Budgeting #3

My Final Meal is made up of three dishes Bang Bang Broccoli, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Braised Beef.

Ingredients for Broccoli
Fresh Broccoli: $6.49
Honey: In the pantry
Olive Oil: In the pantry
Sriracha: $2.99
Lime Juice: $2.49

Ingredients for Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Red Potatoes 4lb bag: $4.99
Sour Cream: $1.69
Cream Cheese 8oz brick: $2.29
Garlic cloves 6-8: In the pantry
Salt: In the pantry

Ingredients for the Braised Beef
 Chuck Roast 5lb @ 4.99 a lb: $25
Carrots: $1.79
Onion: $0.89
Celery: $1.99
Butter: In the pantry
Salt: In the pantry
Pepper: In the pantry
Rosemary, Thyme: In the pantry
Lemon: $0.89
Parsley: $1.55

1. Do you think your food budget is adequate to purchase food to support a nutritionally balanced diet? Yes I think my budget is more than enough to purchase food to support a balanced diet, before this class I was probably spending around $100 a week to purchase food but most of the food I was buying was pre-packaged and processed food that was easy to store and keep on the shelf. I also spent a lot of my money on eating out, which if I cut back on would give me more than enough money to buy groceries that support a nutritionally balanced diet. 
2. Have you made any changes since the beginning of class to either your food budgeting or food purchasing habits?  If so, what were they? Since class has started I have been more conscious of how much I spend at the grocery store versus how much I spend eating out at restaurants and other places where you buy prepared food (like dining halls) This has led me to cut back on my eating out budget and put some of that money towards my grocery budget. As far as purchasing goes I find myself going to the grocery store more often about 2-3 times a week instead of one weekly trip where I try to get everything.
3. Has your cooking and/or eating changed?  If so, how? Yes in multiple ways. the first way is I am more likely to plan meals for certain nights and then go shopping to get a few ingredients to make that recipe, very similar to what we do for our weekly blogs. The second big difference is using more fresh herbs in my cooking instead of just dried ones. I still use the dried herbs but when I want a garnish or topping to really stand out I go for the fresh stuff, something I never did before. I also feel like I am more using more fresh vegetables, especially onions and bell peppers. I also avoid frozen things like pizzas and microwave dinners much more than I used too, partly because I know they aren't healthy for me and partly because they don't taste as good as something I can make from scratch. I also feel like I try to create less food waste by eating all my leftovers, and trying to use every part of ingredients.