Day 1 Oh God I have no money!

I just started a new job.

Therefore, I have started a new budget. And it. Is. Grim.

Consequently I have issued myself this possibly impossible (ha), possibly infuriating, possibly delicious (possibly not) little challenge.

It is 13 weeks till I fly fly away to my parent's house for Christmas break which also means I fly to a fully stocked fridge and pantry. Until then my pantry has 13 items in it and I'm only allowed to spend $25 every two weeks for extra food.

13 items, 13 weeks, $172.50

Challenge accepted!

Day 1 Spaghetti and polenta

I made the sauce which is definitely healthier and probably more delicious than the store bought stuff. It works out to about the same price.

Adding to my pantry items I bought:
1 large can of diced tomatoes $0.99
1 small can of tomato paste $0.66
1 zucchini's $1 - I used half. It's really quite large.
1 yellow pepper $1.76 - On sale! 
1 package of locally made chicken sausages $3.78 (8 in the package, I used 4).

Slice the sausages and saute in a large large very large saucepan. Once they're cooked remove from the pan and saute 2 onions, 1 yellow pepper and 4 cloves of garlic in the yummy sausage drippings.

When the veggies are all soft and delicious add half a large grated zucchini, the can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, 2-ish teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons dried basil, some cayenne and let simmer until some of the diced tomato liquid is gone.

Here's my big secret. I pocket little packages of honey from the cafeteria at work. Honey is expensive but I love it. Whatever, they're complimentary!

Add one pilfered honey packet to the simmering spaghetti goodness. Sugar, honey etc is important in homemade spaghetti sauce because tomatoes are so acidic. If your cafeteria doesn't have honey then feel free to use white sugar (I would caution against trying surgarmate... that stuff is gross)!

When as much liquid as you think is good is gone add the sausage back in, et voila!!! Spaghetti Sauce!!!!!!!!! Cheap cheap cheap. Lots of vegetables and WAY too much for one person to eat for one dinner. I'm freezing 3/4 of what I've got into those half size yogurt containers because that's the perfect amount to defrost for one person. This leaves me with enough for dinner tonight and I'll most likely stretch the last quarter into lunch tomorrow.

Polenta, 2 portions
1 cup water, bring to boil, reduce heat
1/2 cornmeal, pour into the boiling water while stirring. STIR AND POUR PEOPLE, STIR AND POUR!!! If you don't, it gets lumpy. The lumps are hard to get out. Tonight mine is lumpy because I'm working on this post and watching an episode of Buffy.

Multi-tasking = lumpy polenta. I'm okay with it, you shouldn't be.

A chef friend of mine, who will remain unnamed, once said that most people eat undercooked cornmeal (ie polenta). I am therefore cooking mine uber slowly over low-ish heat while I post. Gives me more time to work the lumps out too.

Salt and pepper at will.

Cost?

$5.80

What do I get?
4 dinners worth of spaghetti sauce
2 meals worth of polenta

Leftover?
1/2 a zucchini
4 chicken sausages

To use at a later date. Awesome.