This week’s $50 menu came in the middle of my $100 Grocery Shopping Challenge. I have done challenges in the past. But, this is the first time that I have slashed my grocery budget to this extent.

To see the $100 Grocery Budget Challenge Videos on YouTube click here or you can watch below.

Breakfast

We added a little variety to our usual breakfast of oatmeal and cream of wheat this week.

What do you do when you have pancakes left over from Shrove Tuesday? You heat them up and add some amazing homemade vegan sausage patties, of course. This sausage is so incredibly easy – and it’s cheap, cheap, cheap to make!

What do you do with leftover sausage patties? You throw them on homemade drop biscuits to make a quick, delicious breakfast sandwich! Real food – real quick!

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• Spicy Vegan Sausage Patties – Cost: $2.25
• Pancakes – Cost: $0.00 – These were in the freezer left over from Shrove Tuesday.
• Drop Biscuits – Cost: $1.50
• Oatmeal and fruit – Cost: $3.00
• Cream of Wheat – Cost: $1.00

Total Cost of 7 Days of Breakfasts: $7.75

Main Dishes

This week was a loosey-goosey week for food. Basically, I scoured the cupboards, fridge, and freezer and threw together whatever I could make in 30 minutes or less. The results were that we feasted on peasant fare that was simple, but filling.

I found some pesto from last summer in the freezer and used it to top pasta. This lasted for dinner for two nights.

Black beans from the freezer were thawed. I added chili, onion, and garlic powders along with smoked paprika, and crushed tomatoes to create a spicy black bean topping for tostadas.

Baked potatoes are a quick and easy weeknight meal. Lay out a variety of leftovers and condiments for topping. Everyone gets what they want and walk away happy and filled up.

Finally, I cooked up a pound of lentils and added taco seasonings to create the “meat” for taco salads. We use this quick, simple meal a lot when I’m in a pinch for time. I open a can of tomatoes, corn, olives, and salsa. Then, I slice onion and peppers and put all the ingredients out in small bowls. Everyone tops their salad with whatever they would like. Quick, cheap, and easy!

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• Hot Stuffed Baked Potatoes – Cost: $2.00
• Black Bean Tostadas – Cost: $2.00
• Pesto Pasta – Cost: $3.00
• Taco Salad – $5.00

Total Cost of 7 Days of Main Dishes: $14.00

Soup

I’ve been making this lentil soup for 25 years. It’s my recipe and the first phone call my older boys made to me after they moved out was to ask me how to make this soup.

The origin of the potatoes and green beans goes back even further. My mother made this when I was a child. The goal was to have just enough broth that you could use bread to adequately sop it up, creating a slightly dampened, flavorful bite-sized piece of goodness.

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• Vegan Southern Green Beans and Potatoes – Cost: $2.50
• Vegan Italian Lentil Soup – Cost: $3.00

Total Cost of Soups: $5.50

Sides

Nobody does healthy greens better than my dear friend, Faith Scott. Take a look at her website and you’ll fall in love with vegan cooking with a Southern flair. She’s a genius at both flavors and presentation.

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• Smoky Coconut Collards – $3.50
• Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls – $2.50
• Corn – Cost – $1.00
• Salad – Cost: $6.00

Total Cost of Sides: $13.00

Dessert

Generally, we don’t eat sugar during the week. This week we made an exception and I whipped up a cake. Applesauce cake was bedecked with candles for our son’s 22nd birthday this week. It was a delicious way to celebrate. I added twice the amount of cinnamon that the recipe calls for and also a healthy dash of pumpkin pie spice. Since the applesauce came from our trees, the cost of this cake was very low.

• Easy Vegan Applesauce Cake – Cost: $1.00

Total Cost of this week’s menu plan: $41.25