The month of March is dedicated to a month-long pantry challenge! I’ve committed to spending only $25 a week on fresh produce, milk, and eggs for the whole month of March. Curious about what to buy on a pantry challenge? Read on to find out, and click here to sign up and join me!
I’m so happy right now!
I was able to buy yogurt!
It’s such a little thing, but it just made my day. Before I started my pantry challenge, I could easily buy ten dollars worth of yogurt for the week. But now that I’ve set a limit of $25 a week this month, I’ve chosen to use that money for other fresh produce instead.
My first full week of my pantry challenge went well! I got one of our turkeys out of the freezer and made dinners out of it all week. Check my Instagram page for pictures and inspiration! I learned that I can be quite resourceful when it comes to finding breakfast in the morning- especially leftover Pizza Hut pizza. But really, I can scrounge up anything- scrambled eggs with fruit and bread, oatmeal, smoothie… I didn’t realize how much food I actually had until it was time to come up with meal ideas.
Here are some of the odds-and-ends items I plan to use up this week:
- Cole’s Middles– I got these for free a few months ago and haven’t had a chance to bust it out yet. Allison loved the pretzel ones with beer cheese, and I have a feeling this will be a big hit as well!
- Pumpkin butter– Something else that’s been sitting in my pantry for a long time. I just hadn’t come up with a good use for it, so I’ll be putting it on my pancakes to see how it tastes!
- Panko bread crumbs– How did I end up with two open boxes?? This will change, what with the tuna patties and chicken nuggets.
Aldi
Navel oranges, 4-pound bag: $2.49
Carrots, 2-pound bag: $1.29
Bananas, 2.38 pounds: $.90
Red grapes, 2.15 pounds: $2.13
2 packages broccoli: $1.49 each
Sliced cheddar: $1.79
Zucchini: $1.69
Spinach: $1.49
Yogurt tubes: $1.55
4 cups Greek yogurt: $.65 each
Eggs: $.78
Ibuprofen: $1.95
Kidney beans: $.55
Milk: $1.07
Weekly Total: $23.40
Menu
Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.
Dinner
Garlic Parmesan spaghetti* (adding spinach), roasted broccoli
Tuna* patties, Annie’s mac and cheese*, roasted broccoli
Red beans and rice* (Using leftover enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce), roasted zucchini
Homemade chicken nuggets, frozen Coles Middles snacks*, frozen green beans*
DiGiorno pizza*, grapes
Carrot Pancakes
Leftovers
Breakfast
Pancake bites (Made in a mini muffin tin, using the same carrot pancakes recipe as above)
Sausage links*, English muffins*
Oatmeal*
Scrambled eggs, fruit
What’s on your menu this week? Share below in the comments!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach and professional writer. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.