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 9 of the Pantry Challenge!
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Today was a busy one since I was gone for most of the day.
What We Ate
Breakfast – I made sourdough crumpets and scrambled eggs.
Lunch – Packed a lunch of chicken legs, banana, and yogurt since I was gone most of the day.
Dinner – The kids made pancakes and bacon for themselves while Bryan and I had date night.
How did Day 9 go for you?
Stephanie M.
Monday, January 9, 2023
B – I had a bagel and a yogurt
L – Paul had a bagel and a yogurt.
D – leftover hamburger veggie tortellini soup. Now the rest is going in the freezer.
Emily
I went to the grocery store and spent $127! About $47 more than I meant to but there were quite a few good clearance deals as well some of our staples were on sale. I also got the last bottle of cough syrup on the shelf I haven’t been able to get any in months so I snagged it to help fight the never ending sickness. I still have about $100 left on my gift card for the month but next week I will have to drop into Costco. I think spending $100 out of pocket at Costco is still pretty good for the month. I also picked up some timbits for my kids using a gift card I got for Christmas. Hopefully kids will stop complaining so much now that I bought a couple extra snacks for them.
B- potato, onion and peppers from the freezer fried into a hash with an egg and a little cheese, Mandarin, toast with Nutella.
L- an apple with peanut butter, cheese stick, mini kind bar and 1 leftover chicken wing.
D- cabbage rolls using a very old cabbage, I went to make gf perogies but the dough was a disaster so I used some gf lasagna noodles and turned it into perogy casserole, it was great.
Heather M
Nice job pivoting with the perogies!
Jennifer
I had planned to make a large sheet pan dinner last night and then at 5 pm realized the kids were all gone. With just dh and I for dinner I shifted. Also, I never mention drinks but we drink coffee, iced tea, hot tea and water for the most part.
B – cinnamon toast or bagels, with sausage and fruit
L – leftovers from the weekend with fruit and yogurt
D – the last pack of pierogies from the summer farmer’s market. Just enough for 2 and not horrible freezer burn. Diced up a large sweet potato and roasted it to go along
Brenda
Finally back at it today. Sort of. I went to the grocery store for basics like eggs, milk, bread and fruit. I caved to DH and the kids a bit too much because I don’t have as much time to meal prep. Bonus the fridge was largely empty and I deep cleaned and organized. The freezer is getting there too, maybe by next week I can clean it out too. I’ve made progress on a couple of shelves in the pantry but I need to find 30 mins to an hour to empty and reorganize because much of it is odds and ends.
Tasty
Monday January 9th
B – the usual mix of fruit, yogurt granola and a muffin
L – Chicken noodle soup and h/m biscuits
S – quiche and salad
A quiet uneventful day, nothing into or out of any freezer except the muffins
Pat
I really should have read all the comments before commenting!
Thank you all for all the kind words, encouragement and love. I really appreciate you all.
Kimberly
Day 8-
B: cereal
L: me-broccoli cheddar soup and salad, hubby- ham and beans with cornbread, boys-sandwiches, boiled eggs, fruit
D: variety of leftovers
Day 9-
B: cereal
L: hamburgers at a restaurant…my family has been so tolerant of all the leftovers, they needed a break
D: me-lo soup, hubby-lo ham and beans with cornbread, son1- lo hamburger, son2- lo tacos
Tomorrow I must start tackling the bags of frozen pumpkin purée in the freezer! (from the garden)
Lily R.
Hi Everyone!
I am pretty late to the challenge this year but it’s been a very busy start to the year already! So far I have tried two new recipes and we have been using up some odds and ends in the pantry. I have to catch up on the previous posts and replies soon. Happy New Year everyone! Tonight’s dinner was okra with potato and shrimp served with roti. Snacks tonight will be red pears. I’ll post full days of eating moving forward.
Heather M
Hi! Yay for getting started, using things up, and trying new recipes!
Lily R.
Hi Heather! So nice to hear from you again. Hope all is well : )
Pat
There are so many familiar names in this post! Hello everyone and newbies as well. On 11/30/21 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and have spent the last 6 weeks getting used to the diagnosis and the treatment plan I have. So far, my side effects from the chemo have been minimal.
I have done this pantry challenge for a very long time and it grounds me and makes me focus on food and not all the other stuff in my life.
There are 3 adults in this house and I only plan dinner. Tonight we had one pot spaghetti and meatballs in the crock pot, sauteed green beans and garlic bread.
Kimberly
So sorry you are having to fight this battle! Hope we can be an encouragement and a distraction during this time. Food can be healing and comforting in so many ways
Jessica Fisher
So glad you’re feeling well enough to hang with us! Here’s to a winning fight!
Kathy from Ohio
So sorry to hear that so glad you are back, stay strong
Heather M
Hi Pat! This is big news. I’m very glad to hear you’re tolerating the chemo well so far. I do send you my very best wishes for treatments that do the job and kick cancer to the curb, and that you do well, both physically and emotionally. Am very happy to see you back here and look forward to more from you this month. 🙂
Danielle L Zecher
Pat, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m glad your side effects are minimal. I’m not sure if it’s something you would enjoy, but this program sends cards/encouragements to people going through chemo: https://www.chemoangels.com/.
You are one heck of an inspiration, too! You’re dealing with chemo and still doing the Pantry Challenge/planning dinner.
Pat
Danielle–Thank you for the kind words!
I’ve been doing the Pantry Challenge thru Good Cheap Eats for years! It has become second nature for me in January. Plus I learned from the best!!
Kathy in Denmark
Hi Pat!
So glad to see your name pop up – I am always impressed with how well you do in the PC each year.
I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis but thankful that the treatment seems to be tolerable for you.
I’m sending positive thoughts and prayers across the pond.
Laurie in TX
I’m going to have to take notes because I’m having a heck of a time remembering what we ate the day before! I’m pretty much over my cold but cedar fever is no joke here (allergy to cedar pollen) and my nose is still running like crazy (plus itchy eyes and foggy brain).
B – I had a toasted English muffin, almonds and milk. Hubs had a granola bar and then cereal about mid-morning.
L – Hubs had a turkey sandwich. I had a cheese stick, crackers and carrots
D – Hubs had l/o chicken noodle soup. I know I must have eaten something but for the life of me can’t remember, lol
Heather M
Oy, allergies can be the worst. I hope it isn’t too long before the environment improves for you!
Kathryn M
Finally some different stuff than Mexican food.
B: Cereal
L; chicken nuggets and homemade sweet potato fries for me. DH took Street Tacos for work.
D. A ham and potato hash with corn and onions thrown in. I added a couple of slices of cheddar that I needed to get rid of at the end for some melty goodness. I seasoned it with garlic salt and a random grill seasoning that was in the spice cabinet. It came out really good for a “clean some junk out of the fridge” meal.
Snacks this last week have been some trail mixes that I needed to get rid of, microwave popcorn, and some brownies that i made last Sunday. Clearing a few things out of the pantry that need to get used up.
Heather M
Gotta love it when a clean some junk out of the fridge creation turns out yummy!
Jen in Ohio
Sunday was our last day before school started back for my son. He’s in the school musical, so the next 5 weeks will be hectic around here with rehearsals.
I did a quick grocery run today for various toiletries plus chicken breasts for Monday dinner. I was planning to do our weekly Kroger pickup on Monday, but when I went to place the order I found out they’re back to running 2 days out. So Tuesday for the order and the need for the quick stop today.
B/L: leftovers – quiche, veggies, pizza, stromboli, fruit
D: peel-and-eat shrimp in a yummy Cajun sauce (shrimp from the freezer), French bread, lobster ravioli (last of the Costco holiday impulse purchases I believe), salad, carrot sticks, pineapple (needed to be cut up)
Making some progress I think. The garage fridge looks much more normal now, rather than stuffed with all my extra or impulse holiday purchases (ahem, Costco, lol). Still have a lot to do though! Particularly the pantry and kitchen freezer – both are quite full.
Kathy in Denmark
I kind of fell off the posting-bandwagon last week; life got in the way and I woke up with a headache most days, so I didn’t have a lot of energy.
Since we usually have the same thing for breakfast and lunch, I will just report dinners from the days I missed
Day 5: Lasagna, garlic bread, salad. Lasagna was the extra I made on day 4 and garlic bread was made with flatbread, butter and garlic
Day 6: Chili sin carne with rice and garlic bread. The garlic bread was made with the last two flatbreads in the packet and the leftover garlic butter from the day before
Day 7: Lasagna, chili sin carne and pasta dish with bacon and cream cheese. We had 3 small pieces of lasagna and some chili sin carne plus rice left. I used up a small amount of bacon bits and half a packet of spaghetti to make the pasta dish.
Day 8: We had a big lunch at my MIL, so the kids just had HM rolls and so did DH. I had the last serving of pasta.
Day 9: Rye bread with different toppings.
We continued to have Christmas goodies for snacks, and I think we can see the end of them (finally!) I also managed to use some things from our freezer, so it was an ok week.
However, my daughter had won a birthday cake when we put her picture in the local paper to wish her a happy birthday. It had to be collected before a certain date, so we decided to just order it, even though we can’t really have a party for her friends right now because og you-know-what. We picked it up Saturday and visited my MIL who lives in the same town as the store where we picked up the cake. We really didn’t know how big it would be, but it was huge! I would say it could feed 20 people. Luckily this kind of cake freezes well, so after having some and leaving some with my MIL, I stuffed every nook and cranny in our freezer with cake. I guess it’s a good thing we aren’t dieting this January 😀
I’m going to read what everyone else has had on the days I missed and then I hope to be back to normal posting tomorrow.
Heather M
Hi Kathy! Glad you’re back and hope those headaches stay away! You did a great job last week despite not feeling well. And, good job stuffing the cake in the freezer. We, too, have quite a few goodies hanging around since the holidays so I think we are good for sweet treats for the month. At least. 🙂
Kathy in Denmark
Hi Heather!
The headaches are getting better and I am trying to get some more sleep, which I suspect might help.
Tell me about the Christmas goodies! It’s amazing how long they hang around. I suppose I could just let the kids go crazy and eradicate the rest, but I really don’t think that is a good idea lol.
Danielle L Zecher
Breakfast: I had leftover Tropical Grill food. Hubby slept in.
Lunch: We ordered pizza.
Dinner: More pizza.
Heather M
Glad you were able to find some produce last week, even if it wasn’t ideal. Hoping that now I’m around for a while I can stay ahead of any future storms and keep us in produce before the deliveries may get messed up. I guess we’ll both see how it goes. 🙂
Tasty
Sunday January 9th
B – grapefruit, pineapple,yogurt and granola for hubby, banana, cheese and a muffin for me.
L – tomato soup and french bread. The soup was made in the fall with our own tomatoes and canned,.
S – beefy nachos. A slice of cheesecake each for dessert.
A tiny dent made in the freezer when I took out ground beef and french bread – it all helps.
Jennifer
Yesterday when sorting through the fridge to see what produce I needed for the week I realized that my hubby had picked up our egg delivery while I was out of town. So we got 2 dozen fresh off the farm eggs for $10. I also went to the grocery store and spent $24.95. I am at $60 for the month. I got carrots, onion, celery, cucumbers. I also stocked up on beef sticks that were on deep discount – I will hoard these for traveling as everyone thinks they are a great treat when traveling. I also got my daughter a drink she loves and myself a box of cookies to go with my work lunches this week. $24.95 is not horrible, but obviously it could have been better.
B – homemade chocolate chip muffins, grapefruit
L – triscuits with summer sausage and various cheeses, apples, ds had leftover swedish meatballs
D – stuffed peppers using up 5 frozen peppers (taking up lots of space) and 1 fresh, cucumber slices and steamed broccoli.
I am truly running low of produce, especially fruit, however I have odd things that we don’t normally eat that really need using up like brussels sprouts, butternut squash, broccoli, etc. I am determined to keep using that stuff before making a Costco run for more produce.
Heather M
Hi there! This using up the odd things is one of my rules during the Challenge so I don’t waste anything. Sometimes we discover new dishes we love, other times I realize why we rarely buy an item, lol. Good luck using up all those not-usual for you ingredients 🙂
Stephanie M.
Sorry I posted twice by accident. Oops.
Stephanie M.
January 9
B – whole wheat pancakes and turkey sausage.
L – Paul had appetizers leftover from Christmas Eve (pigs in a blanket and crab rangoons) along with carrot sticks, cucumbers, ranch dressing and two clementines.
D – pot roast, mashed potatoes, and peas.
Stephanie M.
January 9
I woke up at 1:30 and finally got out of bed at 2:00 because I couldn’t fall back asleep. I watched king of queens and when that was over I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. They were in the plan for breakfast but it was never in the plan for me to make them in the middle of the night. But I did.
B – whole wheat pancakes and turkey sausage.
L – paul had some appetizers from the freezer leftover from Christmas Eve (pigs in a blanket and crab rangoons) along with carrot sticks, cucumbers, ranch dressing and two clementines. Appetizers are a good choice for lunch on Sundays since we usually eat dinner earlier and I still have quite a few appetizers left. I had the last of the tuna fish and two clementines.
D – pot roast, mashed potatoes, and peas. (I could have done without cooking this dinner since I was tired but now at least I don’t have to cook on Monday).
Sandi
I’m a little late to this party which makes me sad since I love the PC. Right after NY, I found a big package of ground beef for a decent price so I bought it without thinking about it being Jan. I cooked up 3 lbs of taco meat (nachos that night) and divvied the raw & cooked into 1 lb packs and put most of all that into the freezer. I wanted to make unstuffed peppers so also bought the peppers and then haven’t done anything with them yet. Yikes. I have 1 lb of fresh beef I didn’t freeze and think I’ll make chili with that. I usually do white chili or black bean veggie chili but ol’ fashioned beef and kidney beans? It’s been over a decade. I’m in N FL, where winter temps yoyo, but we are due for a cold snap this week so timing should be good.
Other than that misstep, I have been doing a good job working on freezer foods lately. I’ve used up the tri-tip, some fish, some chicken drumsticks, a soup, breakfast sausages, and some other odds and ends. We’ve also been whittling down the pantry so I feel quite virtuous. Never mind that the freezer still has no room for anything else to go into it!
The kid and I have been sharing one vehicle lately. I have 2 jobs, he has 1, and none of them are regular set schedules so our household has been chaotic at best for a couple of weeks. It will be quite a relief when he gets his car back, but it’s made meal planning a completely absurd thought in the meantime.
Kathy in Denmark
My hat’s off to you for doing the PC while having to juggle a difficult schedule and only having one car. I think you are doing great!
Heather M
January 9 was a quiet day around here, husband gone from 8-1:30ish, I stayed in on a cold and rainy day. I snacked a lot(bread and cheese, an apple, caramel corn,
veggies and dip, etc), then wasn’t hungry for dinner. Around 3 I realized he hadn’t eaten yet today and made him a toasted turkey and cheese sandwich, finishing up that loaf of bread before it got hard. After watching a long football game, I decided since I wasn’t hungry and it was 7:30 that I’d just heat up the one serving of leftover spaghetti for him, at a little ice cream myself and called it good. On to real meals for both of us this week!
Kathy in Denmark
I think your husband sounds like mine. If I don’t feed him, he doesn’t really eat anything. I don’t know how he does it; I get hangry if I don’t eat regularly 😀
Happy belated birthday, by the way! I hope you had a great day!
Heather M
Thanks, Kathy! I did have a good day. Yes, he’s like that even though he loves food. Before we met he would eat one big meal a day, purchased. It’s good I like cooking/the kitchen. We balance each other out. And also, all the Christmas treats include homemade cookies (only a few left, finally), boxes of some sort of cookie from both france and italy, tons of candy(including See’s which is from California where I grew up and 2 different bags of covered macadamia nuts from Hawaii), some homemade spiced almonds, and homemade jam. I am sure I’m forgetting some, too. It’s a lot and we will be good at sweet-tooth satisfying for quite a while. 🙂