Breakfast - Oatmeal w/ Apples: $0.51
- 1/2 cup Quaker Oatmeal quick-cooking oats: $0.30
- 1/4 diced Macintosh Apple: $0.05
- A few dried cranberries: $0.10
- sprinkle of Pumpkin Pie spice: maybe $0.01 if I'm generous
- splash of milk: $.05
My friend Abby, the coordinator of this little experiment, recommended to me that I incorporate oatmeal into my diet for the challenge because it's filling, healthy, and CHEAP. This breakfast was on the money. And seasonal too! To jazz up the typical oatmeal, I added apples, pumpkin pie spice, and cranberries. Extra fruit and flavor without ruining it. It was excellent. I have a feeling I will be repeating this meal a lot over the fall.
Lunch: Ummmm.....nothing.
I blew it. I totally meant to pack a lunch to bring to work this day, but then the morning got nuts and it completely skipped my mind. By the time noon rolled around, I just stayed at my desk and just carried on.
Dinner: Chicken Sandwich w/ Red Bell Pepper and Avocado & Broccoli: $2.18
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast: 0.95
- Roasted red bell pepper: 0.34
- Avocado: 0.25
- Healthy Life whole wheat bun: 0.39
- Broccoli: 0.25
I found a great deal on these frozen chicken breasts a while back and I seasoned it with a little salt & pepper and cooked it up on the stove stop and finished it off in the oven while I roasted up a red bell pepper and steamed the broccoli. I peeled the skin off the bell pepper and cut it in half, saving one half for another day. Half an avocado made this sandwich DELICIOUS! I was really happy with how this meal turned out and it was surprisingly affordable.
Total: $2.69
In all fairness, I skipped lunch so it made it a little easier to stay under budget. I think I did a better job of eating more balanced meals on this day though. My breakfast was packed with fiber and fruit and my dinner had lean proteins and a lot of vegetables. I saved the other half of the avocado and the roasted red bell pepper to reuse tomorrow at lunch so we'll see what I can come up with.
I'm getting a much better idea of how much I actually spend on food on a regular day during this challenge. It's been really hard to stay under $4! When I eat "normally," I'm guessing that I would spend somewhere around $7 or maybe even more, especially if I didn't eat out at all.
One day to go!
