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 29 of the Pantry Challenge!
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Today’s my guy’s 63rd birthday. We got engaged on his 31st. January 29 holds all kinds of meaning for us.
Bryan’s been struggling with back and neck pain so he was home today. There were four of us eating today.
What We Ate
Breakfast – I ate some leftover potatoes from last night. Creative, I know. Bryan made an omelet. Not sure what the kids did.
Lunch – I found some top sirloin on clearance so I cooked one in a pan and we made quesadillas for lunch.
Dinner – I thawed a package of pretzel rolls from the freezer, nuked some potatoes, and Bryan grilled the rest of the top sirloins and some veggies. I also baked this Flourless Chocolate Cake.
How did Day 29 go for you?
Tasty
Jan 29
B – hubby had his usual fruit, yogurt and granola. I had a yogurt and a couple of slices of a chocolate chip brioche loaf that I found somewhere a little while ago. Toasted, it was yummy
L – ?????? no idea!
S – I pulled the l/o roast pork, stuffing and gravy from a couple of weeks ago. Got that defrosted during the day and cooked the last of the broccoli to go with it. Boy, that was good and NO work. What an easy way to have a nice meal + it’s something else that just had a very temporary life in the freezer. I count that as a win
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That sounds like a great meal with minimal fuss! Well done.
Heather M
Jan 29: In which I stayed in, except runs to and from metro to save L from crazy walking conditions. It’s just messy out there still. Piles of blocks of snow-ice, narrow road lanes, bad pedestrian conditions….
I forgot to report that Tuesday morning I made eggnog chocolate chip whole wheat mini muffins and sent half of them with my son for him and his girlfriend. We always have leftover eggnog after the holidays since I love it and no one else does. I need it on christmas day with brunch lol. Luckily it lasts a long time and is great in muffins/sweet breads.
Brunch: L took a salad with some salami I found (added kalamatas and pepperoncini too so he was super happy), an apple, and almonds; I had egg salad(half was chopped celery, pickle, green onions lol) on toasted sourdough, a pear, and some sun chips
Dinner: Challenge success! Had a small bit of red lentils in a bag that I found buried- cooked them up; cooked the rest of a package of quinoa (set aside most of it for Friday dinner); found a few italian turkey sausages in the freezer and cooked them up out of their casings (setting aside some supposedly for L’s lunch salad friday but then he had a last minute big deal work lunch so I’m repurposing for saturday brunch); sauteed separately one large chopped zucchini (set aside half for saturday brunch), sauteed onion, garlic, and seasonings with the rest of the sausage, added the lentils and a few large spoonfuls of quinoa, the rest of a small open jar of puttanesca sauce from the fridge, the zucchini, pulled out some mini packages of fresh mozzarella balls that expire any time, and cut two bell peppers in half and made stuffed peppers topped with mozzarella. This was super delicious and used up all these random bits. We both loved it. We each had a few mini muffins for dessert.
Heather M
And Jessica, happiest of birthdays to Bryan, though I suspect it isn’t his very favorite since he’s not feeling 100%. Sure hope the pain dissipates quickly and that you all were still able to enjoy the day.
Jessica Fisher
Thank you! January birthdays… you know the drill. Always something, right?
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That was a great PC dinner success and sounds delicious! Well done! And those muffins sound wonderful. My SIL makes delish eggnog. If there are ever any leftovers:) I’ll remember to use them in some baked goods. I have some bananas in the freezer that I plan to make into banana bread soon.
Sounds like your conditions may be around even longer. Ice is just the worst. Our forecasts have been variable, so I guess we will find out snow amounts soon enough. Added to high snow amounts are winds predicted upwards of 70mph, so flooding is expected Soundside and oceanside and VERY cold wind chills.
I think I missed your comment from last year. I will reach out soon!
Heather M
Sure hope you are ok. We were in Corolla this past summer (2nd summer spending a week in the Outer Banks!) and had the best time! I know you are there and there aren’t many truly safe places. Hoping you don’t flood!! Please feel free to reach out- heatherabm on insta. I am private but will for sure confirm you 🙂 Wishing you a cozy, snowy, if otherwise uneventful weekend!!
Allie from Ontario
Happy birthday to Brian! And best of luck to everyone in line for even more harsh winter weather.
I am finding it hard to get the motivation to do outdoor work when the windchill / frostbite warnings come up everyday:( Soooo, I spent part of yesterday emptying/ reorganizing all the canning shelves (& updating my inventory which apparently I wasn’t doing a good job of maintaining!?!)…oh well, job done now. I also employed my best method to help declutter cleaning supplies by…cleaning!! Of course we clean regularly but this time I put ALL the cleaning supplies onto a card table and found jobs for “anyone” almost empty. A win on 2 levels.
What we ate on Jan 29
Brunch: I had some of the leftover enchiladas and T had a bowl of the chicken noodle soup. I put the of the soup in the freezer in single serving containers.
Dinner: I made meatballs with a mix of grd pork, mild Italian sausage meat AND the meat from a 1/2 sausage languishing in a freezer bag that I had labelled as “??”. At least I labelled it 🙂 The meatballs contain ricotta & based on the date on the container, there is an additional food rescue mission coming up in the next 2 days. The red sauce used 1 pint jar + 2 x 1 cup blocks of frozen tomato “preps” & some basil pesto from the freezer. We ate our cheesy bowls with ciabatta “soldiers” run under the broiler with the last of another cpd butter from the freezer. It was very good but I wish I scaled the recipe to 1/4 because the 1/2 recipe I made (apparently = to 2-3 servings) made a TON. More single servings will likely be heading the freezer later today.
Heather M
I would for sure be finding reasons to stay inside, too, Allie! You’ve been so productive! The cold just keeps me inside 24/7. I don’t love it. My husband has been encouraging me to get my canadian citizenship (I can…) in case we feel the need to be elsewhere someday, and I keep thinking, sure, options. But also, brrrrr.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/29/26
I keep losing my posts before I’m finished which is annoying. Fingers crossed I can complete this one.
Happy birthday to Bryan. Hope he’s feeling better.
B: I had an instant oatmeal packet. Bleh. I bought it by mistake when I meant to buy grits for our church’s food pantry. Don’t want to waste, so I’m eating them. DH had toast I think.
L: we split the remaining pintos and I added soup. DH had peanut butter on an apple.
D: we had the LO bits of roast beef and gravy over the LO ziti. There was more of the beef than I realized so we will have it again. DH finished the slaw. I finished the cabbage and we both finished the Waldorf salad.
S: each had an apple tartlet from the freezer
I took Heathers advice and shopped yesterday and I’m glad I did. The estimates for our snow amounts are upwards of 12” which would definitely have us snowbound. But the temps will warm up pretty quickly so maybe it won’t last too long. I now have replaced some fruit and vegetables and chicken to start with Feb 1. I continue to see empter spaces in the freezer and pantry. Glad to be getting rid of drips and drabs.
Heather M
So glad you shopped! Definitely worth it and you will still be able to keep working on those bits and pieces over the next bit. I sure hope it warms up quickly so you are cleared out sooner than later. This snow-ice block situation here has been a nightmare. Selfishly, I’m grateful we are in better shape than many in the area (being in Arlington helps, right by emergency routes(firehouse), being in a small community that takes care of the snow/ice removal so we don’t have to, being walking distance to metro…). Best wishes this weekend!
Stephanie M
A very happy birthday to Brian!!
Thursday, January 29, 2026
B – Paul had mixed fruit and yogurt and a whole wheat English muffin. I had cereal, fruit and nuts.
L – Paul had an egg salad sandwich and soup from the pantry. I had a whole wheat bagel with chive cream cheese, blackberries, and nuts.
D – hamburgers and fries.
Kathryn M
B pancakes
L ham&potato soup sprinkled green onions on for a fancy look
D – chicken nuggets from the freezer, cole slaw made from a salad kit
S – peanuts
I only left the house to do a car wash today. Just chores and some relax time.
Kathryn M
Oops that was for Tuesday the 28th! I am loosing track of the days.
Kathryn M
Lunch – random leftovers. chicken nuggets and knorr side noodles
Dinner – cheese enchiladas. I had everything here already, but I went to walmart to replace the cheese I used.
Snack – banana bread. I had sad looking bananas to use up. Couldn’t find any walnuts, but I found an open bag of pecans to use instead.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/29/25
Happy birthday to Bryan!
B: we both had oatmeal with add ins and coffee.
L: I had lo hambone soup. DH finished the lingering chicken salad and had some of the chili, leaving just a bit.
D: finally finishing up the dinner leftovers. We had the last of the “calzone” and the sweet potato casserole. I added the new sides of sautéed cabbage and another Greek salad. The salad used up a cuke, tomatoes, feta and the last of the olives, or so I thought. I found a jar of kalamatas in the pantry! I’ve still got all the ingredients so there may be more in our future! I do still have 2 packages of mixed olives we brought back from Greece. I’ll probably take them with us when we go celebrate our little granddaughter’s second birthday next weekend. Time slow down… :’(
While I was visiting my mother, I had access to Aldi so stopped in for a quick trip. Bought 2cucumbers, apples and oranges and spent $7. Intotally forgot to check on eggs. I think that puts me ~$110 total with $40+ for the birthday celebrations next month. I’m pleased with that.
Kathy in Denmark
Extra Kalamata olives in the pantry is a blessing!
Heather M
Love a greek salad, so much. Probably my favorite “green salad” of all.
Kathy in Denmark
Happy birthday, Bryan!
Day 29:
B: Oats and milk for DH, rye porridge for DD2, oatmeal porridge with HM apple sauce for DD1. Chia pudding with some Greek yoghurt stirred through, topped with 1/2 a banana, a small apple and a handful of chopped almonds for me.
L: DD2 and DH are fed at school/work. DD1 had a packed lunch. I had LO Indian inspired stew over pearl spelt.
D: LO lasagne and mixed salad
S: Hummus with breadsticks and tortilla chips with salsa while watching the men’s Handball World Championship game between Denmark and Brazil. Denmark won and are now in the semifinal 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Congrats to Denmark!
Kathy in Denmark
Thank you 🙂
They ended up winning the whole tournament – for the fourth time in a row!
Heather M
Go Denmark! Congratulations on the handball win! As an American, we aren’t super familiar with handball as a competitive sport. Well, i watched a fair bit during the Olympics this past summer and really enjoyed it! I do love sports generally, so not all that surprised. How awesome for Denmark to beat Brazil!
Kathy in Denmark
Thank you 🙂
I love the Olympics! I watch a lot of different sports I don’t normally follow, and it’s so interesting.
The Danish team ended up as World Champions again. It’s the fourth time in a row and has never happened before.
Handball is very popular in Denmark and really in a lot of European countries. I think there is an initiative to spread awareness about the sport in the US now, with the help of some of the retired players. So maybe it will catch on, you never know 😉
Heather M
Happy Birthday Brian!! And Hello All. It’s been a rough few more days for various reasons, not the least of which is i have an infection and started massive antibiotics for 2 weeks on Tuesday. I’m relegated to eating not great things. Since the 29th (well, really since last thursday) I’ve been eating: white bread/rolls, saltines, white rice, mashed potatoes from a pouch, a tiny bit of chicken breast and tuna, laughing cow cheese and american cheese, the occasional cookie or graham cracker. I’m going to branch out and try a banana today. I have to eat things very chill on the insides. I may try some applesauce. I could have some chicken broth or with noodles but it hasn’t sounded good. Past 3 days C has taken leftovers and a Kind bar for lunch, L has taken salads, almonds, and fruit. Dinners for them:
27: somehow(it was a painful day) I made them Greek couscous salad and salmon
28: picked up a frozen broccoli beef while picking up my prescriptions at target (also replenished “white” things like bread and saltines and made rice
29: C was out to dinner; L ate leftover broccoli beef ad rice (I had to add some chicken to it, as it was mostly broccoli and sauce, but luckily there was just enough pulled from the rotisserie carcass)
My whole heart is with the families (and those who know them) who lost loved ones in this horrible plane/helicopter collision here last night.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Heather, oh that crash was awful. I read about it late last night. So very sad.
I’m sorry you still aren’t feeling well. Hoping that will change soon and you can resume your normal activities.
Heather M
Thanks, Lynn. It’s been rough since I last was on here. My best friend’s daughter was close to 9 people on the plane. And I felt physically worse over the weekend, and am finally turning a corner today. And work for my husband has been another level of nuts in the last several days- in ways I cannot explain. Really insane. So. I’m here and surviving and we’ll see. I’d love to connect with you more, if you’re open to it. I know you have my instagram handle, which I’ve had to move to private. Hope you have a good week.
Kathy in Denmark
So sorry to read about the crash in DC. Such a terrible thing to happen.
I hope you feel better soon, Heather. It seems it’s just one thing after another right now for you.
Heather M
Thanks so much, Kathy. It’s not been a fun several days (or weeks, honestly). As I told Lynn above: My best friend’s daughter was close to 9 people on the plane. And I felt physically worse over the weekend, and am finally turning a corner today. And work for my husband has been another level of nuts in the last several days- in ways I cannot explain. Really insane. Anyways, I always enjoy our interactions here in January and I truly hope you and your family have a good rest of 2025.
Kathy in Denmark
What happened is a tragedy, but it hits a lot closer to home when you know someone directly impacted.
I really hope you are starting to feel better and I wish you and your family well.
Another blogger I follow always says this, when people are struggling:
“I wish you gentle passage through this difficult time”.
Hugs and thoughts to you.
Allie from Ontario
Happy birthday to Brian!
It was a slow day here yesterday. T dropped me off, then picked me up at dentist in am (thank goodness this was a local appt!). I went back to sleep while he moved snow & then went to hockey.
What we ate on Jan 29
I think T had a poached egg on toast while I was at appt. I tried some soup much later in the morning with a handful of pills and sadly had trouble keeping everything down. He had a sausage on a bun with a little salad for dinner and I had a couple of mouthfuls of yogurt to get meds in, followed by a hot bath followed by bed.
Thankfully, I slept hard last night and feel much more like my self today!
Heather M
Glad you’re feeling better today! Sleep can do wonders.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Good to hear you are feeling better!
Kathy in Denmark
So glad you are feeling a little better, Allie!
Stephanie M
Tuesday, january 29, 2025
A very happy birthday to Brian.
B – Paul had overnight oatmeal, yogurt and the last English muffin. I had overnight oatmeal and a side of peanuts.
L – Paul had roast beef with havarti on whole wheat and the rest of a bag of chips. I had roast beef, lettuce and red onion on whole wheat.
In the afternoon I had cherries and almonds. Paul had pineapple and grapes topped with whipped cream.
D – we had BLT’s. Paul had the leftover beans and rice and leftover cucumber salad. I had sautéed broccoli slaw.
Tasty
January 29th
The pantry challenge is over for us – until we return home in April. We left Ontario and started a slow trip to South Carolina where we will spend the next 2 months, hopefully playing lots of golf. I had a hip replacement in the summer of 23 so am now anxious to see just what I can manage.
As we were . And, many, many thanks for hosting us again this year.getting ready to leave, I think all. I had left in the fridge was 2 carrots and onions which I quickly peeled and chopped into a mini stew pack for the freezer. Some cream went out and I think that was the only thing!
I will read what the rest of you are up to for the last few days. As always, it has been a lot of fun and this year I feel we did really well. It is so much fun seeing the same people from year to year. Heather, hope all is well with you, and Jessica, I hope you get some answers and some help. Personally, I will continue with the challenge when we get home in the spring and look forward to doing it all again in ’25.
Tasty
Oops I did not proof read – hope you can make sense of what I wanted to say!!!
Heather M
Tasty, so great to see you here again this month! I hope your time in South Carolina is wonderful and here’s hoping the new hip allows for lots more fun while there 🙂 You did a great job this month. Happy 2024!
Jessica Fisher
Have a great trip, Tasty! Thank you for joining us this year.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Tasty, safe travels as you head near my “neck of the woods”! Hope that new hip lets you hit more fairways! (I think that surgery may be in my future)
You did a great job this year with the challenge. That sounds like an e.m.p.t.y refrigerator! And yay for freezing the veggies for later.
Have a great vacation and we’ll see you next year-same time, same place!
Allie from Ontario
Tasty! Wishing you safe travels followed by warm & sunny weather! “See” you next year!
Karen J
Happy birthday to your husband! I’m glad you are feeling better and had a nice day out.
About your enchilada making the other day… I learned the goodness of roasted poblanos from your website quite awhie back and now try to have some frozen in the freezer (also roasted hatch peppers when they are in season). We enjoy several of your enchilada recipes, with one of our favorites being the chile cheese version. Thank you!
Breakfast-out with hub as we had a busy day planned
Lunch-popcorn and fruit snacks -the grandkids did have a healthier lunch first 🙂
Dinner-jambalaya with shrimp, leftover ribs and leftover kielbasa I try to keep a package of the Zatarin brand of jambalaya in the pantry for a quick good meal. I don’t buy a lot of boxed mixes, but that’s one we like. It comes in a low sodium version too.
It was a busy fun day. We picked up three grandkids in the morning. My husband and the oldest granddaughter put the engine into a Subaru Forester, that’s going to be hers when she gets her license next month. Fingers crossed. I took the 7 and soon to be 9 year old to the movie Migration. Very rare for us to go to the movies and a special treat. Even the matinee is SO expensive now! However a very cute movie and not terribly crowded-mostly grandparents and grandkids.
Jessica Fisher
Thank you!
Heather M
Oh wow what a great day! How awesome your husband and granddaughter can get a car rebuilt for her! Love that!
Karen J
It was my husband’s gift to our own kids and now the oldest grandkid. Good lessons to learn and great bonding time with grandpa.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That’s pretty great your granddaughter helped with the engine. She’ll really value the vehicle now!
Heather M
Jan 29: in witch I made a delicious dinner despite being on a very low fiber diet for several days.
B: i had a piece of toast with honey; L skipped
L: L was in a rush and had a very busy day and only ate m&ms apparently(very glad I had a good dinner made when he got home!); I had cheese and crackers
D: from the freezer I finally used up the two large split chicken breasts(bone in) that had been in there well over a year. I roasted then with a rub I threw together and with carrots(cooked carrots allowed). The chicken turned out so juicy and yummy! I also found s box of yellow rice in the cupboards and used that up. Delicious meal with plenty for a hungry L plus a bit of leftovers.
I also baked a Turkish lemon yogurt cake with the rest of the tub of greek yogurt(it had exactly the 1 2/3 c called for!!), eggs, sugar, lemon juice/zest, a little flour. Super easy and turned out yummy too!
We ate well last night despite my dietary needs. Tuesday won’t be so great and Wednesday is clear liquids/prep day so I’m glad I pulled off one really good meal.
Heather M
Also, a very happy birthday to Bryan! Glad you were able to enjoy a day off together 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Thank you!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
You’ve done a great job of preparing meals within your dietary constraints. Soon you can return to your typical eating! When you mentioned chicken breasts, I think this time last year we were discussing getting boneless chicken breasts for 1.79/#at HT. Sadly, haven’t seen that price in a while there!
Allie from Ontario
Jan 29
Brunch – T had the lo meatballs and I pulled a single serving of coq au vin from the freezer. We also split one of the dinner rolls I had made.
Dinner – I took inspiration from Jessica’s Green Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Cheese recipe that arrived in a January Gazette email. I don’t typically use cream cheese in enchilada filling but it worked perfectly even though I did have a lighter hand than suggested. I also added lots of odds + ends (frozen corn, black beans, chopped sweet pepper, pickled red onions & pickled hot peppers) to the filling because to match our preference. I grow (and therefore preserve) LOTS of tomatillos (which can’t be purchased here in any form other than maybe 1 brand of a ready made sauce) and so I was happy to empty a jar of my roasted tomatillo-poblano enchilada sauce and and also use some of my “gold standard” tomatillo salsa verde. For the 2 us, I make 6 small enchiladas and there is lunch left for at least one of us today (pretty sure I’m claiming this one) which is why I also smiled at “we only ate 2 dozen enchiladas”!
Heather M
Your tomatillo growing, sauce making, and bottling is awesome! The things we take for granted here in metropolitan areas and in Mexican food heavy states in the US. Your enchiladas sound amazing!!
Allie from Ontario
Hi Heather….I love my little town but if I want to cook with anything aside from sweet bell peppers & jalapenos, the only dependable way to have a supply is to grow them from seed myself. My “must grows” each summer are poblanos, Anaheims, Fresnos and habaneros but I also grow lots of other kinds of sweet & hot peppers each summer. I actually grow a wide variety of veg including several different kinds of tomatoes but it is pretty widely known that I am a bit “pepper obsessed” 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
I second Heather’s comments re: growing and canning the peppers you need. I chuckled because what do I grow down here in the south? Sweet bell peppers and jalapeños! If you can grow all those varieties in Canada, I think I need to branch out a bit here in North Carolina, where my growing zone is 8b/9a!