Sweet & Sour Dressing And A Pantry Challenge Update

One of my favorite ways to clean out the fridge and the pantry at the same time is to make a big salad with homemade dressing.  Especially this time of year, when a lighter meal is welcome, this type of thing goes over well with my family.  Here's one of my favorite pantry type dressings:

Sweet and Sour Dressing
1/4 C sugar
2 T cider vinegar
2 T honey
1 1/4 t lemon juice
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t ground mustard
1/2 t onion flakes
1/4 t celery seed
1/3 C canola oil

In a microwave safe bowl, mix all ingredients except oil. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in oil. Cover & chill.

Sigh, now for the pantry challenge update.  We were having a great week, until I got a headache and DH offered to go to the store for me.  Now we're $40 over budget already, and the cupboard that I had been clearing is full again.  Oh well.

Here are a few things I did manage to do:

1. Stuck to our meal plan of food we had on hand
2. Made a new plan for next week using mostly freezer meals (and the pork chops I found in the freezer)
3. Didn't end the week with a ton of leftovers to be thrown out
4. Had a good fun time making pizza with the kids.  We'll do it again this week.

Wondering what this whole thing is about?  Check out my inspiration on Good Cheap Eats, and my goals here.