The $300 - starting month two

I didn't quite make it in month 1.  I splurged and we went $17 over.

Going to give it another try this month.  I do have a lot of leftovers and stuff in the freezer, so we are in pretty good shape starting out this month.  I just need to stay on track and use that stuff.

This week I spent $47 at the market.  $37 on fruits and veggies and $10 on Hummus and Tzatziki sauce.  Both came from a local restaurant/specialty store.  The hummus is probably  my all time favorite variety.  They just get it right.

For the $37 I got

5lbs black grapes

2 bags key limes

12 roma tomatoes

1 bag radishes

2 honeydew melons 

4 beets

3 orange bell peppers

3 red bell peppers

1 spaghetti squash

1lb poblano peppers

4 lbs sweet potatoes

9 oranges

5 nectarines

2 very small head broccoli

3 cucumbers

2 red onions

I also spent money at the grocery store

$17 porkchops (two packages on clearance - lots and lots of porkchops)

$6 thin sliced steak

$7 crumbled goat cheese

$1.50 purple cauliflower

$1.50 orange cauliflower

$5 goat cheese

$5 cheddar cheese

$2 cottage cheese

$2 sour cream

That means I am at $94 for the month.  I have enough meat to last me probably the entire month now.  I might buy some bacon, but we'll see.  I still have some chicken and ham in the freezer from last month.  I also have broccoli soup base ready to go and tons of fruit for smoothies.  We were also given some fruit this week, huge tubs of pineapple and mango and two fruit plates.  The fruit plates came from a vendor at the market.  It's good to be the balloon lady.  Anyway, I suspect that in a worst case scenario I have enough food in the freezer and pantry to feed the family for a month.  We would lack in fresh fruits and veggies, as well as snack food - but it could be done.  That's kind of  where I want to keep it.  I don't want so much I never go through it, but I do want a backup supply for when something happens and we can't work for a couple of weeks.  

I have $206 left to spend this month.  $120 will go to the market for fresh and then I have about $28 a week for other stuff.  I may have to cut back on my expensive goat cheese habit.  I do love my goat cheese, but I'm also pretty determined to stay under budget this month!

This week's Market Report

Another week - another visit to the market.  Today I came in $4 under budget, though I'm probably going to spend that at a traditional grocery store.

For my $36 I got

4 red pears
2 smaller butternut squash
10 kiwis
1 package of  habanero peppers
2 bags of spinach
1 giant bag of green onions (I have no idea what to do with that many, but it was only $1)
6 mangos
3 large red onions
4 baking carrots
4 grapefruit
1 lb jalapenos
1 lb poblano peppers
5 plums
7 limes
6 lemons
6 oranges
3 large avocados
2 bags of small sweet peppers


I still need to buy for the week
shredded cheese
snack food for the husband and kid
butter
maybe some broccoli

Before today I had $168.97 left over for the week.

Now I have 132.97

Two more trips to the market will use up $80 of that and I have only $17 a week left over for each of the 3 weeks.  I estimate I will spend $10 this week on additional items and think each other week will come in under too.  Basically, it's looking good for keeping it below $300 this month.

Ronco Chiptastic thing

Total impulse buy.

I like chips, but know better than to eat them very often.  I sometimes make kale chips - love kale chips, hate every other form of kale, but love kale chips.  Still sometimes I want something more like a traditional potato chip.

Saw this at Target and said, what the heck, let's give it a try.  It works in the microwave and doesn't use oil.

Got home and immediately tried it.  Didn't even finish putting things away first.  I'm a kid like that sometimes.

The mandolin wasn't bad, cut the cips thin enough.  I didn't peel the potato, I never do for anything unless I must.  Patted the slices dry and sprinkled with a bit of lemon pepper.  Too much lemon pepper - but I didn't know that at the time.

Microwaved for about 10 min and then had some wonderful potato crisps to munch on.  NOT the same as chips from a bag, but I didn't expect them to be.  Fried things are fried, baked things are baked and microwaved are zapped - they all give different tastes.  

The thinness made them light and snack worthy.  I'm excited to try it again with other spices or at least less lemon pepper.  I get a wonderful jalapeno spice from thy guy at the market (I've known him since he was 11 and he's in med school now - super hard to believe, not sure where time goes)  I also have a huge assortment of spices I get from them so I see my bag of potatoes going quickly.

I'm also excited to try other types of chips - various veggies and maybe apples.  The chiptastic came with a recipe book but I haven't read it.  I don't usually read instructions first if I think I can figure it out on my own.  I consider that part of my charm but I think it makes my husband a bit nuts since he practically memorizes the directions before he starts ANYTHING!

Verdict on my impulse buy?  

I would buy it again!

My Lunch

Today I'm having pintos with jalapenos for lunch.  It's really kind of a side dish, but who says you can't make a meal from a side.  I just love beans, they're cheap, filling and very very tasty.  For dinner I'll bake some chicken and serve them as an actual side.

The recipe is here

http://www.krulewich.com/2014/02/pinto-beans-w-jalapenos.html

Unlike several of my other recipes this one got a A on the rating scale.  Although, I pretty much expected the caramels to get an F.  Only because there isn't an F-.  Although it's not diet friendly, I do use butter over margarine.  Why?  Because I like milk better than oil.  I'll use olive oil, but margarine just doesn't taste right to me.  Even though there is butter, I'm not Paula Deen.  I didn't go overboard.  4tablespoons for 25 servings isn't too much per bowl.