Day 17

BREAKFAST - Skipped It!
Making a BAD Choice - $0.00
TOTAL: $0.00
Don't ever do this!  Bad, bad, BAD!  I hate it when I get so busy that I skip "THE" most important meal of the day.
I was at work.


LUNCH - Lasagna, Bread, & Salad
I went to a luncheon.
I was at work.


DINNER - Pulled Pork Fettucini (for four)
Fettucini - $0.59
Pulled Pork - $1.22
Heavy Cream - $0.15
Broccoli - $0.66
Parmesan - $0.20
TOTAL: $2.82 ($0.71/serving)

Delicious!  Good job Andrea!


It seems to be that pork really IS the other white meat.  So much so that Willie actually thought this was chicken until a couple days later when I told him we had pulled pork pasta leftovers.  He had no idea what I was talking about.  


Well, I understand traditionally you would not put pork in pasta, but I was trying to get some protein into this meal and that was what we had.  It turned out okay, not spectacular.  The kids liked it ... so mmm, not sure if that confirms my point or challenges it?  Either way, it was food.  

Day 16

BREAKFAST - Bowl of Cereal and Banana
Rice Chex (actually they are Safeway's "Rice Pockets") - $0.25
Milk - $0.25
Banana - $0.19
TOTAL:  $0.69
Ate on the run  ... no picture for breakfast today.  Boo ...






LUNCH - Turkey and Cheddar with Basil Mayo on a Baguette roll
Baguette - $0.33
Nitrate/Nitrite Free All Natural Oscar Mayer Oven Raosted Turkey Breast Lunch Meat - $0.20
(how was that for some run-on adjectives?)          
Kraft Mild Cheddar Slices - $0.20
Lettuce - $0.03
Tomatoes - $0.08
Basil Mayo - $0.10
TOTAL: $0.95
Yum ... this was the best turkey sandwich I have ever had!!  And for all you skeptics on those prices, let me break it down for you.  The 99 cent store has won my heart once again!!  I went in there today and found that Oven Roasted Turkey Breast described (ever so well) above, 8 oz for a buck!!  I was skeptical myself at first.  You know "all natural" can mean anything these days.  Willie did a commercial for 7up and they even called those empty calories "all natural."  However,  I read the label closer, and sure enough it was Nitrate and Nitrite free!!  Those are the preservatives they put in most cold cuts to lengthen their shelf life.  Usually meat like this at Whole Foods or even Trader Joe's can run you anywhere from $10-15/pound!  
And the baguette ... yeah, totally white bread, I know, not the healthiest.    But I saw it at Target (they have food now), and I just couldn't resist.   I just knew it would make the perfect sub sandwich and getting 5 servings out of it was an added bonus.  
Last but not least, Trader Joe's sells frozen basil already sectioned off into little cubes.  I just take a smidge of mayo and mix a cube in and that's that.  

DINNER - Chicken Enchiladas (4 servings)
Corn Tortillas - $0.24
Chicken - $0.00 (baked chicken night)
Sauce - $0.66
Corn - $0.10
Beans - $0.20
Cheese - $0.33
Sour Cream - $0.25
Salsa - $0.24
subtotal: $2.02
TOTAL: $0.51

I know what you're thinking, but this tasted AMAZING!  Andrea and I are polar opposites when it comes to the type of arrows that are available in our culinary quiver.  There is not a number, odd, or chance in this lifetime I could have made these enchiladas!  Not only were they delicious, but wow... very affordable!

BREAKFAST - $0.69

LUNCH - $0.95

DINNER - $0.51

total: $2.15

Day 15

BREAKFAST - Dijon Ham Zucchini Egg White Omelet over Brown Rice
2 Eggs - $0.36
1/3 Zucchini - $0.16
1/2 Serving Ham - $0.08
1/2 Shallot - $0.10
Dijon - $0.05
Rice - $0.05
Total: $0.85

I cannot remember what day it was, but Willie made us some really tasty omelets from the dirty pan.  Hmm ... if you didn't read that post, that is going to sound even more disgusting than on the day we explained ourselves.  However, it was awesome and I wanted to make it again.  Unfortunately, no dirty pan, so I had to start from the beginning.  


And yes, these pictures are terrible, I know.  Sorry!!




LUNCH - Pizza, Salad and Monopoly

Pizza - $0.00
Organic Romaine - $0.12
Carrot - $0.05
Tomatoes - $0.08
Balsamic Vinegar - $0.10
TOTAL: $0.35
Remember what I said about "free" the other day?  Well, yesterday a friend had Noe over for dinner and gave me the leftover pizza because they are vegetarians.   The funny thing is, I was just thinking how I missed a good ol' piece of pizza.  Totally not healthy, however, I had one slice not the whole pie and accompanied it with a nice salad.  


Oh yeah, and what does Monopoly have to do with it?  Hudson and I have been playing quite a bit the past 2 days, so it only seemed appropriate to sneak it into the picture.  Insert smiley face here.  








DINNER - Veggie Burger with "Slaw"
Trader Joe's Veggie Burger - $0.85
Cheese - $0.25
Celery - $0.05
Carrot - $0.05
Sauce - I have no idea
Total: - $1.20
Dinner was a little difficult for me today.  Not really really feeling it, if you know what I mean.  I was so tempted to throw in the towel and order out.  However, I decided to dig deep.  Deep in the freezer that is.   I found some Trader Joe's Veggie Burgers.  They really are quite delish.  Threw some cheddar on there and I was in business.  


I needed a veg and I already did a regular classic salad for lunch.  Then I thought back to being a kid and remember having carrots and celery with peanut butter?  Well, I found some Thai Peanut Sauce and thought I would go ahead and toss a dab on my celery and carrots to make this fun little slaw type side.  I didn't count it towards the cost because it just seemed so free because it was in the door of the fridge.   

BREAKFAST:  $0.85

LUNCH:  $0.35

DINNER: $1.20

total:  $2.40

Day 14

BREAKFAST - Eggs Benedict
English Muffin - $0.16
Eggs - $0.32
Ham - $0.08 (half portion)
Spinach - $0.12
Sauce - $0.50
Total: $1.18
Can eggs benedict be made in a healthy way and still taste amazing?  Drum roll please ... not a chance.  Come on, let's face it, eggs benedict is a white English muffin, Canadian bacon (ham, basically), and eggs with a creamy (fatty), delicious sauce poured all over it.  If you wanted to try and make it "healthy," well then it just wouldn't be "eggs benedict" anymore now would it?  It would be like trying to call Miller Lite a beer, when in reality watery beverage that resembles beer.  


So this is where "everything in moderation" comes into play because I wanted to try and do one of our family's favorites, eggs benny, for under a buck.  I came soooo close!!  Oh well, leftovers for lunch (FREE) and I'll make up the difference.  Oh yes, and Benny invited Flor to the party so it was more of an Eggs Benedict/Florentine mash-up happening.  A little healthier, I guess?  




LUNCH - Baked Chicken Leftovers with Spinach
Chicken and Potatoes - Scraps left over from dinner last night
Spinach - $0.12
Total: $0.12
This is not the most beautiful lunch I have eaten but it was tasty and $0.12!!  Need I say more?

DINNER -  Smoothie and Popcorn (yes, popcorn)
8 oz apple juice - $0.25
8 oz water - Free
10 almonds - $0.10
1 banana $0.14
Non-fat plain Greek Yogurt - $0.40
2 strawberries - $0.10
2 Tbs Flax - $0.03
2 oz Raw Spinach - $0.12
Total for smoothie - $1.14
Popcorn - $0.20 (I honestly have no idea but we buy the kernels in bulk and air pop them, so I cannot imagine it is more than that)
Total: $1.34
Hudson and I wanted to watch a movie together while Noe was at her friend Jack's house.  And it was also dinner time.  Hudson asked if we could have smoothies and as for the popcorn ... what would a movie be without popcorn? 
My smoothies are so jam packed full of goodies that it really is a complete meal.  And although we went a bit over on dinner and breakfast, with our $0.12 lunch, we are still under budget for the day. 

BREAKFAST - $1.18

LUNCH - $0.12

DINNER - $1.34
total: $2.64

Day 13

BREAKFAST - Heuvos Rancheros Florentinos

2 Eggs - $0.36

Organic Black Beans - $0.13

1 Tbs Salsa - $0.06

2oz Spinach - $0.12

TOTAL: $0.67

Heuvos Rancheros is one of my favorites, but with spinach instead of tortillas it really gourmet-ify-ed it!  If that's even a word.  Sometimes I'm over doing it on bread products and sometimes I skip 'em.  Spinach is an amazing bread substitute.  Tastes nothing like it... feels nothing like it, but it goes with almost anything savory.

LUNCH - Smoothie

Frozen Banana - $0.14

2Tbs Greek Yogurt - $0.25

4 Strawberries - $0.20

8oz Apple Juice - $0.25

8oz Water - $0.00

TOTAL: $0.84

Smoothies are great!  Tons of nutrition, great taste, and good at keeping you cool on a hot day.  It was hot today!

Hi, hi, Andrea here!  Okay, so when we started this blog, we really started thinking ... how often do we have the opportunity to eat for free?  That's right .. free.  I bet you don't even realize it yourself, but so many of us have this opportunity to get "free" calories more than we realize.  From the free samples (or "stamples" as Noe would say) at Trader Joe's to eating at a friend's house to eating leftovers, free food is simply that ... free!!  So take advantage when you can, well, without being a total free loader and annoying all of your friends!!  

With that said, today I had a quick bowl of cereal before heading off to work.  I nanny 2 sweet little girls in Westwood 3 times a week.  The family generously offered their food to me while on the clock (as do we with our sitters and guests alike).   So, gratefully I accept that offer and now get 3 free lunches a week!!  This is fantastic.  


Recap:  
BREAKFAST - Bowl of cereal with Milk - $0.40
LUNCH - Chicken Sandwich and Apple - FREE


DINNER - Baked Chicken with Green Beans & Smashed Potatoes
(Serves 10 adults)  
2 Whole Chickens (10 lbs @ $0.69/lb):  $6.90
3 lbs of Potatoes - $1.50
2 onions - $0.13
Fresh green beans - $1.00  
Stick of butter - $0.50
Total:  $10.03/$1.00 per person
For dinner we had our good friends over to share in the dollar experience.  We had baked chicken, blistered potatoes with crispy red onion and blanched green beans.  There's some good ol' Midwest food for ya, hey? (said like a true Wisconsinite that I am).   I prefaced the meal that "one" portion of food is under a dollar ... if you choose to eat more than one portion, I cannot be held accountable for that.  Ha, ha, but seriously, you know what I mean.  Obviously our friend that is 6'6" is going to eat more than me!   Btw, I'm so sorry we forgot to take a picture of this beautiful feast.  We were in entertaining mode. 

BREAKFAST - $0.67

LUNCH - $0.84

DINNER - $1.00

total: $2.51

Day 12

BREAKFAST - Spinach Omelet with Toast and OJ

2 eggs - $0.28

2oz Spinach - $0.18

1/2oz Shallot - $0.10

String Cheese - $0.18

4oz OJ - $0.20

Bread - $0.25

Butter - $0.03

TOTAL: $1.22

LUNCH - White Bean & Ham Soup
See Day #05
TOTAL: $0.66 (Double Serving)

DINNER - NOTHING!!!
TOTAL: $0.00
This is a horrible decision!  I had to work all day and ended up almost skipping lunch.  I ended up eating the white bean & ham soup at 2pm, which tided me over.  I wasn't hungry when I had to leave to meet up with students at 5:30pm.  Didn't get home until 10pm.  No Dinner.  No Good.  I don't suggest it.

BREAKFAST - $1.22

LUNCH - $0.66

DINNER - $0.00

Total: $1.88 

Day 11

BREAKFAST - Over Easy Egg Bowl w/OJ

1/2 Red Onion - $0.06

Grain Blend - $0.20

2 oz Spinach - $0.18

Egg - $0.14

4oz Orange Juice - $0.20

TOTAL: $0.78

LUNCH - Left Over Lavash

Free (See day #9)

TOTAL: $0.00

DINNER - Cheddar & Cauliflower Soup (6 Servings)

Cheddar Base - $1.00

Grain Blend - $0.80

Cauliflower - $0.60

6oz Spinach - $0.38

Bread - $1.50

Butter - $0.18

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Subtotal - $4.46

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TOTAL: $0.75

BREAKFAST - $0.78

LUNCH - $0.00

DINNER - $0.75

Total: $1.53