I kind of like this pantry thing!

So far so good, this week with the pantry challenge. It's actually kind of fun and Kody is kind of getting into it!

We started off the week with leftover chili from the freezer (delicious) and then made Italian Stuffed Shells on Monday. I got this recipe from the $5 Dinner Lady and they were great! The recipe was definitely a keeper and it was really easy too. Ours didn't look as pretty as hers because I think her shells were bigger. We didn't really "stuff" ours, but more just put meat/sauce on top and sort of inside the shells.

Tuesday we had leftovers, but then came Wednesday. Kody was supposed to have Bible study, but it was cancelled and I didn't know because Kody has been without a phone all week (Have no fear, we lived through the week with one phone and his new one came in the mail today! Phew!). So I went about the evening, going to the gym, filling the car up with gas, picking up the mail, etc. and I arrived home to this:

Kody, at the stove, surrounded by AMAZING smells, cooking up a chicken dish that he came up with on his own, using fresh ingredients (that he doesn't normally like!) from the fridge! Yum, yum, yum! The recipe was basically chicken (which had already been cooked and cubed), diced fresh tomatoes, green onions and lots of spices (I'll get Kody to tell me the more exact recipe), served on a tortilla with rice and green beans on the side. It tasted so much better than the "Easy" (which normally means not very tasty) Chicken Pot Pie I had been planning.

Only one problem...the amount of chicken Kody used in this one meal, I was planning to use for three meals! Good thing chicken is on sale this week! I quickly forgave him because the dinner was just that delicious!

While we didn't follow the menu plan, that's okay with me when my hubby cooks amazing meals! Thursday, Friday and tonight included spaghetti, pancakes (which Kody made, isn't he amazing!?!), and Hamburger Helper.

I went grocery shopping today because Kody has been out of milk like all week and we needed a few other essentials. Here's what I got:

I went to Aldi and got milk, orange juice, yogurt, eggs, mozzarella cheese (for our homemade pizza), fruit (bananas, grapefruit, cantaloupe - all on sale), hamburger buns (for sloppy joes later this week), baby carrots, radishes and pretzels for lunches. All that for $21.66!

I also stopped by Meijer and picked up chicken breasts for $1.79/lb and fish sauce (which wasn't at Aldi and is for a Thai dish later this month). I spent $11.91.

Total: $33.57. I paid in cash and did go over the $25/week budget because of the chicken, but now we definitely have enough to last us the rest of the month, plus more probably!