Yum, Yum, Goodness

We enjoyed the Mexican pork all the way around.  It smelled so good cooking and eating it was just as good.  We also had refried beans made from the pinto beans cooked over the weekend, served with warm tortillas.  We are big fans of Mexican food and will gladly incorporate these inexpensive and easy meals into our rotation after the challenge is over.  We will eat the leftovers for the rest of the week, and Lori will  probably whip up some fajitas in the next day or two.

Many thanks to Lori's most fabulous hairdresser for sharing.  Since she was so generous to share her recipes,  we'll pass them along.

Chicken Ole
1 can each (not drained) black beans, pinto beans & corn (I cooked the pinto beans and black beans over the weekend and measured out the amount of one can for cost savings)  can double one of the beans or corn if wanted
16 oz salsa
2-4 chicken breast (I used a couple of pounds of chicken pieces for cost savings)
Mix all together and pour over chicken bake @ 350 for 45 minutes until chicken is tender.

This can be made in to a soup, which we're sure we'll try by adding 2 cups of chicken stock.  This can be simmered in the slow cooker all day and shred the chicken before serving.

Mexican Pulled Pork
2 to 2 1/2 lb pork shoulder roast or butt, boneless
2 T each, oregano (we grew it in our backyard!), unsweetened cocoa powder, chili powder
1 T each, cumin, garlic powder
16 oz salsa
Mix everything but the pork in the bottom of the slow cooker. Coat the pork with the mixture on all sides.  Simmer until the pork shreds easily with a fork.

For the record, today is day number 20.  We have eaten $106.97 worth of food.  For 20 days we could have eaten $172.80.  Ten days to go.

How should we finish up?  Should we continue to try and be frugal and see just how little we can spend, or should we splurge at the end with some wonderful indulgence?