Foodie on a Budget- A New Grocery Budget Challenge

Well, I am at it again.  But this time I am challenging myself just a bit more.  Can I do just $5 of groceries for 2 people for 6 days??  Some of you who have been following me for a little while may remember my My $15 Seven Day Grocery Budget Challenge I did in May.  Now that I have had a couple of months to replenish my pantry and freezer, I am ready to go at it again.  

This time it is just my husband and I for the week.  My son is at the beach with my parents for the week (lucky bum!).  

I have taken inventory of what I have on hand.  I was also fortunate in that my mother gave me some of her perishables before leaving for the beach- some tomatoes, celery, romaine lettuce, zucchini from her garden.

Here is the dinner menu plan for the week:

Sunday- Fresh Summer Pomodoro Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta (and this was made last night)

Monday- Barbecue Chicken Thighs with Roasted Herb Potatoes

Tuesday- Homemade Mac 'N Cheese

Wednesday- White Chicken Chili

Thursday- Homemade Pizza

Friday- Pancakes for Dinner (This is kind of becoming a weekly thing in our house now. ;) )

If I have calculated all things correctly, I *should* only need to buy a loaf of bread for sandwiches and shredded mozzarella cheese for the pizza.  Everything else is either in my fridge, freezer, pantry, or garden! :)

Be watching for updates (and recipes!!) throughout the week! 

My $15 Seven Day Grocery Budget Challenge: Taking Inventory

So, first things first.  If I am going to successfully complete my challenge this week, I have to take stock of what I already have on hand and utilize as many of those things as I can in the next seven days.  Fortunately, it seems like my pantry is pretty well stocked...

Then I took a peek in the freezer to see what I have stashed in there...

After doing a quick inventory, this is the menu that I planned for the week.  (Please note, we will be eating a lot of chicken next week. ;) )

Friday- Crock Pot Chicken Mole with rice and avocado slices (This was actually a meal I had planned for last week, but maybe wasn't made because we just may have had an impromptu carry out pizza night. ;) )

Saturday- Homemade Meat Sauce & Pasta with toasted garlic bread (A recipe for my easy homemade (and cheap!) pasta sauce will be forthcoming.)

Sunday- Buffalo Chicken Strips & fried potatoes

Monday- Leftover Night (pending that there are enough leftovers from Saturday and Sunday)

Tuesday- Breakfast for Dinner, Pancakes

Wednesday- Honey-Dijon Barbecued Chicken with broccoli & cheese

Thursday- Chicken and Dumplings

Friday- Made To Order Omelets, with any cheese & veggies that we have in the fridge & toast

The above menu is tentative.  I may have to move leftover night to another evening if I don't have an ample amount of leftovers by Monday.  I usually pack leftovers from the previous evening's dinner for my husband to take to work for lunch.  I am also planning on "roasting" two large split chicken breasts I have in the freezer some time midweek to use for the Chicken and Dumplings and for chicken sandwiches for the week for lunch (Click here for My recipe for "roasted" chicken in the Crock Pot).

Every couple of days I will update my blog with links to the recipes I made, what items I already had on hand and which ones I had to buy for each dinner.  

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day.  The day of truth.  Will I come out of the store with a grocery receipt under $15?  Stay tuned. ;)