We went to the Farmer's Market in Orlando today. It wasn't the biggest and I was honestly expecting more veggies and fruits but I love to look at all the wonderful stuff the locals do. There were lots of beautiful art and jewelry and tons of puppies. It was dog day so there were lots running around and that kept Shawn a very happy little boy.

Anyways I found a veggie stand that had good prices and a large selection. We only bought a few things for the week since we still have some things at home that need to be used. I bought 2 zucchini for $1, a large head of cabbage for $1, and a huge basket of green beans for $2.50. The cabbage will last us for 2 meals or a meal and lunches depending on how I make it, the green beans will probably last us for 3 dinners (we had some tonight and they were great). So we ended up with fresh local veggies for 5-6 nights for $4.50.

After we left the farmer's market we headed to Albertson's and picked up 10lbs of pork picnic and 5lbs of chicken legs for $15.00. Once I figure out what to do with the pork picnic that will feed us at 3 times (depending on how much bone there is) and the chicken will last for 2 nights. Unfortunately this Albertson's was out of stock on nearly everything, but I'm going to take the ad to Publix and Walmart and try my luck with them honoring the ad.

In total we got at least 5 nights of food today for less than $20. If I don't figure in the leftovers that I'll eat for lunch it still works out to about $1.34 per person per night for fresh veggies and fresh meat. Combine in some of the free noodles or potatoes I got a few weeks ago at Publix and you've got big filling well balanced healthy meals for a family of 3 for nearly a week. We won't be eating this all this week as I have plenty of stuff in the freezer and I try and rotate things. But I did want to point out that with a little work you can eat well for very little $$. And once you get working on it you can stock up when the sales are hot and avoid the stores when the sales are not.

Next week I'll be visiting a different farmer's market that runs on Saturdays. I'll let you all know how it goes. My challenge for you for the week is to put your fingers to good use and search online for your local farmer's markets, if it's still too cold in your area just find out when they start and where. When you get a chance please visit enjoy the wonderful veggies from your area and let me know about it.