I did not have any pics of my meals this past week, BUT I did have a pic of this broccoli I drew for  an “I ❤ Vegetables” board I made for work ha! : D

So this past week’s (5/31-6/6) food expense breakdown was not reflective of “my norm” for the following reasons:

1. I picked up an unplanned food item or sat down at a restuarant a total of four times ($3.01 + $ 1.83 + $9.00 + $2.04).

2. On Saturday (June 1st) I was not feeling great, so I had to make an extra Whole Foods trip to pick up “feel better”, bland food ($9.69)…Boo!

3. I did not buy my weekly groceries on Thursday  : o
(Sidenote: There was a terrible storm and I was absolutely dragging after work so I put off shopping and instead went home, put on some comfy sweats and made some super tasty, vegan, chocolate pancakes for dinner.)

I had anticipated that this past week’s budget would be over $30.00 because some of my best friends were moving out of state and therefore we planned to celebrate their departure in one of our favorite ways – Eating DELICIOUS food at our favorite places!

This being said, although I stayed within my budget last week, I went over my budget for this week….Not great, but all part of the process, right?

I consider each week of this challenge a great learning experience because it forces me to look critically at how I spend my money and how I can shop smarter while working with a budget (ex: I just purchased an AMAAAZING livingsocial coupon for $10 that is worth $20 at one of my frequented grocery stores!!!!). It is also pushing me to clean out my freezer, which has plenty of frozen lentil stew, waiting to be eaten…also peas, lots and lots of peas.

Budget Breakdown:

– “Out” food: $15.88
– Groceries: $9.69
                                     
Total: $25.57


What I made last week:
– An interesting pea/broccoli omelet (yay for amazing co-workers who give your fresh, local eggs gratis)
– Vegan cinnamon rolls (suuuuuper easy and suuuuuuper decadent)
– Veggie (red onions and bell peppers) quiche
– Berry green smoothies
– Chocolate pancakes

There is a clear breakfast-food theme emerging…