Food Clear Out Challenge Day 1 Rosemary baked Chicken, Jar Salad and Egg Bites

So my current situation is that I am inadequately employed and a single mom.  I work temp jobs and drive for ride share companies and walk dogs in between.  I have truly had to put by skills of frugality to use in the last year to survive.  I don't care what the current government propaganda is saying about the employment situation.  As someone that had been a stay at home mom for 20 years, getting back into the work force has been a bitch.  Before the idiot I married talked me into quitting, I was an executive assistant to a vice president of an internet company.  But the skills I learn to budget and manage were used to manage a home and family and even my own part time business for 20 years.

Now that I have gotten the bitching out of the way Let's talk about the good and the bad of the current situation and how to fix it.

I have a tendency to stock pile food when times are difficult.  This time has been no different.  Except now I have taken on a room mate to help make sure the bills are getting paid.  Somehow she wants to have space in the pantry and fridge for herself.   I need to learn to share it seems. So I am challenging myself to economically reduce without waste.

The rules that I have given myself for the challenge is to try to limit my grocery spending to $25 a month, plants and seeds purchased a the grocery store do not count.  I have a garden at home and in a community garden that can not be neglected. I am also needing to eat healthier, as people with inadequate funds can not afford to be ill.  I will allow myself one meal out a week.

So there are 3 goals in this challenge: Reduce, Budget and Health.

Today was grocery day this week.  I spent $31.48 at Trader Joes.  $6 of that was on herb plants for the garden: Thyme, Mint and Dill.  So I am 48 cents over budget.

The food that was purchased is:
Dill (the girl child wanted it for a recipe to use right away)
Broccoli Slaw
2 bags of avocados (one ripe now, one that will be ripe in a few days)
Baby Lettuce Mix
Mayonaise
Mango
Blueberries
Strawberries

So today was a strange day and we worked at a church event and lunch was provided, breakfast was skipped by me as I got up early to harvest for the community garden.

Dinner was baked rosemary chicken with potatoes and carrots and a minted sweet tea.  This fed 3 people with leftovers for lunch.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3 chicken breast
most of a 1 lb bag of carrots
half of a 3lb bag of yellow potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 springs of rosemary from the garden

I peeled and cut the carrots into sticks and tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl and then put on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  (I really hate clean up and since I spend so much time trying to survive, I have less time).  I then cut the potatoes in quarters and tossed the in olive oil and salt and pepper. and laid them out next to the carrots.  Then I laid out the 3 chicken breasts and used the extra oil in the bowl and brushed it on the chicken.  Hey! I am not about to waste some good olive oil!

I popped the whole thing in the oven for 40 minutes.

While that cooked I went to work on 2 jarred salads for my lunches this week.

I shredded 2 of the carrots, chopped a little bit of onion, chopped some sun dried tomato
Each jar was slightly different, but you all probably know the basic concept of the jar salad, right?

1T of olive oil
1T of rasperry vinegar in one 1T of balsamic vinegar in the other.
a bit of onion
a bit of shredded carrot
a bit of broccoli slaw
one had a cherry tomato from the plant I am growing in my Aerogarden, the other  sun dried tomatoes
1/4 of a chicken breast chopped (that was cooked for dinner)
some of the baby salad mix I purchased
slivered almonds

After dinner I made some egg bites for lunches for me and girl child.  I made 6, because my muffin tin only makes 6 muffins.
Preheat over to 350 degrees
5 eggs
cashew milk unsweetened
Spinach

fresh herbs (basil, oregano and parsley that I am growing)

sun dried tomatoes chopped
bit of onion finely chopped
fresh herbs (parlsey, oregano, and basil)
shredded carrot
salt and pepper
spray oil

So with this I just sprayed the muffin tin then added the veggies and herbs everything finely chopped.  Then in a small bowl I added the eggs, a bit of cashew milk and salt and pepper and whisked with a spoon then evenly divided between the tins.  I baked for 25 min.

Although as I type this my daughter is making biscuits.  Seems she thinks the egg bites would make good breakfast sandwiches.  I plan on having mine with some slices of avocado and a side of fruit.  But then teens can eat a little more than a middle age mom.


So I got one dinner for 3, two lunches for 1 and 3 breakfasts for 2 taken care of.  Not too bad for a single mom with limited resources.