Summertime Pantry Challenge: Week 2

This is week 2 of the Summertime Pantry Challenge and already my fridge and freezer are starting look pretty sparse. What a pleasant sight! Now we can actually shut the freezer door without it popping back open.

This week I limited my grocery shopping to Kroger and the Farmer's Market. I really want to get the majority of my produce from the latter, so I only bought bananas, white nectarines, 1/4 of a watermelon, and a lemon at Kroger.

At Kroger I spent $45, which was primarily on dairy, eggs, and bread, plus a $9 (!) jar of tahini for the hummus.

At the Farmer's Market today, we bought the following:
1 pound of blueberries- $4
1 large eggplant- $1
1.5 pounds of tomatoes- $2
2 bell peppers- $1
1 red onion- $0.75
1 honey stick (for Kate)- $0.25

Our grand total on groceries this week was a whopping $54.

Besides saving money, we also ate well this week, trying out several new recipes including a delicious cucumber yogurt (using cukes from the garden) and lentil hummus, both of which we ate with Naan, my new favorite bread. Unfortunately, I got a little carried away with the smoked paprika in the hummus and it is extra smokey, but the baby loved it and so did I. I will definitely be making both recipes again.

Also, I modified the pasta with eggplant, portobellas, & tomato because I didn't have any mushrooms (and wasn't going back to the store to buy them!), adding squash (from the garden) and onions. I also roasted all the veggies in the oven with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Tossed them with the whole wheat linguine with a shot of olive oil. Delicious!

While my grocery list is getting very VERY long (I will need to get to Aldi very soon after the challenge is over!), I am really enjoying the fun of being resourceful and trying out new recipes and utilizing what is at my disposal. We're saving money and eating well too.

How are you doing with the Summertime Pantry Challenge?