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? The month went fast, didn’t it?
Thank you so much for your participation this year. 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 bowl with leftover sausage and veggies from the fridge.
Lunch – We ate leftover lasagna and leftover beef pot pie from yesterday’s shoot.
Dinner – I had four pounds of clearance ground turkey that needed using. So, I cooked it all up and used half in burritos for tonight and the other half for a Shepherd’s Pie for tomorrow.
And that’s a wrap, folks!
How did the Pantry Challenge go for you?
Tasty
Feb 3
I’m finding my fridge has really emptied out over the last month – lots of space but not so much choice- that’s OK, I can live with that for now. Today didn’t do anything for the freezers but that’s only be cause I made tonight’s supper yesterday
B – our usual.
L – hubby had fruit and cheese. I had grilled cheese
S – an o,d favourite – shepherd’s pie, a real one made with ground lamb
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/3/26
B: I had Greek yogurt with hm granola and coffee. DH had avocado toast and ??
L: we both had chicken salad and Brunswick stew
D: I fixed a requested chicken casserole (meal #13/20). We had LO mashed potatoes, grapes and broccoli from Feb purchases with LO hollandaise sauce for the broccoli.
S: crackers, cookies
I’ve done some baking to help with my dear little granddaughter’s birthday this weekend. My DIL requested I make some cookies and cupcakes, so that’s what I’m doing. Sugar cookies finished. Planning to make the cupcakes now and frost them tomorrow. I’m doing banana cupcakes which will use up the bananas from the freezer. I can actually see part of the bottoms of the shelves in my fridge’s freezer! Hooray! And my refrigerator looks much emptier. Getting there!
Tasty
Feb3
More snow!! Warnings of more squall and wind so we cancelled our canning session in the church kitchen this morning. Howeve, ras I had veggies all chopped and ready to go in the por, I now have 9 jars of Cowboy Candy cooling on my cou ter along with
5 bigger jars of Escabeche (pickled jalapenos and otherveg). Another lady was making marmalade – anything to avoid a repeat of last Tuesday’s drive home.
Yesterday’s meals
B – hubby had his usual. Ihad a. Ana a and some toast
L – eggs on toast
S- bubble and squeak. The plan had been to have ham from the freezer with but the ham had been there too long so unfortunately there was only one place for it to go.
As I had planned to use more of the ham tonight, I think we will have one of the shepherd’s pies instead.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
I’m glad y’all opted to be extra safe with your weather. I’m sure you missed the fellowship but not another perilous trip!
I haven’t had bubble and squeak before, but I think I would like it. DH, probably not so much. I made colcannon one night and he thought that was a “way to mess up perfectly good mashed potatoes with cabbage”! 🙂
Allie from Ontario
I spent a chunk of yesterday making decisions & meal prepping (I really enjoy being in the kitchen but yes…we all get “daily decision” fatigue!), working on 3 dinners and making a small batch of granola using oats, maple syrup, pecans (from the freezer) and the last of the dried cranberries. I’ll eat that with my skim milk + a dollop of apple butter on top. Nothing earth shattering happening on a daily basis here..just normal routines.
What we ate on Feb 3
BRUNCH: T had a poached egg & English muffin and I had my cheesy English muffin/tomato jam thingie. Later, we split the portion of tomato soup that I had held back from the freezer.
DINNER: Early in the day I prepped “twice baked” potatoes with cheddar, ham, green onions (gone) and a big handful of broccoli florets (steamed 1st) mixed in. We each ate 2 x 1/2’s with a green salad/homemade Italian vinaigrette. My freezer has endless chunks/slices (thick & thin) of ham. SO.MUCH.HAM.
I have broccoli & sweet peppers that have to be used soon…peppers went into to the salad, are part of a chile braised beef I made yesterday (tomorrow night’s plan) AND hopefully make it to tonight’s side dish I’m looking at broccoli soup today and have a broccoli fritter recipe (made with a wild rice mix…currently in my dry pantry) that I want to try out. Oh yes…the russet potatoes are now gone.
Oh..and from what I read – the key groundhogs from various places did NOT reach the same conclusion.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Totally get about the ham. I actually have a ham still in the freezer. My husband said something about wanting ham. I told him we wouldn’t be eating that ham until we had someone to help us eat it! I believe the saying that “Eternity is ham with 2 people!”
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/2/26
B: finished the last packet of the ghastly oatmeal. That’s one box I’m glad to get out of the pantry. I like oatmeal, just not the prepackaged stuff. DH had a boiled egg and toast I think.
L: I had planned to make chicken noodle soup from the chicken. Then I realized that in my hasty grocery store run, not only did I forget carrots, I didn’t get celery either. I didn’t think that soup would be good so I pivoted to another recipe that DH likes even better-Brunswick stew. It uses chicken, beef and pork. I had some more beef bits that were perfect. I thought I had some pulled pork. I’ve said how I’m not great at labeling freezer items. It wasn’t pork so I did without. It calls for tomatoes (freezer-they taste so sweet in the soup), potatoes, corn and limas all of which I had. It’s thick and tastes great on our cold day. Then I used the last can of chicken for chicken salad. I usually make the labor intensive kind-chopping the chicken, celery, boiling and chopping eggs, etc. But, I’ve discovered a recipe that uses this chicken, relish, craisins, apples and just a bit of mayo. This was the second time I’ve made it and it was tasty.
D: it was easy-leftover burgers, LO sweet potato fries, LO green beans and LO slaw. Good to get rid of all that and DH was happy with burgers again.
We did venture out yesterday. Main roads and bridges all clear though secondary roads slushy. No school for next 2 days but stores have reopened so life is beginning to get back to normal.
Kathy in Denmark
First of all, thank you so much for hosting this every year, Jessica! I look forward to it, and even though I can’t post every day, I always read all the comments and post as much as I can, because the community is just lovely.
I haven’t written the last few dinners down, but I know we had:
Pasta dish with butter beans in a tomato sauce
Frozen pizza and chips (fries) after a long day of errands
Pork loin with potatoes, broccoli and sauce
We probably also had a night where we had rye bread with toppings, but I can’t say for sure.
This challenge, I have tried to do more meal prep, and I will continue to do so, because it makes our weekdays go so much smoother. I will probably try to move it from Sunday to Monday, since I would like to spend Sunday with my family and not in the kitchen 🙂
Over the last year, I have been focusing on eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and I will continue to do so. It really has helped with my brain fog and also other signs of perimenopause. My teenager has also profited from this – as we all know, hormones aren’t only acting up during menopause 😉 I haven’t been as dilligent as I should this last month, and I can feel it in my body.
I hope to see you all next January. Hopefully I will have a new kitchen by then, but we’ll see!
Jessica Fisher
I love it that you join us every year, Kathy. Thank you!
Maureen
I’ll be continuing for a couple of weeks, so I look forward to reading updates from those sticking around. I didn’t make progress this weekend…DD came home from college at the last minute and we ate a number of meals that were specifically for her and resulted in little bits of leftovers. I now have crepes, waffles, breadsticks, pork loin, alfredo pasta, soup, roasted veg, and mashed potatoes to finish up. I’m burned out cooking (actually it’s the deciding that is wearing me down) and hubby and daughter aren’t being helpful supplying any ideas, so I’m going to buckle down and work on cleaning out the freezer. It will likely result in some meals that are cobbled together and don’t totally fit or are at least not our norm, but we’ll see how long it takes for someone to grump. Today – I had leftover potato soup with some mashed potatoes added for brunch. I fed DD the alfredo leftovers for early dinner before dance. Hubby and I are having the roasted veg, rice, and some dumplings (purchased for DD, but she doesn’t like) from the freezer for dinner. I may just grab things as I go for the next couple of days, instead of planning much. We shall see.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Maureen, I understand being burned out by the cooking or the deciding. You have a nice variety of options, so grab as you go sounds like a good plan. And yay for DD home from college!
Kathy in Denmark
Decision fatigue is real! Whenever I ask DH what he wants for dinner her says “Pizza, burgers, nachos” – I should get him a shirts that says it LOL
I’m glad you have leftovers and I think it was so nice that your daughter came home from college.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Kathy, that’s my husband! I was so stunned when he gave me a list of 20 meals! Of course pizza, burgers and nachos were on there, along with others! I’ve hit 12/20 so far I think. And yes, we’ve had burgers the past couple of nights! 🙂
Stephanie M
Tuesday, february 3, 2026
B – I had cereal with fruit and nuts. Paul had fruit, yogurt and an English muffin.
L – I had turkey with alfalfa sprouts and tomato on a whole wheat bagel. Paul had leftover pizza from the freezer.
D – we had flounder, rice pilaf and salad.
I will be continuing on with my challenge. This weekend we are going to New Jersey to visit our other daughter and our son in law and grandsons. We will be bringing them all of our frozen appetizers left from the holidays. And we always bring a cake to the owner of the gas station where we used to go so we’re bringing that and the rest of the. Christmas cookies that I had out aside for him. This will cause a lot to be removed from our freezer and then I will not feel overwhelmed anymore.
L
Allie from Ontario
Hey Lynn and Tasty….I am around for a while as well 🙂 Lynn…every time you mention that dreaded oatmeal I have to grin a little! And Tasty – I love bubble and squeak! We both like cabbage but seriously….it takes of lot of ideas (or a lot of coleslaw??) for 2 people to get through a whole head.
What we ate on Feb 1:
Brunch: I had some yogurt then later some leftover sloppy joe stuff (skipping a bun) and I can’t even remotely guess at T had ?!?
Dinner: I made a “egg, meat & veg scramble”, with lots of bits…chopped bacon, chopped up breakfast sausage, frozen potato chunks (that one of us…and by that I mean not me!) bought, sweet peppers, rst’d green chiles, red onion & cheddar. I ate mine with a big spoonful of a “cherry tomato chipotle relish” that I make & T had HP sauce (which I also love) with his. A couple of pieces of toasted rye bread and we were good.
I am really trying to get through all the fresh produce that still has life (unfortunately that did not include the remains of a head cauliflower…yuck) so I have specific dinners planned out for the next 3 nights. We’ll see how that pans out.
Tasty
A whole cabbage is usually way too much for us. This time I was able to buy just a half of a small one and even that was way more than I needed. I cooked the whole half today and half of that is already in the freezer. When I looked at what I had kept out to use for tonight when it was mixed with the potato, I knew we would never eat that much, so while I coo,Ed tonight’s meal, hubby packaged up the remainder and it too will be frozen. We really do eat a lot less than even 2 or 3 years ago. I can’t judge anymore. Keeps life interesting!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Allie and Tasty, I like cabbage and eat it lots of ways. But I had bought 2 heads and it was very slow going with that amount for the two of us, especially since DH really only likes it in typical slaw. But I finally finished the last of it today. Whew.
Tasty
Feb 2
Hi,Lynn,
I plan on hanging round for a couple of weeks yet altho yesterday was not much of a challenge day as we were out for supper (lasagne garlic bread and Caesar salad). The curling club hosted a few of us to watch the final of the Canadian women’s championship. Unfortunately, it was not a good game. Breakfast was our usual and lunch was crackers and cheese for me and hubby ???.
Today – Monday 3rd – I’m making up for it. I pulled some ground lamb from the freezer to make a double batch of shepherd’s pie for the freezer. I had to buy potatoes last week- 10lbs for $1.35 – but I want them used before we go away. I also used onion from the fridge and will add some mixed veggies to it. I don’t always have veggies in the S P but will this time to use them up. I also cooked the cabbage I had in the fridge to make bubble and squeak for tonight with a couple of ham steaks which will be baked. There was another piece of ham in the freezer which will be added along with some corn to cauliflower soup which has been languishing in the freezer for a while and we’ll have that later this week. Altho some of today’s cooking will be in the freezer tomorrow, there should still be some extra
white space.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
That’s a great price on potatoes! Sounds like you have a good plan for using up items today. I had bought some ham steaks earlier when they were .99 for 8 oz instead of regular price of 3.99 for 8 oz. We had that one night for a quick dinner. And your out to dinner meal would make me happy!
The DH had been housebound long enough, so we ventured out today. Our neighborhood roads are slushy as it is shady where we live. Our primary roads (which there aren’t many of!) have been cleared, as are all the bridges. The sounds are still frozen. That was an unfamiliar sight to me until we moved here. Now I still find it fascinating especially since the water is some what salty and it freezes in the waves.
One road south is still closed due to ocean overwash. It’s an ever changing landscape here. With all the high winds we had, 4 threatened (unoccupied) beach houses fell into the sea the past 2 days and the beach has big escarpments where the beach is eroded 🙁 Lots of debris on the sand, so our beaches are not in tip top shape currently.
Schools are of course out and the forecast is for more snow on Wednesday! Maybe we’re getting your snow!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/1/26
Here’s to February for anyone hanging around with me!
B: back to eating up the oatmeal plus coffee
L: DH finished up the stroganoff, soup and tuna. I had a peanut butter/banana sandwich.
D: crock pot “rotisserie” chicken. I cook it in the crock pot with lots of spices. Next I carefully put the fall-apart-tender chicken under the broiler for just a few minutes. It’s not Costco but it tastes pretty good. I save the carcass for broth. All of the spices make for the most flavorful broth. It will probably become chicken noodle for these continuing below freezing days. I also made mashed potatoes and some of the frozen green beans from the February purchases. I thought about fruit, but I didn’t want any cold food! I could have done baked apples, but I just called it done. (Before I cooked it, I cut off the wings to make for DH!)
S: we each had another of the Pepperidge Farm cookies
Tasty
I love those would-be rotisserie chickens done in the slow-cooker. They come out so tender.
Heather from Sacramento
I can’t believe the month is over!! Thank you to Jessica for hosting. I had so much fun. I am going to have to be mindful of using items in the pantry going forward. I didn’t do as good as I could have but it is hard when you are the only one eating. I am so inspired by all of you and you have given me a few ideas to use.
B- coffee, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, HM applesauce from the freezer.
L- not hungry
D- I made kale and potato soup. I used a can of coconut milk from the pantry. It was edible but won’t be in the rotation. I whipped up some of those red lobster dupe cheddar biscuits. Oh boy were they good and used some of the cheese I needed to use up. I put the rest in the freezer.
I also made more of my hamburger dish so that I can freeze for easy lunches if I need something.
Today I hope to make more of the wonderful granola form this website. I am obsessed. I won’t have any problems using up the ginormous package of oatmeal that I buy.
I hope you all have a wonderful year. See you in January!!
Jessica Fisher
Sooo glad you could join us!
Tasty
A big thank you to both Jessica and my special ‘January ‘ cyber friends. Doing this pantry challenge has made January much more interesting for the past number of years. With having the amount of freezer space that I do, I know that I will not run short of meat during the month and because we can, occasionally, become housebound with a real good storm, I always stock up on frozen veggies at the beginning of winter, so this year, I really focused on the pantry and using up the odds and ends that have been languishing in there for too long. I am satisfied with how we’ve done. I will keep going for another couple of weeks, until we head away on vacation. Hubby has been on board, being the first year he has really known my plan. When we get home in mid March, we’ll restock the pantry to some extent. I have found the last couple years, we are eating noticeably less (due I’m sure to advancing age) but my shopping maybe(?)doesn’t reflect this!
So, what did we eat on the last official day of the ’26 challenge?
B- the usual
L – hubby had some variation of fruit and cheese, I had a piece of haddock – altho I haven’t done it this month, this is a regular lunch for me – basically a protein boost
S – hubby’s choice of stuffed chicken breasts with a salad (newly purchased).
So thanks again everyone, have a great ’26 and see you all again in January
Jessica Fisher
You all are definitely the highlight of every January. Thanks so much for your loyal participation, Tasty!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
1/31/26
Hello from the snowy Outer Banks of North Carolina! We didn’t get quite as much snow as predicted but definitely got 8+ inches. And the wind!! Goodness. We are used to wind, but these were quite strong gusts. Our wind chill this morning is -10 degrees, more in line with some of our northern friends.
The month has been a fast one and I think this is one of my better years. I think I just had so much food! Usually I tend to run out of vegetables but I think maybe I had longer lasting ones this year. (Here’s looking at you cabbage!) With the produce bought and used today ( lettuce, DH ate an orange), my total for the month is right around $85, which I’m pleased with. Were prices lower, I might have wanted it lessened, but not these days. The early stock up before the snow (chickens, frozen vegetables, cuke, kiwi, chips, grapes, more apples for when I use the last of the ones I have) was about $27. That’s what I will have to begin February. Like Allie, I didn’t feel a need to buy any more. I’ll look forward to joining anyone here that may continue.
Thank you again Jessica for hosting us. This is one of the few New Year’s resolutions that I make and keep. It’s such fun to meet everyone each January and to hear not only menus but a bit about each others’ lives, like Allie said. I always learn something new, and it’s wonderful to hear about life across the US as we cover coast to coast, as well as our friends in Canada, Denmark and Australia. Thank you to Jessica and to you all for this fun space.
B: I needed a break from that oatmeal, so I had avocado toast and coffee. I still have a couple of avocados in the fridge. They’re probably not as good as the ones from Spain though! DH had peanut butter toast and an orange.
L: I had some of the LO stroganoff. DH had soup and tuna salad sandwich.
D: hamburgers from the freezer with purchased buns and lettuce. Topped with lettuce, cheese and pickled jalapeños. I made hm sweet potato fries and then made a dupe Panera salad, their Fuji apple salad. Since it’s a side salad for us, I omit the chicken. Then I add actual apple slices (which they don’t) along with dried apple chips (from Aldi a while back on sale), feta, roasted pecans. They use tomatoes. Well, I used some of the frozen grape tomatoes I a had which did surprisingly well! I do use their Fuji apple dressing which I bought half price. A pretty good substitute at a much lower price. For dessert we had a cookie that was slightly out of date but fine.
S: made some more Chex mix. I keep thinking I’ll run out of cereal but I still have some in 2 of 3 boxes. There may be another half batch in there. And I made old fashioned popcorn. The kind when you put oil in a pan and kernels and shake the pan constantly. I added some Parmesan cheese and it was tasty .
So that’s a wrap, friends. See you same time next year! Wishing you all a wonderful 2026!
Tàsty
While our southern friends deal with the snow this weekend, we have had no snow for the last 3 or 4 days. Good luck with it. Lynn as I know you are not equipped to deal with 8″ of snow. That’s not fun!
Allie from Ontario
Tasty is right…we have had a great break from the constant snowfall AND the temperatures are improving! AND Lynn…8″ of snow is not fun for anyone – good luck with it and I hope things return to close to normal for you soon.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Tasty and Allie, right now everyone is kind of staying put, at least in my neighborhood. DH shoveled snow to clear our steps. The wind was so strong we had 6” of snow blow onto our covered deck, which was a first. Same for our covered porches. He may want to get out to check out the roads tomorrow. There aren’t too many hills around here for sledding. Would-be sledders go down the memorial to the Wright Brothers’ first flight which has a hill, or down this large sand dune we have. Necessity is the mother of invention! It will be interesting to see how long before things are back to normal! Thank you for the good wishes!!
Heather M
Love hearing about your Panera salad dupe! Sounds amazing! You really did do great with your pre storm shop, just getting what you needed. And, 8 inches is a lot of snow for you all! Wow! I, too, plan to stick around in February as I really want to keep working on my cupboards and freezer. I’ll keep my shopping to needs, but that will include a Costco run, as we are getting low on a few things the guys eat almost daily (nuts, Kind bars, etc) and I will buy a rotisserie chicken there as the price for amount of chicken can’t be beat! My rules. Right? Happy to join in here periodically tris month and hope to see you on insta too. 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Your guys sound like my DH with the nuts and Kind bars. They are must haves here too. I wish we had a Costco nearby. I’ve heard those rotisserie chickens are amazing with great deals on other items. And yes to your rules!
Jessica Fisher
It is an excellent resolution to make every year! Thanks for playing, Lynn!
Kathy in Denmark
I LOL about the avocados. It’s dangerous to try something really good, because then the stuff you were used to just doesn’t seem good enough. I hope your avocados are perfectly ripe and delicious!
Allie from Ontario
Huge thanks to Jessica for hosting us again and to everyone for not only sharing what you cooked/ate but also all the snippets of your lives.
I finally did a “real shop” yesterday (as I had 2 other must-do errands to look after) & was quite surprised as I didn’t buy/feel that I needed nearly as much as I thought I would. AND as a result I didn’t spend as much as expected. I will do a bigger produce restock later in the week, but want to work through everything in the fridge 1st. Also, a quick count of my empty mason jar stash = 31! One of my self promises was that I would not buy any new jars this year BECAUSE I wouldn’t need to if I was purposefully using the things I make (of course I’m always buying new lids but that’s expected every year).
Over the last week, I have also restocked 1 of the freezers with 11 single servings of soup (chicken noodle, chicken with rice & tomato) + 3 single serving portions of saucy meatballs. Today I am finally making a ricotta mix to stuff some jumbo shells. The amt of filling I end up with (ie limited by the amt of ricotta) will determine how many shells to cook. I freeze them “unsauced” & then pull out however many needed to make a quick dinner. While I’m putting a lot back into the freezers, these are items that use up lots of ingredients and are easy to work through as quick/easy lunches & dinners.
What we ate on Jan 31
Brunch: T ate some of the saucy meatballs & I had an English with melted old cheddar then smeared with home canned tomato jam.
Dinner: I finally made a classic pantry meal of “good old” sloppy joes using a packet of Club House seasoning & a small can of tomato paste – this “not remotely homemade” version is a house favourite 🙂 I also cobbled together a little salad of matchsticked carrots & celery, the last of the cabbage and some pickled radishes in a creamy, kinda coleslaw dressing.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Congrats on using up and emptying all those Mason jars. Though not Mason jars, I’ve rediscovered many containers from the freezer as I’ve worked through the bits there.
Since I bought some of the “sale” beef, sloppy Joes will be on our menu as well soon. It’s a favorite around here as well, though it didn’t make DH’s list!
Heather M
Nicely done emptying out so many mason jars! Won’t it be fun to fill with new things come harvest time! And amazing with all the prepped meals in the freezer! As always, it’s a delight interacting wit you. I love hearing bits about you and your daily life. Thanks for being here and I look forward to seeing you next January 🙂
Kathy in Denmark
Well done on emptying all of those jars!
I love it when we have HM freezer meals ready to go. It just makes life so much easier!
I have actually started storing water in my empty jars. Someone on the internet wrote that her grandmother had always done that for emergencies, and I had a “DUH” moment. I have so many jars anyway, so now they are filled with water until I need them 🙂
Stephanie M
March 1, 2025
Hoping everyone has a wonderful year ahead. See you in 2026!!!
Heather M
Stephanie, same to you! I’ll be in touch on text at some point. I’m sorry I disappeared here at the end, but my health has been kicking me and I was hospitalized for a few days. Recovering slowly but surely. Sending you my love and I will see you on the phone 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/28/25
B:the usual
L:soup and sandwiches
D: leftover curry and LO enchiladas. I added sautéed cabbage, baked apples and the last of the Greek salad.
I’m calling it “a wrap” tonight too. We are heading out of town to help our son with the toddler as our DIL will be gone for a week. It’s time to take all that food out of the freezer for us to enjoy there. I should have even more white space when that happens. I’ve got some items to prep before we go.
As always, it’s been a fun time. I’m so glad Jessica offers this in January and allows us the chance to continue to “hang out” even when the official PC comes to an end.
I enjoy the strategies (the “shelf”), the menu inspirations, the conversations and the camaraderie. I feel I know you all from the time we’ve spent together over these years.
Wishing you all a good year. When we re-convene I’ll be curious to hear about everyone’s 2025.
Take good care. 🙂 Lynn
PS Oh, maybe by next January we’ll be back on official power. We’ve still got temporary power. A month and counting. 🙁
Heather M
Hello Lynn! Just wanted to wish you well in the rest of 2025. I disappeared last week because I ended up not well at all (major GI issues, incl a nice microperforation)and hospitalized for a few days. Am still recovering, but improving little by little. I so enjoy our time here each year and so look forward to seeing you here again in January. Love to you and yours. Heather
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Oh Heather, I’m sorry to hear of your hospitalization. I had wondered if everything was okay when we didn’t hear from you. I’ve been out of town keeping our granddaughter so not online very much at all this last week. Too busy (and tired!) with the 2year old. 🙂 I hope you will continue to recover and be back to yourself very soon. Sending ((hugs)) and love to you for a smooth rest of the year.
I’ll try to check your Instagram.
Heather M
Thanks, Lynn- responding to your comment below. I have privatized my instagram and would happily accept your friend request. heatherabm is my handle. :>
Lynn from NC Outer Bankd
GROAN. NOW my post shows up. I’m so sorry friends. Another example of the wonkiness I’ve been experiencing.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/27/25
Well, I have no idea what happened to my post from yesterday. I didn’t see it anywhere so I’m hoping this isn’t a duplicate. Along with everything else in our house of late, our internet has been a bit wonky. 🙁
B: usual yogurt, add ins and coffee
L: we both continue to enjoy Stephanie’s good soup. DH added a pimento cheese sandwich and orange to his. We’re out of oranges, which DH is requesting.
D: a mix of cuisines again. I fixed white chicken enchiladas, making liberal substitutions from the recipes I viewed. Used cream cheese that needed to be eaten instead of sour cream we were out of. Opened a jar of jalapeños that I’d previously canned in lieu of green chilis. I used just a few slices to avoid making it too spicy. Used LO chicken from the freezer.
Then I opened the Kalamata olives I’d recently discovered in the pantry. I used those, a bit of feta and other vegetables for another Greek salad, which continue to hit the spot. I added raw carrots for another side. That finished up the carrots, so the fresh produce is getting low.
Karen J
It’s been a fun challenge this year. I’m tapping out until next January (if we are home and not on the road somewhere). Thanks for all the great ideas and conversations!
I’m on a no spend grocery money for the next two weeks. We leave mid March on a Sea of Cortez cruise and I need my refrigerator cleaned out by then so it’s eat what we have. I’m hoping my learned (or should I say re-learned ) habits will last and I won’t revert to my over buying because it’s a great price problem.
Until next year, my friends. 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
It has been a fun time for sure! See you next January. We’ll have to see then if any of our lessons learned “stuck” 🙂
Have a wonderful cruise!
Heather M
Hi Karen! It’s been great fun this year and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to finish out Feb with you all. I was taken quite ill and hospitalized for a few days. Am slowly but surely on the mend and very much look forward to connecting again in January! I wish you and yours a wonderful rest of 2025! 🙂
Karen J
I’m so sorry to hear about your health issues! It was fun getting to “know” you this year. May the rest of 2025 be kind to you!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
2/27/25
B: plain Greek yogurt with almonds, Pom arils, coffee
L: lentil soup
D: I decided to make white chicken enchiladas. I didn’t have the sour cream the recipe called for so I used some cream cheese that needed to be used. No green chilis so I used a few slices of jalapeños I had canned last summer. I had the jack cheese. They were tasty despite my substitutions. I’d planned to serve pinto beans, but couldn’t find them in the freezer. Then I found them in the back of the refrigerator, spoiled. 🙁 My only consolation was that I’d cooked them from dried so not quite as much of a loss. I opened the Kalamata olives in the pantry and made another Greek salad. I’m mixing cuisines again! I have a bit more feta cheese so maybe one more salad in the next couple of days. I added some raw carrots as another side.
Karen J
Great substitutions, Lynn! I bet the cream cheese tasted yummy in your enchiladas.