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    Home » Pantry Challenge

    Pantry Challenge – Day 5

    Published: Jan 5, 2025 · Modified: Jan 5, 2025 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    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 5 of the Pantry Challenge.

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    I was gone most of today in Los Angeles, so I have no idea what Bryan and the kids had for breakfast. Traffic was amazingly light, so I got home with plenty of time to rest and then prep our Sunday dinner.

    What We Ate

    For dinner we had Grilled Pork Tenderloin, roasted carrots, a Quick and Easy Caesar Salad, and Brazilian cheese buns, recipe from the back of the Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour.

    How did your Day 5 go for you?

    « Pantry Challenge – Day 4
    Pantry Challenge – Day 6 »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim from Colorado

      January 06, 2025 at 7:06 pm

      B- cereal
      L- burgers
      D- leftover chicken/rice/cuke-mango salad thing. My son wasn’t thrilled to have that again (not a cucumber fan) so I sliced the chicken up thin and made him a sub sandwich

      Reply
    2. Karen J

      January 06, 2025 at 6:28 pm

      Day 5
      I stayed home the entire day, which was wonderful. I made a loaf of cranberry orange bread, read a book, and re-organized one cupboard finding things that needed to be used.
      B poached eggs on the last of the bread, bacon from the freezer
      L cranberry orange bread and mandarins
      D rice bowls with pinto beans from the freezer, the last of the pork roast, cabbage, salsa and cheese

      Reply
      • Heather M

        January 06, 2025 at 7:32 pm

        Yay for a productive and relaxing day at home!

        Reply
    3. Stephanie m

      January 06, 2025 at 1:48 pm

      Hi Jessica and everyone on the challenge. I’m a bit late to the party but thanks to Heather who reminded me, I wanted to join in.

      My husband and I have had a busy year in 2024. Moved from New Jersey where we have lived all of our lives to southern Virginia. Followed our daughter, son in law and 11 month old grandson. Meanwhile we go back to New Jersey once a month to visit our other daughter and grandchildren.

      Life is very different down here. But I’m finally coming out of the culture shock.

      All that said it’s definitely time for me to do a pantry challenge even though I try very hard now not to overstock my freezer. My pantry is another story as there are some things I can’t find here so when I go to New Jersey I stock up on
      Those things even if I don’t need them yet.

      My husband is going to California tomorrow for the week so I’m on my own with food. I stick to easy fast things when he’s in business trips but I’m still using what I have and buying only what I need to make dishes with what i have.

      B – Paul had the last two hard boiled eggs, the last small pretzel roll with butter, an a yogurt parfait. I had a yogurt parfait.

      L – I had a turkey meat loaf in the freezer so I defrosted that and we had meatloaf sandwiches.

      D – I used up the last three packages of chicken sausage to make an Italian sausage soup. That will last a few days before I freeze some of the leftovers for Paul’s lunches when he gets home next week from California.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 06, 2025 at 5:59 pm

        Welcome back, Stephanie!

        Reply
        • Stephanie m

          January 07, 2025 at 3:34 am

          Thank you so much Jessica!!!

      • Tàsty

        January 06, 2025 at 6:21 pm

        Good to see you back Stephanie and congrats on the new grandson.

        Reply
        • Stephanie m

          January 07, 2025 at 3:36 am

          Hi tasty thank you so much. Nice to hear from you! That makes four grandsons!

      • Heather M

        January 06, 2025 at 7:34 pm

        Yay you’re back here, Stephanie!

        Reply
        • Stephanie m

          January 07, 2025 at 3:37 am

          Hi heather!! Thank you so much for reminding me about the pantry challenge. It’s always so nice to catch up with old friends. ??

      • Lynn from NC Outer Banks

        January 07, 2025 at 6:16 am

        Stephanie, I had missed this post when I commented. Sounds like lots of changes in your life for sure! I can see how NJ to VA could be a bit of a culture shock, but welcome south!

        Four grandsons! Congratulations on the newest one. I remember when 2 were born awhile back. I have one grandchild-a little granddaughter who’s almost 2. She is such a joy.

        Will look forward to sharing posts and catching up more!

        Reply
    4. Tasty

      January 06, 2025 at 12:00 pm

      A quick recap of day 5:
      B: our usual
      L: neither of us was really hungry so just some cheese and crackers
      S: pot roast

      Reply
    5. Heather M

      January 06, 2025 at 8:31 am

      January 5:
      In which we realized birthday (today.. the 6th) dinner out on my birthday (or even takeout/delivery) was not going to happen as every hour it seemed they upped the snowstorm totals for today. I went to bed late with snow falling and got up at 10(a nice leisurely birthday wakeup) to lots of snow and more to come before late tonight. I’d much rather be on a warm(not hot) beach under an umbrella with sand between my toes, the ocean right in front of me ready to swim in, and a book on my lap. Alas, I have a snow birthday this year. the DC area hasn’t gotten much snow the past several years, maybe one lighter storm a season. It’s been 6 years since a storm like this, and they say we may have more on saturday. Needless to say, the kids in the area are thrilled, as school (well everything) is closed and winter break extended.
      Jan 5 meals:
      Brunch: L only ate cashews until dinner; C had several pieces of sourdough toast and nibbled on some christmas chocolates; I had some more of that christmas bread and some treats as well.
      Dinner: we went out to an early dinner (5pm-we normally eat like 7:30 on weekdays, since L is rarely home from work earlier) to an upscale kebab place, a third very casual sibling to a restaurant in DC we’ve been trying to get reservations for for ages and never have any luck (Maydan)- one day we’ll get the timing right. It was great- we started with fried brussels with pomegranate molasses and a dried beef thing, sumac chips, and grilled red pepper dip with walnuts and pomegranate. all delicious. Then we all had various kebab choices with great sauces on them and amazingly all chose couscous over rice for the starch. Good dinner!

      Jessica, so glad you had a good weekend and no traffic! What a win!

      Reply
      • Kathy in Denmark

        January 06, 2025 at 9:16 am

        Happy birthday, Heather! Or should I say: Til lykke med fødselsdagen, Heather!

        I’m sorry everything is closed, but at least you get to stay in and relax. I’m sure Hubby will take you out another time when the snow clears 🙂

        Reply
        • Heather M

          January 06, 2025 at 7:36 pm

          Thank you! It was a good day at home and dinner out last night made up for it.

      • Tasty

        January 06, 2025 at 11:56 am

        Wishing you a very happy birthday Heather. Sorry you can’t get out for your birthday dinner but I’m sure it will happen at some point when the snow has stopped, or even better, disappeared.

        Reply
        • Heather M

          January 06, 2025 at 7:37 pm

          Thank you! It was a good day! You’ll read about my actual birthday dinner on the Jan 6 entry, but last night’s dinner counts for my birthday dinner out. 🙂

      • Kim from Colorado

        January 06, 2025 at 7:04 pm

        Happy birthday!
        And your dinner on the 5th sound delicious!

        Reply
        • Heather M

          January 06, 2025 at 7:38 pm

          Thank you! It really was delicious!

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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