$21 a Week Challenge: Day 1

Hello again, friends! Wow, I haven't done 2 posts in 1 day in a very long time! I could get used to this :)
If you missed my last post, I'm doing a $21 a week vegan challenge!

Here is what I had today:

Oatmeal with lots of strawberries and 2 TBSP chia seeds
I woke up freezing this morning after the A/C had been on all night, so this was perfect! The strawberries weren't very sweet but somehow the combination of tart fruit plus the chia seeds tasted exactly like guava.
So. Good.
Just like this:

Source

1 serving oatmeal: .09 (1 container was 1.18 and there are 13 servings)
1/4 box of strawberries: .47
chia seeds: ? bought these in March and have no idea what I paid!

For lunch I had:

This was Spanish cauliflower "rice" topped with nooch, steamed frozen corn, and black beans
I made up the recipe for the cauliflower, but it turned out to be super good. Here's what I did:
Defrosted cauliflower in the microwave (made sure it was still firm, though!)

and since I have no food processor, I chopped and chopped it into tiny pieces
Then I added a tiny drizzle of olive oil to a skillet and sautéed some onion and garlic in it:

Then, add the cauliflower, and cook for about 5-8 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't clump together:

 I sprinkled this with sea salt, cumin, and chili powder, then added a TBSP and a half of tomato paste:

...looks and smells like the real deal! And the taste was spot on, too :) This is a great alternative to Spanish rice and I will definitely be making this again!

1/3 bag frozen cauliflower: .33
tomato paste: .05
1/6 onion: .15
2/3 cup corn: .20 (5 servings per bag)
1/3 can black beans: .21 (brought to IL from TX)
nutritional yeast: pennies (brought from TX- a ziploc bag full from the bulk section is about a dollar)
garlic and spices: already had these

And for dinner, I made the same Chana Masala I did for my last Indian food post
(recycled photo)

I had it with a whole wheat tortilla and some raw broc for greenery

(this is for the entire recipe; I ate 1/2 of it)
1 can chickpeas: 67 (brought to IL from TX)
1 roma tomato: .36
1/6 onion: .15

1/4 of the broccoli I have: .35
1 whole wheat tortilla: .20 (package of 10 was 1.98- bought last week)
Spices & ginger & garlic & oil: already had these

Total: $3.23

And it is absolutely a balanced day of eats... I got at least 40 grams of protein with these meals- take that meat and dairy industry! And the best part is, I feel clean, satisfied, and happy :)

I hope some of you are inspired to take on this challenge as well; I'd love some company...