Saving over $250!

So, I've been reclaiming food for my "chickens" for 2 months now.  We have been completely digging this new found bounty of vegetables!  I mean with hauls like this

 Or this

 Or $50 worth of fruit trays

Or this kind of variety...

I'd be crazy to not think that every trip to see Produce Guy is like Christmas!  

I have tried so many new recipes and found some new favorites just because I had the produce on hand.  I can confidently say that I make the best green beans, pork and fennel meatballs, and spinach artichoke dip I have ever had. I figured out my ideal cooking method for corn.   I also am excited to keep perfecting dishes like fried okra, vegetable patties, and Baba Ganoush.  Even though I have been sharing this delicious produce with Wiley Kat, I literally can not fit any more food in my kitchen freezer, my canning cart is double stacked, and my deep freeze is getting full as well.  

It can be a lot of work getting all of the produce sorted, cleaned, prepared, etc.  But it's worth it.  And...wanna know the best part?  I have saved $288 on my grocery budget each month for the past 2 months.  (If you really think about it, I have saved even more than that because of all the food I have prepared for future use.)  Even if you don't count future savings - $288?!  That's completely amazing!  

I was just in the kitchen making calzones (for the first time...I'll report back this week) and I was looking at all of the ingredients that were free: spinach, tomatoes, peppers, onions, fennel - I mean all that leaves is the dough, cheese, and meat.

Thank you Mavis.

Blows me away.