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 19 of the Pantry Challenge!
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Sundays are my rest day, so I try to stay off the computer. We all head out to church, come back for a late lunch, enjoy a lazy afternoon, and reconvene for Sunday dinner.
Since Friday and Saturday were both very full with friends over and Sunday was full with Bryan playing guitar at church and my providing snacks, today was really chill.
Nothing fancy to see here.
What We Ate
Breakfast – I made three dozen muffins to take to church and while they weren’t “fair game” I did let the fam each have one. I also made a Sausage Egg Hash Brown Casserole, my go-to for Sunday mornings.
Lunch – Bryan grilled chicken and I reheated a Mac and Cheese from last night. I also threw together a salad.
Dinner – On Saturday I made a double batch of Lawnmower Taco. While this baked, I threw together a salad and made some Homemade Salsa.
How did Day 19 go for you?
Kathy in Denmark
Day 19:
B: Scrambled eggs, rolls, coffee/milk
L: Rye bread with different toppings
D: Pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese
Nothing too exciting today, but everyone was fed and I didn’t even make breakfast – DH and DD2 did 🙂
Karen J
Day 19
B-breakfast sandwich made at home with the last English muffin
L-I took out a freezer quart bag of last summer’s cherry tomatoes that I’d roasted with garlic and basil and made tomato soup. Served that with grilled cheese.
D- my husband was out with guy friends so I had popcorn for dinner. I wasn’t that hungry due to a late lunch and it was nice not having to cook
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/19/25
B: yogurt, peaches and coffee. DH same plus whole wheat English muffin
L: pimento cheese and celery
D: “dinner” was a bit odd. DH had bought himself some wings to eat during the games. Along with those, we ate lo breakfast casserole, soup and random other available snacks. I’d planned to cook the chicken but neither of us was really hungry so nothing else was planned.
Heather M
January 19: where we got more snow (and sleet) and arctic cold came to town later in the day. BRRRRRR it is cold.
Brunch: after church I made some healthy pumpkin pancakes (they were very very flat so I may not make this particular recipe again, though they tasted good), bacon (one package of 2 finally gone), chicken breakfast sausage for son too
Dinner: chili con carne mac- i found a ziploc with a clearance beef filet tip which was loaded with fat I had to painstakingly trim off, but didn’t have tons of meat, so a chili con carne made sense. And I’ve been in the mood for chili mac so I combined the two. It also used up a can of kidney beans, an old 28 0z can of tomatoes(it was fine), two open bags of pasta (still only 3/4lb total), a green bell pepper needing using up, onion, beef broth, lots of seasonings, last of the sharp cheddar. Leftovers for sure- maybe for C’s lunches later this week? We’ll see. We also had a side salad.
Also decided I needed to use the rest of the can of pumpkin instead of sticking it in the fridge. So I made a half-batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and made them mini. We are all loving them and I doubt they make it past monday night…
Maureen
This sounds like a VERY successful pantry challenge day. And delicious, too!
Stephanie M
Sunday, January 19, 2025
B – Paul made us poached eggs on whole wheat English muffins. He has his plain. I had mine with arugula and tomatoes. He also had a hash brown.
L – we were still full so we skipped.
D – I didn’t feel like cooking today so we got a pizza.
Kathryn M
Lunch – sloppy Joe
Dinner -ham sandwich, vending machine chips
Snack -trail mix.
Tasty
Day 19
It was a pretty quiet day here as we watched the finals of both men’s and women’s Grand Slam of Curling from Guelph.
B: hubby?? I had toast and coffee.
Lunch: this didn’t happen until about 4pm (mainly because of the curling times)ham with 2x baked potato casserole. A really simple meal but so good. It was part of the meal we had intended serving to our friends last night.
Allie from Ontario
Well…they were calling for cold temps but it was -27 C here at 9:00 this morning. I can only imagine how much colder some other areas are 🙁
Yesterday, I made the 2nd batch of my mom’s “only at Christmas” snack mix, clearing out 3 x 1/2 cereal boxes + a 1/2 bag of pretzels that were cluttering up the cold room. I am also positive that I made this exact same comment re the snack mix mid January last year!
What we ate on Jan 19:
Brunch – the usual simple things early & then 2 smallish servings of beef barley soup from the freezer. We then snacked on the snack mix while watching football.
Dinner – I marinated the last (I think) of the “flank steak ends” in a Korean BBQ sauce that had been lingering in the pantry. When I am so focussed on emptying fridge jars, I am reluctant to open more but we liked this one so I know it will get used. We made wraps with small tortillas lined with lettuce, adding the thinly sliced grilled steak, a mix of pickled things (carrots, onions, peppers + celery & radish added to the bowl to quick pickle with everything else), grated cheese & a crema made with sour cream + salsa verde. For a side, I made of pan of black beans with lots of veg add-ins and feta + a splash of tequila (!) which neither of us really like but loved here…all while questioning why a full bottle is on our bar??? That idea came from Jamie Oliver & I will do it again.
Stay warm everyone!
Heather M
Love that you made the only at christmas mix! I made pumpkin things on Sunday, which feels very Fall, but still taste amazing in cold january. Maybe especially good in cold january! I need to keep not saving pumpkin for the Fall only. I also used random beef ends on Sunday! We were definitely in sync. Your meal sounds delicious!
Janet
I could use some suggestions. I have leftover pork rib meat — about 8 oz. It has BBQ sauce on it, so not suitable for a meal like fried rice. What would you make with it?
B: breakfast burritos made with eggs, cheese, and ground sausage.
L: Sandwiches, baked beans
d: Chili, tossed salads
Tasty
Pulled pork would be the first thing that comes to mind Janet
Janet
Thanks for the suggestion
Heather M
Maybe a bbq pork pizza! Or like I always do with bbq meat, just a good sandwich (hamburger buns maybe) with pickles on top and/or cole slaw too.
Jaent
Thank you for the ideas
Sarah
Grilled cheese!
Maureen
The last few days have been quite good with the challenge. I find that I am in the groove of not grabbing food out or ordering takeout even though I’ve wanted to a few times. I highlighted a handful of freezer items on my inventory that will be good for lunches, so that when there aren’t leftovers I can just glance quickly and pick something. I also penciled a number of dinners on the calendar in the next 2 weeks from my freezer inventory…I thoughtfully put them on days that worked well with our schedules and who would be home, but I’ll make changes as necessary. I’m starting to see some white space in the freezers, so I think I need to dig a little deeper to inventory a bit more. I also used up a few pantry items that I’d targeted to get rid of. We came home with some pizza from a school event last night, so my daughter will probably focus on eating that up for the next couple of days for snacks, lunch, etc. And I’ve got the meals for the weekend planned.
Heather M
Doesn’t it feel like such a victory when you actively avoid picking up takeout for food you know you have at home? It’s been happening to me several times a week lately. 🙂
Kathryn M
Friday lunch: I had a little bit of leftover soup that was too small for a serving. I tossed it into a bowl of leftover rice and it made a nice little rice bowl. I also ate the other naan bread left from the package I got out for pizza.
Dinner. All instant food. I had country fried steak patties in the freezer to heat and eat. I made instant mashed potatoes, a gravy packet that expired in Oct, and canned green beans that expired in December. Gettting a few old items off the pantry shelf anyway….
Snack- a small bag of chips.
Heather M
Sometimes that instant food hits the spot and also needs to get eaten. I love instant mashed potatoes…
Karen J
Breakfast-breakfast burrito with tater tots, egg, peppers and cheese
Lunch-? Must have snacked because I have no clue
Dinner-tacos with carne adobada preseasoned meat from the freezer, peppers, refried beans
I seem to have been on a theme.
Kathryn M
Can’ ever go wrong with burritos and tacos!
Allie from Ontario
Jan 19
Brunch – I had a smoothie and a lo twice baked potato 1/2. T ate the rest of his steak with the other lo 1/2 potato. My morning smoothie has now finished off 3 separate stashes of blueberries + a small Ziploc of sliced strawberries and made a dent in a bag of whole strawberries (all from the freezer).
Dinner – I saved my lo steak to slice into a big steak salad (lots of greens & veg with a blue cheese vinaigrette). T wanted to “take a break” from the challenge by making a pork chop bake he likes….pork chops & brussels sprouts from the freezer, potatoes & onions from the cold room and a can mushroom soup from the pantry. “OK, that certainly works for me” 🙂
Thanks for all the birthday wishes !
Heather M
Lol he took a break from the challenge….. by using things you already had. LOVE IT!!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Chuckling from “taking a break”!
Tasty
January 19
B: yogurt and Nutella buns for both of us
L: soup lunch social here in our building so soup, buns and assorted cookies etc. An enjoyable time.
S: I had a bowl of cheeseburger soup and made bacon on a bun for both of us. That used up the last of the buns from lunch and the last of the bacon in the fridge.
Still hanging in with only buying essentials – today I need to get some milk – we are completely out!
Heather M
Jan 19: in which I got my hair done during a snowstorm, which means I left the house and drove somewhere. And I’m very happy with it!
B: we both skipped
L: L had a work thing and there was food(he also didn’t stay home in the snow like he did Tuesday); I ran a few errands on my way home after the hair and didn’t get home until 2 and was starving (again, so tempted to grab something while I was out). Oh made 2 mini bean burritos with the rest of the mashed pinto beans I made the other day and had raw veggies and dip with them
D: despite the cold and snow in decided to make a pasta salad because I needed to use the NYE fresh mozzarella (there’s still a little left- maybe pita pizzas? Idk it needs to be soon). I called it arugula pepperoni pizza pasta salad- arugula, pepperoni, mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, some red kidney beans, chopped red onion, and I made a quick dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a bunch of seasonings. I also used the last little bit of rigatoni and the rest of a box of whole wheat fusilli. So good. Also, leftovers, but that’s ok.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That pasta salad using leftovers sounds delish!
Kathryn M
B – Made a box of cranberry orange muffins. They made plenty for a couple of days of breakfast and snacks too.
Lunch – made a big homemade pizza. Used up the last of a jar of opened pizza sauce and a couple of different opened mozzerella cheese packets that were floating around in the fridge. Packaged the leftovers for weekend work lunches on Sat and Sunday since I am working both days.
Dinner – leftover brat and tator tots that needed to go away.
Leslie.
Could you put a Ramen recipe on your site? Thanks for considering.
Jessica Fisher
Yes! It’s on the calendar!
Heather M
Day 19:
I stopped in the grocery store(a ralph’s/kroger affiliate) just to grab some cilantro and a single poblano pepper for a dinner I want to make this weekend and decided to check out the clearance meats since it was morning. Wow so disappointing. Lots of stickers, but I’m sorry, $1.83/lb for chicken drumsticks is NOT a clearance price. Especially when your boneless skinless chicken breasts in the value pack are on sale for $1.79/lb. I grabbed a package because that is an amazing price AND we only have one meal’s worth(plus leftovers) left of B/S chicken breast. Who knows, maybe I’ll grab another package Tuesday, it’s such a good price. I almost grabbed a small skirt steak, too, but decided that the $6 wasn’t necessary (also not low enough for clearance) when we still have so much to get through in the freezer. Sigh. These clearance prices aren’t what they used to be- often only $1 off the regular prices. I spent $11.03 total- $7.84 of it on 4.5 lbs of the chicken, $74.04 overall this month.
B: we both skipped
L: L took the leftover pork chop, zucchini, rice; I had my leftover lunch out-rest of that fancy BLT and potato salad
Appetizer out: we had a last minute friend in town for a few hours and met up with her for some tableside guac and chips and lemonades to catch up
D: pan-grilled salmon atop a white bean potato arugula salad. Used those plain roasted potatoes from the other night for this, half a can of white beans (plans in place for other half), and made a quick vinaigrette with the half-lemon in the fridge, plus capers, mandarin flavored olive oil(a gift-so good!), dashes of garlic powder and salt. Delicious. A bit leftover since we had had that appetizer and weren’t as starved. Salmon was from the freezer. Slowly but surely seeing a little space in there. The cupboards are still too full. I’m trying to use things each day from each place- freezer, cupboards, fridge. It’s sort of happening that way.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Hi Heather. Is that HT where you’re shopping? I know they had BSCB at that price this week here, but I resisted since I’ve already busted my original budget. That is a good price at 1.79. And agreed-not a good price on drumsticks since they are about a bite’s worth! I know here, very occasionally, I’ll see drumsticks and thighs for .99. That’s what I paid for bone in thighs earlier in the month, and they were the Springer Farms brand, so a more expensive brand. I was actually able to get them for .88 due to an instore promotion. I probably should have gotten another package. I’m debating about a package of their lean ground chicken burgers that I can get for 1.50/# til Tues. I’ve got lots to eat too, but my husband has requested some chicken burgers, so we’ll see. But I agree, the prices and sales (or lack thereof) are just disappointing.
Heather M
Hi Lynn! Yes, it was HT. 🙂 I hadn’t bought any proteins at all this month yet, so the chicken breast price, especially given we are almost out, well it was a no-brainer to buy some. I am realizing that it is the first, and perhaps only protein (besides some yogurt) I’ll buy this month. We even have had enough eggs as I bought way too many a few days before christmas (we eat them on christmas day with our traditional christmas breakfast). Luckily. 🙂
Kathryn M
I have not found much good clearance meat around here for about a year. My freezer is pretty empty of meats. I am eating a lot more meatless things lately like bean burritos. I do have lots of canned chicken and tuna that can keep me going for a while. Also tons of leftovers in the freezer including almost half the Thanksgiving turkey meat….
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Jessica, I have a question for you. If I were going to use flax seed as an egg substitute, do I need to grind my whole flax seeds to make flax seed “meal”? Or do I just use whole flax seeds? In your post, it shows a bag of seeds vs meal. I’m not clear on that, but I may have misread the info. If they need to be ground, how do I do that? Coffee bean grinder? Thanks for your help. Down to a dozen eggs so I may soon need a substitute!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Jessica, I went back to look at the flax seed bag pictured and see that it says “milled” flax seeds and in the comments someone mentioned grinding the seeds in a coffee grinder so I think that is what I will try.