My Challenge!

So this goal setting thing. Right-o. Last week, I went to the gym for over an hour every day except for one (which I decided would be a rest day since I was too sore AND sick to even get out of bed for about 3 hours). But I would still call my goal to consistently work on my fitness a success.

This week, I am continuing that gym diligence dealio. But I am also adding to the equation. This week... Mikey and I are not only going to avoid eating out, I am going to cook a healthy dinner for us each night of the week for under five dollars per meal. It's not an easy one, but I think it's doable. I am allowing myself to disinclude pantry regulars (salt, pepper, olive oil, common spices, milk, broth, that kind of thing) from the totals.

Tonight's fare:

1 can diced tomatoes ($1.20)
1/2 can tomato paste ($.25)
2 cloves garlic ($.10?)
1/2 an onion ($.25?)
2 spicy italian sausages ($1.44)
1 small carrot ($.20?)
3/4 package whole wheat penne ($.97)
sprinkling of parmesan ($.50?)

Grand total: $4.91

I'm planning on cooking up the sausages sans casings, and squeezing the excess grease out of that meat. Then, to the little brown bits left in the pan, I'm going to add a little bit of olive oil, the diced half onion, my two cloves of garlic (minced), and the whole carrot (grated) with some salt and pepper. When all that gets nice and soft, in goes the tomato paste and canned, diced tomatoes. Let that all cook together while the pasta gets boiled in some salted water on another burner, add the meat in at the last few seconds, and toss the sauce with the pasta. That's the plan anyway...

Hearty and healthy homemade meat sauce with whole wheat pasta for less than a Subway footlong. ChaCHING! I think it will be good for me to have these exercises in frugality. With a good amount of portion control thrown in on my part, which is something I should also work on, the leftovers from dinner tonight could work for lunch tomorrow. Yay for saving money!

Tomorrow... garlicky mac n' cheesy broccoli.