Saving Money at the Market

I shopped a new farmer's market today. One of my goals is to lose 60 lbs by the end of the year and to improve my overall health. To that end I've decided to incorporate a lot more vegetables in my diet and my preference is organic. Unfortunately organics are expensive but I'm looking for ways to reduce those costs. If you want to save on "organic" fruits and vegetables I recommend going to a farmer's market. A lot of small farmers raise their meat or grow their produce organically but aren't big enough to get the certified organic labeling. If you talk to the people at the market you can make sure your food is grown and raised in a healthy, environmentally friendly way. I spent $62 today, the meat alone was $30 of that. Here's what I got:

1 butternut squash
1 bunch of green onions
1 bunch of beets
10 small red potatoes
1 small bunch of broccoli
1 red onion
1 yellow squash
1 bunch of asparagus
2 lemons
1 artichoke
1 ziploc size bag of radishes
1 bulb of garlic
1 prickly pear cactus leaf
A container of goat cheese
1 loaf of gluten free bread
1 lb of grass fed ground beef
1 boneless chuck roast

With these items and things I already have in my pantry and freezer I've come up with the following dinner menu for the week:

SAT Tacos (ground beef, pinto beans, taco seasoning packet, corn tortillas) and a salad
SUN Roast with potatoes and vegetables
MON Beef and Noodles (leftover roast, homemade noodles) and a salad
TUES - school night, leftovers!!!
WED - Saucy Italian Style Chicken thighs served with rice and roasted asparagus
THURS - Meatloaf, potatoes, roasted broccoli
FRI Chicken with artichokes and roasted red peppers

I'm also planning on making soup from the butternut squash to have for lunches. The cactus leaf was given to me for free - not sure what to do with it! My goal is to use all these veggies before anything goes bad, otherwise it was a waste of money.


What are you planning on making this week?