Paleo on $100 a Month day 3 - Getting settled

After a day of travel and a day of unpacking and laundry, I feel I am now ready to devote more time to this challenge.  Nothing like a fat-filled breakfast to keep me full and focused.

The swiss chard is starting to bolt, so I cut off a large upper portion of the plant and cooked all of it in butter.  It did cook down quite a bit, and the portion looked a bit dainty on the plate.  (Since I have gone low carb, I have given up eating on tiny plates in order to control portions.)  I made eggs scrambled with dots of ham and parsley.

Last night, I cut all the easy ham off the bone and threw the rest into the stock pot, so I now have quite a bit of boiled ham fat (yum?!), ham pieces and gallons of ham broth.  I think I have around three pounds or so of really nice ham pieces.  I might try making home-made smoked pork rinds with the skin.  Either that, or make a new handbag.  I'll eat skin if I have to, but with all this other really nice ham, the skin is starting to look less appetizing.  And, who couldn't use a new handbag?

I had a large mug of coffee with cream and a bit of a doughnut from trader Gabrielle.  I could have gotten even more free junk food, but I restrained myself.

I had some leftover ribs for lunch, along with a HUGE strawberry, cilantro, arugula, corn salad and lettuce, with sprigs of parsley and lovage from trader Melissa.  I also made a large glass of chocolate mint tea, and half an orange from trader Noel.

Today's garden haul, minus what I ate on the run

And for dinner, I ate a pouch of sardines that I bought for 70 cents.  They were packed in mustard and this is the first time I have tried the flavor, and can't say I like it all that much.  I should have thought ahead and saved some of the mustard sauce for a salad dressing or something, but threw it away.  The sardines were SWIMMING in the mustard sauce.  I also had the rest of the butternut squash with butter and sugar from trader Felix, and a small roasted beet.  The bean soup had onion, fennel, hot pepper, celery, parsley (again, from trader Melissa), mayocoba beans and ham.  I ate another Jello cup from trader Humberto and finished off with a handful of dried cherries from trader Lorenzo, a bottle of chilled chocolate mint tea and a bottle of chilled lemon balm and orange mint tea.

If you look closely in the basket, you will see the first globe artichoke of the season.  It is small, but I just couldn't wait.

$2.55 left in the kitty, with plenty of ham, eggs and some ribs.  Tomorrow, I'll finish the ribs and then make me some bone broth