Eating in NYC for $30 a week??

I follow blogs on a wide range of topics. Some of the blogs I follow are written by adoptive moms of large families (I became interested in adoption following the time I spent volunteering at an orphanage in Ethiopia). But I digress...What does this have to do with eating in NYC on a budget? Well, these women are keepin' it real, creatively and healthfully cooking for large families on a budget. Mary at Owlhaven posted a challenge to shop and cook for $75 a week.

I thought I would give it a try, but for $30(ish) per week, keeping in mind that I am only cooking for 1, but that I also do not have a stocked pantry or freezer (ice cubes aside) and I'm not fortunate to have a garden's bounty.

So, how did I do? Well, for someone who (pre-recession) had a $30 per week coffee addiction, I would say I did pretty well!

1) I focused on healthy meatless meal (trying to be vegetarian this month, too)
2) I spent Saturday morning at the Union Square farmers market stocking up.
While some of the prices are a bit $$$ ($15 per lb designer mushrooms, $5 per lb heirloom tomatoes), I came away well stocked with zuchs and eggplant among other things, for about $12
3) I tried to cook over the weekend and freeze and store a few things for the week ahead.
4) Here's some of what I made:
Broc Cheddar Soup (Ate most of it...so yummy, but froze some, too)
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread (1 to eat, 1 to freeze)
Zuc, Eggplant, Tomato and Feta casserole...based on this recipe
A large batch of pesto (froze)
5) I brought my coffee and lunch to work each day...something I have never done before, but is (duh!) a huge $ saver.

I can't wait to start cooking again this weekend. Thanks for the challenge Mary.