This month, we’re shopping our kitchen in order to use up what we have so we can save money and clear kitchen clutter.
Here we go with Day 12 of the Pantry Challenge!
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It was a breakfast in bed kind of morning. I didn’t sleep well between the hours of 3 and 5, but did my exercises almost as soon as I got up. That’s always the hardest thing to do.
The kids did a great job cleaning up Sunday dinner so that makes the morning so much easier. So, I unloaded the dishes, tidied the fridge, pulled meat from the freezer, made my breakfast and headed back to bed to do my Bible study and journaling.
I am really loving the berry parfait each morning!
The day was full: computer work, walking with a friend, chores, etc. Can you believe the month is almost half over?!
What We Ate
Breakfast – Yogurt Berry Parfait with just a sprinkling of Vanilla Almond Granola. (I’m trying to focus on protein and produce instead of carbs.)
Lunch – We had lots of grilled chicken on hand and I loaded up on salad stuff the other day, so I made one of my big salads. (Head here if you want the Best Salad Toppings.)
Dinner – I have started making stew in the Dutch oven in the oven and I really love the flavor and texture. I made a variation of Mushroom Beef Stew.
How did Day 12 go for you?
Christine
Made the chicken I was too tired to make last night. Last night turned into fish stick tacos. They worked. My goal is too do no take out of January.
Christine
Of should be in
Karen J
1/12
It seems like this month is going by quickly!
Breakfast-egg McMuffins made at home and an orange
Lunch-i used the leftover chicken taco fixings to make two small taco salads
Dinner-I made Jessica’s Creamy Garlic Shrimp pasta as the picture on the website looked so good. I used Trader Joe’s shelf stable whipping cream and that worked well. My husband asked what the brown things were. I must not use sun dried tomatoes much, but I’d found a whole unopened package from Trader Joes on the top shelf. For the parsley I thawed one of the parsley cubes from the freezer that I’d frozen last month when I had an excess of fresh parsley. I also took a hoagie bun from the freezer, cut it in half lengthwise, brushed it in garlic butter and broiled to made bread sticks. We will be happy to eat the leftovers, such a yummy recipe!
Heather M
Jan 12: in which we hung around the house enjoying each other’s company and then went to early dinner with the best women: my mom’s and RN and starting when I was in 8th grade she worked at a peds office part time. At first it was 1 Swiss female ped and when I was a senior in HS another from PA joined. The entire office was and still is very close. I worked on Saturdays after I turned 16 with the Dr all by myself for sick calls. Did this for 3 yrs and summers in college. Loved it. Love these women. Those that are left alive or living in the area still are the 2 pediatricians (86yo Swiss woman, 72yo PA woman), my mom, and an office manager who’s daughter is my age All are widows except the office manager whose husband has been fighting cancer for years. They love to get together for meals and are huge supports to each other. We had the best time with them and they loved catching up with L and I- we have rarely seen them over the years. Such a joy.
Brunch: L had the rest of a cereal container(mom decants cereal into sealed containers$ that looked like special K w/strawberries? and some nuts and a mandarin; mom had the last mini bagel with cream cheese and an egg bite (she buys them from Costco and lives on them); I had a sourdough toast w/PB and lingonberry jelly, then a single turkey and cheese slider, a few almonds and Doritos
Dinner: at Panini Kabob; L had lamb kabob platter; mom had her fave chicken soup (she’ll pick it up there to eat at home) and shared some rice and salad from one of the other’s plates; I had a chicken pesto panini with a Greek salad. So good!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
It sounds like you had a wonderful reunion with dear friends. What a nice gathering and great that your mom has that support system.
Allie from Ontario
What we ate on Jan 12
Brunch: I’m still running through frozen fruit with my morning smoothie & once again I ate it with Ryvita & PB. Tim had a banana then opened a can of soup that he likes closer to noon.
Dinner: I was extremely happy to be reheating leftover beef/veg stew & mashed potatoes after a very busy day outdoors.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/12/26
B: we both had Greek yogurt with LO ambrosia and coffee. DH added a piece of toast.
L: soup and sandwiches. I’d thought we’d finished up the soup then found another container in the fridge. We ate some of it and I put the remainder in the freezer for another day.
D: herbed chicken thighs (meal 5/20), corn, cabbage and some frozen peaches from the freezer. I’d put them up this past summer and it was like a bit of summer during our current cold snap.
S: small slice of cake from the freezer. It seems I still have goodies in the freezer, along with proteins!
Today was a pretty productive day. After the discussion yesterday about several of us not making Chex mix, I made a recipe yesterday. I had some peanuts that were an odd flavor, but they worked fine in the recipe and it emptied the jar. I also made some chicken broth from bones in the freezer, and baked some sweet potatoes to have for another meal.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Oh, and I also made granola to have with our yogurt. I thought there was something else I had done.
Heather M
Such productivity in the kitchen! You made some good stuff! I look forward to that when I am back home next week.
Maureen
It was a good day for leftovers…I had leftover pasta for brunch. And turned a small portion of leftover pot roast into quesadillas for dinner with some guacamole from the freezer. Not exciting, but it got the job done. And I baked a few cookies from some frozen cookie dough.
Tasty
Jan 12
B – fruit, yogurt and granola for both of us
L- I had cheese on a bun, which got rid of one solitary bun from the freezer. Hubby had more fruit
S – a bowl of chilli with some French bread.
Very slowly, there might actually be some progress here. We certainly don’t eat as much as we did a few years ago.
Heather M
I am understanding the smaller appetite as I watch mom (she turns 84 in March). Som days she’s hungry and it’s still less than I need but a solid amount of food(Sunday was lol this) and some days she forces herself to eat. Others in between. The human body is fascinating and so adaptable to its circumstances.
Stephanie M
Monday, January 12, 2026
B – I had cereal fruit and nuts
L – 1/2 bagel, chive cream cheese and the last of the ham, olives and grape tomatoes, weight watchers soup that I made the other day and blackberries.
D – I had a half a cabbage in the fridge and I wanted to use it up, so I ran to Publix to pick up two small zucchini, some Kalamata olives, some spinach and grape tomatoes and made a dish I like to make when Paul is on a business trip because he wouldn’t like it. (I learned my lesson a long time ago to buy produce when I can use it within a few days rather than too far ahead of time). So I cooked some whole wheat penne pasta. In a skillet I heated some olive oil and threw in the grape tomatoes and cooked for a few minutes till they began to soften. Then I added chopped garlic, sliced black olives, three small cans of tuna fish, and cooked for a few minutes. Then I added a bunch of baby spinach and cooked till wilted. I added salt and pepper and put a serving of it over the pasta and topped it off with toasted pepita seeds. Honestly I can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow night. This meal got three cans of tuna out of my pantry and used up the cabbage.
Maureen
I have a few favorite meals that I cook when hubby has a trip or work dinner. I’m glad you are enjoying it!
Stephanie M
Thank you Maureen!!
Heather M
Yuuuuuummmm!!!! If I could, I’d drive down and have a meal with you while he’s gone- but being in San Diego this week makes it a little tricky!
Stephanie M
If I had my way, you’d be here having dinner with me too!!
Heather from Sacramento
B- coffee, Greek yogurt with granola
L- tortellini soup
D- salad with spring mix, Swiss cheese, walnuts, chicken and lemon dressing
Snacks- apple, cheese and hot apple cider.
Today was my first day back in the office. The heater isn’t fixed but it isn’t too bad. I’m proud that I brought my food to work but I lasted one day before I had to dip into the freezer for lunch. Oh well.
Kathryn M
1/12/2026
B – more muffins
L – leftover chicken nuggets and tator rounds, spinach salad
D – pancakes and bacon. Finally got rid of the open container of pancake mix that I have been trying to finish up. I also opened a homemade cranberry juice jar – I wanted to taste it – now I will have to finish the jar this week.
Snack – tortilla chips&guacamole
I am finally getting organized after the fiasco with the relative at the hospital. The person left hospital on Friday, but it distrubed my last week. I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do the last couple of days on chores and such….
Kathryn M
Breakfast – pancakes and sausage
The rest of the day I just nibbled on a couple of cups of trail mix. I didn’t feel like eating my work lunch and just sat down to rest with a soda…..