Pantry Challenge Update

A little over halfway through the pantry challenge, and I hardly feel that I have made a dent in the pantry or freezer.  That is a good sign that I will have no trouble making it to the end of this month at least

Meals first:

As noted last week - Weekend meals (Saturday through Monday) tend to be on our own.  W works a 12 hour shift on these days.  With the weather heating up he rarely wants anything heavy and often wants nothing at all.  Normally his weekend supper is cereal.  I eat leftovers.

Tuesday - I made baked fish with herbs from the garden.  I fixed a Parmesan pasta which is basically cooked spaghetti noodles, Parmesan cheese, a bit of butter, and parsley.  It is similar to the boxed mixes - just as quick but much healthier.  I made slaw with the last of the cabbage.

Wednesday - Big salads - a bowl full of lettuce, chopped tomato, cucumber (from the greenhouse), a bit of cheese, homemade croutons (from the end pieces of bread I made), baked chicken tenders, and homemade ranch dressing.

Thursday - We planned to go out to eat with a couple of W's clients this evening so I planned a simple lunch.  We had turkey sandwiches (cooked turkey from the freezer) on homemade bread with a few chips and pickles.  

Friday - We had leftovers from our meal out.  I added in some potato salad and rolls to finish off the meal.  If W eats a large mid-day meal, he is rarely hungry at night.  I try to have a snack at least.  This night I ate whole wheat crackers with natural peanut butter.


This past week's dessert was lemon bars for my dad's birthday.  He is a big fan of any lemon dessert.  As usual I cut back on the sugar amount called for in the recipe.  I did use fresh lemon juice from lemons I had in the fridge before I started the challenge.


Now for the amount spent.  I bought a 5 pound bag of potatoes, and W picked out a bag of grapefruit to take in his lunch. The sales on fruit were non-existent this past week.  I spent $6.94 for these two items.  I had $32.95 left in my monthly budget.  After this week I have $26.01 left.  I really hope to do no grocery shopping this coming week.  I will have to see what the sales ads have to offer though.