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 31 of the Pantry Challenge!
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Wow! Last day? How did we get here?
Thank you so much for your participation this year and your graciousness as I work through energy and health issues.
If you’d like to continue the conversation, feel free to do so in the comments section of this last post!
What We Ate
Breakfast – I made a breakfast sandwich with the last of the freezer rye bread.
Lunch & Dinner – I shot three recipes today, so watch for those updated images. They are basically what’s to eat today for lunch and dinner: Sauerkraut and Pork, Crockpot Chili Mac, and Rice and Black Bean Salad.
And that’s a wrap, folks!
How did the Pantry Challenge go for you?
Danielle Zecher
I’m not sure if anyone else is still going now that it’s March, but I’m going to make March my real Pantry Challenge Month. We’ve recovered from the flu, and I’m getting a better handle on the new workload, so hopefully, I’ll be able to do this month what most of you did in January. I have $105.00 in Walmart gift cards, and I would love it if that’s all I “spend” on groceries this month. We shall see.
Jessica Fisher
Good luck! I’m cheering you on!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Danielle, I was checking back and saw your post. Hope March was successful for you!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
I’m going to wrap up my challenge. As always, it was a fun, productive time to meet new people and reconnect with former challengers. Thank you Jessica for hosting again. Hope to see you all again next January.
And Heather, still thinking of you and hoping all is well.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/13
B English muffin and coffee
L potato soup, chicken salad (chicken from freezer)
D breakfast for dinner in honor of Mardi Gras-pancakes, eggs, sausage and cantaloupe
Danielle Zecher
Breakfast: Nick had an English muffin w/ egg, cheese, and veggie sausage, and a semi-home-made iced coffee. I had overnight oatmeal and hot tea.
Lunch: Leftover cheeseburger soup.
Dinner: Crock pot cuban beef (which used a roast from the freezer), yellow rice (still working our way through the two containers from Sam’s Club), and cucumber and black bean salad.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/12/24
B oatmeal with blueberries (freezer)
L grilled cheese with hm loaded baked potato soup
D chicken/broccoli/rice (all from freezer) casserole, cantaloupe
S LO cupcakes from party
Danielle Zecher
I’m so glad to see that people are still here! I totally failed with food last week. We ended up eating every single meal out because I worked late and didn’t plan well. I cleaned out and organized the fridge yesterday, and I’m very irritated with myself over the amount of expired food I had to throw away. It’s so frustrating!
On a more positive note, I have a meal plan for this week that I think will be doable. I made cheeseburger soup last night, which used up the last of a bag of baby carrots and most of the celery that was getting past its prime. I chopped and froze the rest of the celery. I also meal-prepped two days’ worth of breakfast sandwiches (using some English muffins that need to be used up) for Nick and two days’ worth of overnight oatmeal for me (using some yogurt that needs to be used before it expires).
Tasty
Sometimes life just gets inthe way Danielle – good for you for getting back at it again. I must admit our holiday fridge/freezer is inpretty good shape. A trip to the local grocery store e ery day or 2 is working well, but it does mean that we don’t have the same choices as when at home. Again. that’s life and we’re not going hungry.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Like Tasty said, life happens. You’re good to regroup and pick up where you left off.
I’m kind of doing the same after getting back in town last night. We didn’t even really have any special food for the big game, which we typically do. I didn’t feel like hitting the kitchen as soon as I walked in the door, so we ate some random leftovers with fruit, chips and LO cupcakes from the grand baby’s party. I’ll pick back up today(12th) as well.
It was interesting, viewing Super Bowl food prices. Had I purchased 3 dozen cupcakes and 1 1/2 dozen mini cupcakes for the party, I think it would have cost close to $50. I made mine for about $ 7-8, maybe a little less, including butter for cupcakes and icing, confectioners sugar, special sprinkles and leftover pink, white and red wrappers. I was quite pleased when everyone asked where I had bought them? I was happy with how they turned out in appearance and taste. I also made ham sliders using the Hawaiian type rolls. I was able to buy the rolls at Aldi for $2/pkg instead of $5/pkg of King’s Hawaiian, and I can’t tell a difference so saved $9 on the 3 packages, plus the meat and cheese were also on sale. Same with the other items, MUCH tastier and much cheaper when homemade, as Jessica always points out! I actually bought most of the items during my last stock up, and I’m still in a good place budget wise. I’ve spent $80 this far which includes the food I took to the party. So I feel good about all that.
I do need to pick up a few things we are out of, so will shop before the sales end on Tuesday. So getting back at it also Danielle!
Danielle Zecher
I do not understand why the King’s Hawaiian rolls are so expensive! I usually get the Wal-Mart brand, and they’re just as good.
You’ve done really well to keep your total so low, especially with the party food. I bet your cupcakes also tasted a lot better than the store ones would have.
Maureen
It’s been a few days, but it’s nice to see people are still posting their progress. My high schooler has been making smoothies using up some of the bits of frozen fruit. I bought her a package of blackberries to also use, since they are her favorite and we didn’t have any more in the freezer. I worked a few things into our meals that I’ve really wanted to use up…we had burgers one night (still 2 left in the freezer), a few older cans from the pantry were used as sides for dinners, and my youngest found a package of naan in the freezer that she’s been using for pizzas. And we’ve really kept up with leftovers, both creating fewer and eating those that we do have. It’s become very clear to me that I seriously overestimate the amount of food that we eat, so I need to work out a plan to consolidate my pantry and convert a few shelves for other uses. Same with the chest freezer…maybe a few gallon jugs of water to fill space. I’ll keep plugging along and checking comments.
Lynn at NC Outer Banks
1/6/24
B more avocado toast on an English muffin, DH shake and toast and boiled egg
L DH had sandwich and chili, I had chili also
D last of Catalan meatballs, potatoes, carrots and fruit
1/7/24
B avocado toast on muffin, coffee
L DH picked up a sub, I finished up leftovers
D Awhile back, we had some younger visitors who are kind of picky eaters. I picked up boxed Mac and cheese since I knew they liked that. They didn’t get around to eating it and it was short dated so I decided to fix it last night. I added chicken from freezer and broccoli to lower the carb load a bit and to stretch it. We had that, a Caesar salad and orange slices. Glad to get one box gone. If we have it again, we’ll be having it with unicorn and Frozen pasta shapes! 🙂
My freezer is full of food for the grand baby’s birthday party this weekend. Once that is gone, I’ll be looking again at that great white space!
Heather, hope all is okay with you.
Allie from Ontario
Lynn
I am sure the grand baby birthday will be awesome!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Thanks Allie! She was sick earlier in the week but has bounced back for today’s party!
Tasty
Happy birthday to your grand baby (granddaughter I think)
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Thanks Tasty! Yes, she’s one, which is hard to believe. We’re enjoying weather in the 70s here-in February! I suspect your weather in SC is even warmer-perfect for golf! Hope you’re having a great time.
Allie from Ontario
Feb 8
Brunch – T dug out the last store bought burger (which we seldom buy) and a bun for his lunch. I had a smoothie (frozen blueberries were on sale last week and I’m still working on the last few frozen strawberries) and some Ryvita with peanut butter.
Dinner – I finished off a head of iceberg lettuce with a taco salad using ground beef, black beans & corn from the freezer, the end of a fridge jar of salsa and various odds & ends from the crisper.
This will be my last post this year and I do want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed participating and reading everyone’s comments. I’m always mindful of food waste but it certainly was a great experience to take such a concentrated look at my habits for a solid month (and, as others have said, being accountable by posting each day). I will be back for sure next year! Take care everyone 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Thanks so much for participating, Allie!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Allie, til next year! I enjoyed your posts.
Tasty
It was great having a fellow Canadian on board this year Allie. See you in January and have a great 2024.
Allie from Ontario
Feb 6
Brunch – we split the leftover pork chile verde and grits.
Dinner – I made glazed meatballs with stir fried veg + thin noodles. This meal (a house favourite) is actually code for “I’m using whatever jam/jelly (alone or combo) I want to use up with any stir fry type veg hanging around in the crisper with some kind of Asian style meatball typically made with a combo of grd pork, beef and/or mild Italian sausage…and oh yes…some kind of pickled pepper will probably also make it in”.
The sauce always starts with equal parts soy sauce & cider vinegar and last night I emptied a jar of peach sriracha jam that I canned in the summer + a few spoonfuls of a quince jam that I was gifted.
I am shopping today for some fresh herbs for this week’s meal plan, the inevitable milk and greens. One thing that has been key for me over this challenge is that I need to be okay with actually running out of something. We are down to 2 nests of our favourite noodles BUT that doesn’t mean I need to buy more today “just because I am there”….we’ll see how that goes 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
I’m the same, don’t like running out and then having to wait for the next sale. It’s hard to find the balance. Plus, I know a freezer is more efficient if it’s full, but that doesn’t mean it has to be completely overloaded !
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Jessica, I hope you’re feeling much better.
2/6/24
B avocado English muffin and boiled egg, DH shake and toast
L lo chili on a cold day, fruit
D last of Catalan meatballs, potatoes and raw carrots
Karen J
I had nice mini vacation with my best friend. We went to one of our favorite comedians in a town an hour away, spent the night in a hotel, ate all our meals out. It was lovely. My husband did all my usual grandkid day care and school pick ups so it truly felt like a vacation.
It’s time for me to go shopping again and I am hoping to not overstock, which is my worst “bad” habit. Pantry Challenge this month went very well for me. Setting my own personal goal of spending no money on food, I did spend $22.50 with fourteen of that being on coffee (which I bought on an amazing special and made my husband happy :). I completed my goal of cleaning out and using the majority of things in the freezer and followed a flexible meal plan. Another goal was to post daily in January and I did that to add to my accountability. Along the way we had some decent meals, somewhat more creative than my usual menus. My goals for this month are to concentrate on the languishing pantry items that need to be used. I plan to put five things from the top pantry shelves or back of the cupboards and set them on the kitchen counter-i think maybe I got that idea from Jessica years ago? Then during the week I need to figure out how to use them. Kind of like a modified Chopped on TV. I also want to make more bread, which I did several times during the challenge and reminded me how much we like it.
So my friends, I hope to check in from time to time and I hope to “see” you next year. It’s been fun!
Jessica Fisher
Love it! Great job, Karen. So impressed. I’d be happy to troubleshoot the overstocking with you. Feel free to email me if you like!
Tasty
Congrats on a pantry challenge well done, Karen. It’s amazing what the
accountabilty achieves!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Well done, Karen!
Allie from Ontario
Feb 5
Brunch – I melted cheese on an English muffin (and snacked on the spicy nuts I had made later in the day) and T had chicken noodle soup from the freezer.
Dinner – I pulled out a frozen container of our favourite pork chile verde sauce (1/2 recipe of roasted tomatillos, poblanos, onions & jalapenos etc that I made this past summer) to use with 1 lb of cubed boneless pork shoulder. I added a few bits & pieces from the fridge & freezer while it was braising and served it over cheddar grits. I actually made 3 of these and we’ve now had it 2’ce… it’s a house favourite.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/5/24
Left comment last night but I’ve realized if I get the “comment under review”, it doesn’t post, tho I’m pretty sure I didn’t violate any rules. Trying again.
B I had avo toast and coffee, DH had toast and sausage
L I was out and had mandarins and cookies (not very nutritious!)
D had chili over spuds, last of green beans and Jessica’s Pear salad, tho I always use apples. It’s one of my favorites.
Did a small shop for creamers, English muffins, sub rolls, chicken, crackers, cukes and some fruit. Bought a cantaloupe because it was on sale and I wanted something other than apples and citrus tho I don’t have high hopes for a Feb cantaloupe! We’ll see. Spent about $30.
Jessica Fisher
Hey Lynn, your email address was typed incorrectly, so the system sees it as a new person. I’m checking each morning so there is a bit of a delay, depending on when you post.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Oh thank you for the explanation Jessica. I’ll be better at proofreading from now on. Sometimes I just go too fast.
krista
B DH had omelette, DD and I skipped as she had an early doc appt.
L Me: potato salad, avo toast and my fav bacon I discovered in the downstairs fridge, that I didn’t know I had, plus a pound for the others…Score! Dh had buffalo mac and cheese and chicken strips from freezer
D again late lunch, so Lo lasagna was had
S caesar salad, pulled pork tacos from freezer.
Something has spilled or else there’s treats hiding under my stove b/c both kittens and the dog have spent the last 2 days sniffing intently under there. Really must pull out the drawer and find out. I don’t smell anything, so it’s their supernoses LOL
Allie from Ontario
Feb 4
Brunch – I made breakfast sandwiches for both of us – eggs, bacon and cheese on English muffins.
Dinner – We were gifted some little Scottish pork pies (the tall sided, hot water pastry pies from a Scottish bakery in the city…a lovely treat) so I reheated those and made a salad, finishing off Friday’s homemade Caesar dressing and parmesan croutons.
Lynn from NCOuter Banks
2/5/24
B avocado toast and coffee for me, shake for DH
L DH had last of vegetable soup and ham/cheese sandwich, I had 2 mandarins and some chocolate cookies
D LO chili over potatoes with Jessica’s pear salad (subbed apples for pears)It’s one of my favorites.
Spent $30 on creamers, chicken, sub rolls, yogurt
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/4/24
B avocado toast for me, toast and sausage for DH
L DH had lo ribs and vegetable soup, I had soup and some tort chips
D I made chili than was less-meat. I had just a bit of ground chicken left to use. I cooked pinto beans from dry and added frozen and canned tomatoes, plus frozen onion and peppers. I had random small bits of tomato products in the freezer so got them out. My storage containers continue to increase!
Will need to make a mini-shop this week to pick up ingredients needed for upcoming meals. Not many great deals here this week which helps!
Allie from Ontario
You know this is going well when you can’t possibly fit even one more empty container/jar into the drawer/cupboard etc where you store them!
Jessica Fisher
Definite success!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Yes!!
krista
B I had the rest of the king’s slider buns made into french toast, DH ?? DD made bacon and eggs
L Made an early dinner/late lunch of lasagna, suing up the last of a jar of sausage sauce, and also my last frozen marinara. Had a half tub of cream cheese, and a small bit of cheese sauce, threw both in,, along with can mushrooms and a zucchini on it’s way out, and a few bits of LO red onion. It actually turned out really good. And used up the carton of ricotta before it went bad.
S potato salad I made earlier today, chips, popsicle
Am kind of still doing the challenge, but also am going for some groceries in the next few days. Freezers are looking really good, am going to continue to focus on the dry goods in the pantry, am going to make stewed dried fruit tomorrow. I have a really great recipe for that, and it goes well on yogurt. Made a batch of HM yogurt a couple days ago. Will also try to focus on making some smoothies, using some frozen fruit. Still working on the powdered PB, it works well mixed with my yogurt, with frozen blueberries on top and a drizzle of maple syrup. Made a batch of broth with my chicken bones.
Jessica Fisher
Great idea for the french toast! King’s has expanded their selection and they sell sliced bread now. You could make it on purpose another time. lol
Allie from Ontario
Feb 3
Brunch – we both ate some of the previous night’s chicken skillet and I packaged up 2 single servings (+ some dinner rolls) to send to T’s dad.
Dinner – I had thawed more boneless skinless thighs than I ultimately needed Friday night so I had 4 to cook tonight. I baked them in a super simple but really flavourful sauce made with jarred peanut sauce, a tomato salsa (emptied a canning jar) and lots of fresh basil and I served it over rice. The 1st time I read this recipe it sounded a bit strange but it is delicious!