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 25 of the Pantry Challenge!
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Happy Sunday! Can you believe we are in the last week of the Pantry Challenge? That went fast.
Thank you to everyone who has participated and left comments. Let’s finish strong, shall we?
What We Ate
Breakfast – This Sunday morning was a fend-for-yourself kind of morning. I baked sourdough bread late last night so that was in the mix as well as some deli ham, eggs, etc. I made a breakfast sandwich.
Lunch – We had a variety of leftover pizza, leftover chicken pot pie, leftover chicken, and sandwich stuff.
Dinner – Last night I cooked 3 pounds of this Versatile Meat Mixture into meatballs. I reheated them and served them in Mediterranean Bowls: lettuce, whatever veg we had, garbanzo beans, quinoa, feta, and Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing. So yummy!
How did Day 25 go for you?
Tasty
Jan 25
B – the usual
L – with the cold and snow, ir felt like a good day for chicken noodle soup. Chicken, onions, carrots and celery from the freezer, stock, tiny shells (had no soup noodles) and herbs all from the pantry. We even found a fewlittle buns in the freezer to go with the soup.
S – hubby had brought some chicken fingers home from his meal on Saturday so he finished them with a Ceasars salad. I had a l/o beef olive from the freezer, with some rice and peas, also from the freezer .
Heather M
Jan 25: In which 2 of us stayed in the entire day and night, and the 24yo son walked to the metro to go meet a friend for a few hours (luckily we live close to metro but it is above ground at our station so if it’s too much snow or pure ice it can close by us and only run underground- this time it was manageable enough for the trains to handle it). He said the walking was complicated because nothing was cleared and parts were slippery from the sleet on top of snow and being a bit hilly to get to the station. We got probably 6 inches of snow overnight and then a few inches of sleet on top of it- our total precipitation was 8.5 inches per the national weather service. And it’s cold. Roads slowly being cleared, schools and the federal government are closed, among other places, and I don’t plan to go much of anywhere this week except a dr appt and prescription pickup. They are now claiming no temps above 32 for the next TWO weeks. That is unheard of here. Unheard of. Anyways. Kept it pretty basic in the cooking dept because football and other things.
Brunch: Used my birthday present waffle maker again and this time made raspberry buttermilk whole wheat waffles, mashed the softer raspberries and added to the batter, then topped them with raspberries, sliced banana, and maple syrup; chicken breakfast sausages on the side. These waffles were delicious!! I have this dried buttermilk in the fridge and it needs to be used up, so this was a good use. I should probably bake with it too. And, I had to break out a new maple syrup from the cupboard which hasn’t happened in a while since I buy the jug from costco.
Dinner: Brain wasn’t creative anymore so I made house favorite tuscan tuna pasta (2 cans italian tuna in olive oil, chopped red onion, capers, lemon zest and juice, basil-had to used dried this time-, salt and pepper) and used half a package of an italian shell pasta that has been in there for a year; salad; garlic bread. So yummy, all of it.
We all had various snacks too, like christmas cookies and ice cream (both of these still too much of here), chips (football viewing), etc.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
I have got to get my waffle maker out and try some of these creative waffles you have posted about. They sound so good. And I’ve even got frozen raspberries.
I keep looking at your weather and it is so cold up your way. My DD and SIL are laying low too. They are near the Clarendon metro stop.
Heather M
We are by East Falls Church, walking distance luckily. They aren’t far from us at all and I often go to that Trader Joe’s lol! But also sometimes to the one on the way to Tyson’s- I live between both so depends on other errands usually. Laying low is the best way to deal with this cold weather, and leave only when we have to. 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/25/26
Jessica, I liked your latticed one layer chicken pot pie. I always make it only with a top crust, but hadn’t thought to do strips only. That cuts the carbs even more. And I’m with you. With the vegetables I put inside, I usually add just a green salad or fruit. Thanks for posting about that. Definitely surprising that it had been 10 years for that recipe.
B: we both had yogurt with LO strawberries and toast
L: I made tuna salad for tuna melts to go with the chowder
D: dinner started out well, but didn’t finish up that way. I had a pizza dough ball in the freezer. Along with pineapple from the pantry, ham from the freezer, a couple of slices of LO bacon,
peppers and onions, I made a Hawaiian pizza. I forgot to grease my pizza screen to start with. (Jessica I have enjoyed the screen and am glad you posted about them. I think it makes a nice crust). I had added some bbq sauce to the pasta sauce. I don’t know. The sugar in the bbq sauce got overcooked I guess before the pizza was browned, the pizza stuck and tore. Just a mess. Anyway, it still tasted decent so all was not lost, just not the nice pizza we usually have. We had a tiny Caesar salad (just the size DH usually wants) with a small amount of lettuce I found, supplemented with some cabbage, cheese and croutons.
S: DH was wanting chicken wings and they were on special. I was going to pick up some of those to eat while we cheered for our former Carolina quarterback, Drake Maye, now with the Patriots. Of course, no wings to be had. So, I took inspiration from Jessica’s recent nachos. I had a bit of cooked beef in the freezer, added black beans, peppers and onions, some of the sliced frozen cherry tomatoes, cheese and my pickled jalapeños with the last bag of tortilla chips. They turned out well. He liked them so much that he sent pictures to our kids bragging on them. So, nice to have a pantry win. The pickled jalapeños tasted great on them.
I did pick up some 80/20 beef for 4.49# here which is a good price for here. We rarely find many markdowns on meat. Jealous of Jessica’s meat bargains. Occasionally on produce but not on meat. We were also out of Greek yogurt so I got that 1/2 off. Spent 13.26 which brings my total to 77.39. I remember when I could usually finish the challenge spending only $50 or less. That’s the state of groceries these days. 🙁 We’re definitely “in the short rows” now and I’m trying to finish strong as Jessica says!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Oh, one other purchase included in my total was a ham steak for .99, which was a good deal. It’s usually 2.99 or more so good to have one of those on hand as a convenience food.
Heather M
Lynn, maybe your dinner was “Torn Hawaiian Pizza”? So glad it still tasted good. That matters more than presentation, especially when you’re only serving yourselves lol. And, those nachos sound SO GOOD! Nicely done!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Torn Hawaiian Pizza would be a very apt description of last night’s dinner. But yes, as long as it tasted okay we’re good. DH is in there eating it for lunch as we speak!
Your Tuscan tuna pasta caught my eye since it uses capers! It would be good if an ingredient were used for more than one solitary (chicken piccata) recipe-ahem.
And asking the group, how in the world should I use tofu?? I’ve got 2 packages (one gifted) and have no clue how to fix it.
Kathy in Denmark
Regarding tofu, maybe check out “Rainbow plant life” on YT or her blog? She cooks vegan food, and I want to try some of her tofu recipes, as I also have some and we haven’t loved it when I have cooked it before.
Allie from Ontario
What we ate on a quiet, cold, snowy day
Brunch: T pulled a slice of ham out of the freezer and pan fried it with an egg for pretty good breakfast sandwich at around 11. I had toast 1st thing (can’t let homemade bread go to waste!) and then around noon I ate the last of the hamburger helper stuff.
Dinner: this was a complete win both for the challenge and because it’s something we really like. I made our version of a “layered Mexican thing” (which I recall as a phrase that came up during last year’s challenge – lol) that used: FROM THE FREEZER: the meat from both a mild + 1/2 a hot Italian sausage, the last of the cooked black beans, a few different “ice cubes” of diced hot peppers and the end of a large jar that housed chopped sweet peppers (R, Y & O). FROM THE FRIDGE: the end of a jar of home canned salsa, several big spoonfuls from a jar of home canned spicy corn relish and a mix of both cheddar & Monterey Jack shredded from the blocks. And lastly FROM THE PANTRY: a pint jar of home canned chopped tomatoes, the last 2 very old small flour tortillas from an open package and a couple of corn tortillas from a new package. Oh yes…I also topped the layered dish with some of those frozen grape/cherry tomatoes that I 1/2’d before finishing the whole thing under the broiler. How satisfying to eat such a delicious dinner knowing that everything needed was in the house and a lot of it came from my summer gardens 🙂
Reading lots about the weather both here and down south…I hope everyone is okay.
Heather M
Allie, this layered Mexican thing sounds beyond good! What a huge huge win for the challenge! And, I love how much of your own food you can and freeze. Really awesome. Also, your post reminds me that all the random things really do count in dealing the clearing things out. And it reminds me that I have lots of certain things and not lots of other (like piles of cheeses in the fridge, likely bought on sale over the past 6 months, but not a lot of canned veg, and am running low on canned beans except red kidney and I like to keep stocked on canned beans- if I had a second freezer I’d make more of my own from dried, but my one kitchen freezer can’t stock enough so I rarely make from dried though maybe I should since I have an instant pot. Hmmm.).
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Allie, what a delicious dish made with so much of your own produce and pantry items. That was a great PC meal! It is very satisfying to prepare food you have grown yourself. We didn’t have enough tomatoes to can this past summer, but hopeful for this season. I am struck by how much you produced with a much shorter growing season than where I am located. Well done.
Stephanie M
Sunday, January 25, 2026
B – Paul had an omelette using up some deli ham that I had in the freezer and the last of a bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese. I had cereal, fruit and nuts.
L – Paul had hot dogs and the last hot dog bun and I fried the white rice that always comes with Chinese food. I had a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat.
Snack – I had blackberries and nuts.
D – leftover shrimp scampi over whole wheat spaghetti and garlic bread sticks.
What a cozy day. We did not get nearly the amount of snow that so many others did. We could still see a little bit of the grass. But it was freezing outside so Paul took his new snow blower and cleaned our driveway and the sidewalk in front of our house and I was inside dusting, cleaning bathrooms, and organizing my linen closet and my kitchen towel drawer both of which have been staring hard at me lately so it needed to be done. I also made a zucchini quiche for a meal later in the week.
Heather M
Stephanie, you were so productive on a snow day! That’s awesome!
Stephanie M
Thank you Heather. I have to say it’s so much nicer looking into a well organized linen closet and kitchen towel drawer than when they were a mess. Life gets busy and sometimes we’re in a hurry to put things away and after a while, it needs to be reorganized. I have to spend time reorganizing my walk in pantry now and then when it gets out of hand. So on a cold snowy day when we couldn’t go out, it seemed like the perfect time to tackle this.
Maureen
The store had strawberries on sale (and they actually looked decent for January) when I popped in for milk, so I got some. We had crepes with them for brunch. One daughter and I grabbed dinner out with Grandma on the way to another show. The youngest and dad cooked dinner together, but I’m not sure what they made. Not much of a challenge day. I need to kick it into gear for the week ahead. We have been doing really well about not wasting much at all. And I’ve really limited shopping, so we’re eating from the freezer and pantry, but we’re not doing great at eating up the oldest, weirdest stuff. DH did use a couple frozen burgers to make himself tacos for lunch the other day, so that’s a win.
Heather M
Jan 25:
Stayed home all day and night, anticipating a busy Sunday and still not feeling 100 (though not anything anyone can catch, thankfully). The guys kept themselves busy, and C went off to see a movie at an old beautiful theater he wanted to check out, in a very different part of town from us.
Brunch: L had turkey breakfast sausages and baguette; C had a tuna melt and chex mix; I had saltines with laughing cow.
Dinner: rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes from pouches(C can eat quite a lot of one pouch, being a 23yo guy and I wanted leftovers for me), and steamed frozen green beans and peas for the guys only. Still on the chill no fiber, mellow food boring diet for a few more days. I don’t like crohns flares. I like food and flavor too much for this to be my life. 🙁
Erin in
Yesterday was a sort of fend-for-yourself day, since everyone was up at different times and eating when they were hungry.
Breakfast ranged from smoothies to an omelette to hummus and veggies.
Lunch I honestly don’t remember; we had a repair guy in to look at a damp problem and I may have forgotten to eat. I assume everyone else had something, based on the full dish rack, but don’t ask me what!
Supper was funny. I had made a big slow cooker full of beef, kidney beans, and brown rice for our dogs. The teenager decided it was just what he was in the mood for and turned some of it into burritos along with cheese and salsa. I’m still giggling a bit.
Husband made me crostini from a leftover baguette (leftovers are almost unheard of in this house!) and I happily binge watched my favourite show while crunching loudly. Daughter and husband made roasted veggie grilled cheese with pesto for everyone else.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That’s hilarious about the son/dog’s food! I giggled when I read it. Yummy food for the dog AND your son! I used to fix some food for our Golden Retriever, which he always liked!
Erin in Ontario
Lynn, our boys are all very old and very spoiled. So many allergies that it’s easier to cook for them than to find a commercial food that fits!
Stephanie M
Saturday, January 25, 2025
B – Paul had a yogurt. I had bran cereal with bananas and blueberries and a side of peanuts.
L – Paul had some leftover pizza from the freezer. I skipped lunch.
D – since Paul is leaving again for California on Thursday we decided we wanted another date night so we went out. Went to a lovely restaurant nearby that we’ve been to several times. We both had seafood.
During the day we had a lot of fun in the kitchen. Paul is going to retire next June. He has always enjoyed cooking on the grill. He is the only one of us that cooks on the grill and he cooks in all kinds of weather. But he’s starting to like to play around in the kitchen too so I’m getting him ready for retirement. lol.
I have tried my hand at baking bread so many times and all of them were an epic fail. I always end up with nothing but flat crackers. lol. I really think it was because I never put the dough in a warm enough place for rising. But my cousin recently gave me a recipe for a no knead artisan bread that uses rapid rising yeast and only has to rise one time. Then 30 minutes before bake time you have to put a Dutch oven pot in the oven at 450 for 30 minutes. After the dough is finished rising you fold it and put it seam side down in the hot pot and put in the oven covered for 30 minutes and then remove the cover and bake an additional 12 minutes. Done!!! I have never tried an easier bread and I can’t describe how delicious it was. I could have stayed home from going out and had that with some olive oil and garlic and a salad and been happy. We will be making that often. I will still use my bread machine when I just want to make bread without the extra bit of work but this was quite easy and we were really excited about it.
I think it’s funny to look back to when we were teenagers and what was exciting to us then. And now we get all giddy about baking a beautiful loaf of bread. lol.
Then we made some home made pudding. We started with vanilla and it was really good. Today,( Sunday) Paul made chocolate pudding. Also delicious. No more boxed puddings for us.
After all that was done we put on some nice clothes and out the door we went.
What a fun day.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
It sounded fun! Great times cooking together 🙂 I have made that artisan bread too, and it really is easy and very good. I need to make it again. Meanwhile, I’ve still got my mother’s borrowed bread maker. Maybe soon.
Stephanie M
Hi Lynn
It really was a fun day. We had a good time together.
Allie from Ontario
It snowed a lot yesterday so we will be outside today! Also, we were glued to the men’s downhill from Kitzbuhel, Austria and when Canadians took 1st & 3rd, I basically teared up! I still remember watching Todd Brooker & Ken Reid achieve the same result when I was a teenager in 1983 and for those of us who are skiers & grew up as huge fans of the “Crazy Canucks”, yesterday was a big moment…our phones lit up all day from siblings & friends asking “DID YOU WATCH THAT??”
What we ate on Jan 25
Brunch – there were NO leftovers in the house so we each had a single serving soup from the freezer (minestrone & bean with bacon). We snacked on cheese & crackers during the skiing.
Dinner – I made a small’ish pan of baked penne, scaling back a 9×13 version to 1/3. I am working through a container of ricotta as best I can (WHY don’t they sell them in a 1/2 size??). I used a 1 cup block of meat sauce from the freezer and topped it up with a little sausage meat & the end of a jar of passata. It will be great to have this for lunch today and I feel like I’ve done okay on one of my key challenge goals of using up open fridge jars.
Heather M
What fun to watch the skiing! I haven’t skiied since college, and married the wrong guy to actually take ski trips with. But, I love it and spent my teen and college years skiing in utah snow, on trips with my family and then when I went to college there. I was also a teen in 1983, lol, just discovering skiing after moving back to CA from living in the caribbean and south america from 1975-early 1982.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Congratulations to Canada and that finish!
Unrelated to snow.. don’t know that I’ve mentioned that we have a large contingent of Canadians that serve as lifeguards on our Outer Banks beaches in the summer. About half are from Canada. I don’t know what we’d do without them. They have a large role in keeping everyone safe and we are so grateful they venture this far south to work.
Tasty
Day 25
B: I had the usual mix of fruit, yogurt and granola , hubby had granola and a muffin
L: I made a ‘maple sausage braid’ – a recipe I had earmarked to try ages ago. It was to my mind a huge sausage roll with apple and maple syrup added. It was actually quite good and we had that with the last of the salad ingredients from the fridge. Also a plus that it used up a couple of sausages that needed to be gone.
S: by supper time we were not very hungry so a spicy chicken appetizer (bought for the cancelled dinner with friends) disappeared. Quick easy and satisfying. Hubby had some ice cream.
We seem to be having some odd mixes, but we are trying to make sure that as much as possible is used.before we head out later this week. We really do have quite a bit of space in the freezer but I will be continuing with this challenge when we come home in the spring.
Heather M
The braid sounds delicious, Tasty, and that it used up more random items needing to be gone is the bonus. Seems to me you’re doing great getting cleaned out before your travels.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/25/25
B:boiled egg and coffee. DH had sausage and ??
L: I had a can of chicken in the pantry, which I typically don’t buy. I decided to try a recipe for chicken salad for lunch that used canned chicken. It tasted pretty good (had apples, craisins, relish, etc) DH said it tasted different, was okay, but he preferred my usual, made from scratch. He ate that with the last of the crackers and some soup. I had chicken salad and a cup of soup.
After lunch I did a cooking marathon like Jessica. I’m heading out of town to see my mother for a couple of days, while DH holds down the fort. I wanted to make treats for my mother, food for me to take and food and snacks to leave for DH. So I made a batch of Chex mix to split, sugar cookies to split, chili (didn’t have beef so used a bit of sausage, which was good), used frozen tomatoes and peppers from the garden and several cans of beans. Then I made cornbread from a mix, adding sour cream and the last bit of creamed corn from the freezer to enhance it a bit. He will have lots of LO soup as well.
For dinner I fixed a chicken dish, we finished off the ramen slaw and had a medley of fruit (apples, clementines, Pom arils, cherries with pineapple juice). I had in the freezer some leftover topping from a sweet potato casserole from Christmas, so that used baked sweet potatoes and was another side. Whew! It was a full day.
When I mention my chest freezer, it’s not really that big-28×24” maybe, but it was jam packed. So great to see space in there and the one in the fridge. My cupboard shelves are becoming emptier also. Progress.
I’ll post as I can these next few days. Everyone carry on!
Heather M
What a fantastic cooking marathon! I was hoping to do something like that later this past week, alas. stupid crohns and car tire. Maybe later this week. You’ve done remarkably well. And that you’re leaving your husband with food and taking things with you, sooooo great!!! Also, it’s always healthier, lol. Have a great visit with your mom. 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Oh Heather, I hope you’ll bounce back this week and can knock some things off your To Do list.
Yes, I’m glad to have good food for all of us. So much healthier, more to our liking and definitely cheaper. My mother has already munched on cookies and Chex mix with her after-dinner coffee. With snow melting, I hope I can get her out and about tomorrow.
Take good care and feel better soon.
Erin in Ontario
Heather, it’s never just one thing at a time, is it? Hoping that your Crohns improves again and that your tire is replaced soon!
Kathryn M
Brunch – I slept late so I did pancakes. Ate the last sausage patty from the fridge.
I made a ton of extra pancakes and will eat them during the week ahead…
Dinner – I just threw a can of chili on the stove top. The chili was no beans, so I added my own can and got rid of an older one out of the pantry. Topped with cheese and green onion. I also had a few crackers.
Snack – peanuts, soda. The other half just started a pan of brownies, so that will be tonight’s dessert.
It was cold and snowy today, so I never even left the house. I want to just hibernate until spring.
Heather M
Oh can relate to wanting to hibernate until spring. …….. Chili was a good move on a cold and snowy day 🙂
Maureen
I hope everyone is feeling better soon. It’s been a rough few weeks.
We’ve done well with the challenge the last couple of days, although I did find a cucumber today that I couldn’t salvage. We had burgers from the summer that I wanted gone (still a few left for another meal) and I just threw a salad together. DD said she’d eat the rest of the buns with the lunch meat in the fridge. Last night was soup from the freezer and quesadillas, because everyone had to eat at different times and this allowed for that.
Krista
B I had cream of wheat with pb toast, and HM jam, DD had hew new favorite, an egg english muffin sammy, DH had cereal
Late lunch/early dinner Ribs from freezer, mac and cheese in the crockpot, recipe used cottage cheese, cream cheese, and the other half jar of pimientos, score!, cucumber. Meant to use the last 2 slices of garlic bread but forgot.
S dried pineapple and coconut I found, was very yummy.
Made pasta salad today, and chicken slald yesterday using 2 packs of pre shredded meat, still have 2 packs left. Still a bit of pie left. Was looking through my stash and discovered a jar of pickled jalapeños which will go well on the totchos I plan to make soon. Also found a jar of powdered peanut butter so will get into that. We are eating so well! Everything is all mixed upo and everyone is having different things but it’s all good.
Erin in Ontario
Krista, if you like spicy food, peanut butter powder is excellent for making a Thai peanut sauce.
Kathryn M
Lunch: grilled bacon and cheese sandwich, dill pickle, small bag of chips
Dinner- country fried steak patty, leftover mashed potatoes from last weekend, another gravy packet from the pantry used up, green beans.
Snacks: finished the whole wheat crackers, rice crispy treat.
Tasty
January 25th
B: hubby had granola, I had berries, yogurt and granola
L: we had some l/o potatoes that we heated and had with fried egg
S: omelets using ham from the freezer, a couple of elderly tomatoes and some cheese – light and good. The last of the cheesecake from the freezer for dessert.
Diinaus
Random day today. Sooo hot and humid no one felt like eating much through the day.
B: kids made pancakes hubs and I skiped
L: snacky lunch,watermelon to try use it up, carrot sticks , cookies
D: pop corn and nice cream/smoothie bowls using up some of the frozen fruit in the freezer and tin of sustagen found in the closet cleaup that I did today
Super thankful that hubby Was able to repair my food processor. If the weather does not let up this may just be a regular meal on these hot days esp with sinus irritated by dust.
Hubby and I still hungry once kids in bed so made a egg and pork mince omelet. He had his on toast. I put mine with a big water Mellon, carrot and avocado salad.used some refrigerator Pickles to dress it.
While searching for frozen fruit found lots of stock kits so sauted some of those and made over night stock in the instant pot. Will prob turn that into a mix and match risotto tomorrow.
Getting real low on the fresh I think. Tomorrow will raid the garden to see what I can find.
Diinaus
Sorry to hear you are so under the weather. Sending arrow prayers that you get well soon. Thanks for all you do
Jessica Fisher
Thank you!
Heather M
Jessica, I hope you’re feeling better. Jan 25: a relatively normal day
B: we both skipped
L: L took a repeat sandwich and snack mix, along with an orange; I had a tuna sandwich and my latest favorite lentil/rice snack rings from Trader Joe’s.
D: one of our house favorites: cheeseburger salad with homemade thousand island; I used ground turkey from the freezer for the little burgers I made for the salad
Jessica Fisher
Thank you!
Karen J
This has been a rough month for you. Know that you are appreciated!
Breakfast-bean and cheese burrito-a strange choice but used up some LO refried beans
Lunch-the last of the LO chili/kielbasa with crackers
Dinner- turkey pot pie using a ton of frozen mixed vegetables, freezer turkey and a can of crescent rolls for the crust
Jessica Fisher
Thank you!
Danielle Zecher
I hope you’re feeling better today and can rest up over the weekend.
01/25/24:
Breakfast: I had cereal. Nick had fast food.
Lunch/Dinner: It was a work-from-home day for me, and I got busy/distracted. I snacked on a few cookies at one point, but was hangry when Nick was on the way home. He wanted fast food anyway, so he picked up McDonald’s on the way home.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks, Danielle. We had plans to fly to Sacramento, but canceled them. Definitely got space to rest this weekend.