The morning after my shopping trip my breakfast consisted of oats and raisins. I found that half a cup of oats was more than enough for me; in fact, I split this bowl with Hope. A very satisfying breakfast.
One of the things that cooking your own food entails is a time commitment. Hope and I don't own a microwave, so at our house you can't just "zap" food into readiness. On top of how long something takes to cook, you also need to factor in preparation time. For instance, brown rice takes about 35 minutes from start to finish. In contrast, prepping the zucchini, which consisted of a quick wash and then slicing it into bite size rounds took less than 5 minutes.
Meal #3: Split Pea & Lentil Soup
My dinner was the most time consuming. It required me to actually plan. Not one of my strengths, at least in the food department. Initially, I thought I would just have to add the mix to water and boil. Wrong. Instead, the directions had me soak the split peas and lentils for over an hour. Luckily, I wasn't hungry when I started making dinner; otherwise, it would have been tough having to wait. I also used my leftover rice from lunch to thicken up my soup. Yum.
In the end I found that you can eat healthy on a limited budget, but it's not easy. This week, Hope and I are committed to spending only $35 on our groceries for the week (Monday thru Sunday). We won't be purchasing any packaged or prepared foods, and whenever possible we will be buying organic. We decided to make a menu to help us shop smart.
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