggs, grade A, 12 ct (x1 pack): $2.11
- Peak Harvest baby carrots, 16 oz (x2 packs): $1.78
- cut green beans, 14.5 oz (x1 can): $0.50
- whole kernel sweet corn, no salt added, 15.25 oz (x2 cans): $1.98
- Alpenfest white wine sauerkraut, 28.5 oz (x1 jar): $1.99
- jumbo russet potatoes, 5 lb (x1 bag): $2.29
- yellow onions, 3 lb (x1 pack): $1.49
- Granny Smith apples, 3 lb (x1 pack): $2.49
- avocados, 4 ct (x1 pack): $2.99
- Peak Harvest celery (x1): $0.95
- poultry seasoning, 1.05 oz (x1 jar): $0.49

Pantry staples needed:
- canola oil
- salt
- black pepper
- water