Pantry Clean Out!

[pocomom]

Ok so end of our first week being back to school and work after our summer holidays and ....... I have failed terribly for dinners The kids have taken lunch from home each day - it is typical for kids here to take their lunches - we don't have school cafeteria's like you guys do but we do have what are called 'tuckshops' that the kids can buy food from I suppose they are kind of like a café of sorts that sell a range of quick service type foods. I have also done well with lunches taking it from home each day.

School didn't start until Wednesday so 3 days this week - so here is the confession:

Wednesday - I had totally forgotten to plan and take the meat out of the freezer - so after hockey fitness training for the 2 boys (5-6pm) we grabbed McDonalds on the way home
Thursday - my oldest boy got a part-time job this week Yeah! and he had induction training from 4.30-7.30pm his sister and I did his paper route delivery (6-7pm) then it just seemed easier to grab dinner at the shops when we picked him up - Mexican
Friday - I have had a super busy start to work - no air-conditioning in my office and it has been SUPER HOT and humid here the last few days with us also getting storms from the heat. So heat and busyness meant that I left work at 4pm feeling totally blaah and headache starting and no motivation to cook anything! So takeout pizza it was after picking up the kids from my parents I fell asleep on the couch between 5.30-6pm my daughter woke me at 8.30 to tell me she was going to bed so I joined her .

I have this afternoon worked out the dinners for the next week and will do a shop tomorrow for things we need for those and breakfast/lunches - so am aiming to have a better week this week I'm going to try pre-cooking a few things tomorrow and doing a crock-pot meal on Monday.

Oh and another good thing my daughter the queen of wanting take-out told me the other day that she has been liking our eating at home more and said we had been eating yummy food

Hope you all have a good week.

Happens to us all from time to time! Cooking ahead is huge typically if I'm cooking I make at least 2 meals, either a double batch I can freeze or another dish for the next day. Feels like half as much work!
I have a calendar posted now with what our scheduled dinners are- gets the kids really involved and helps me remember what I need to do. We frequently switch what day we are having what, but to date have been pretty good about falling off plan altogether!

 

[pocomom]

So shopped last night for the coming week and spent $55. Woke up this morning and ran to get some fasting blood work done. Came home ready to enjoy a nice cup of tea - and all the milk is gone! I bought 3 gallons last week. My kids drank 3 gallons of milk in less than a week my budget can't wait for my kids sports to calm down in March. They just eat Sooooo much right now, I swear they are all hollow.
Making some homemade power bars today. After I get home from the store

 

[TwoMisfits]

Ok so end of our first week being back to school and work after our summer holidays and ....... I have failed terribly for dinners The kids have taken lunch from home each day - it is typical for kids here to take their lunches - we don't have school cafeteria's like you guys do but we do have what are called 'tuckshops' that the kids can buy food from I suppose they are kind of like a café of sorts that sell a range of quick service type foods. I have also done well with lunches taking it from home each day.

School didn't start until Wednesday so 3 days this week - so here is the confession:

Wednesday - I had totally forgotten to plan and take the meat out of the freezer - so after hockey fitness training for the 2 boys (5-6pm) we grabbed McDonalds on the way home
Thursday - my oldest boy got a part-time job this week Yeah! and he had induction training from 4.30-7.30pm his sister and I did his paper route delivery (6-7pm) then it just seemed easier to grab dinner at the shops when we picked him up - Mexican
Friday - I have had a super busy start to work - no air-conditioning in my office and it has been SUPER HOT and humid here the last few days with us also getting storms from the heat. So heat and busyness meant that I left work at 4pm feeling totally blaah and headache starting and no motivation to cook anything! So takeout pizza it was after picking up the kids from my parents I fell asleep on the couch between 5.30-6pm my daughter woke me at 8.30 to tell me she was going to bed so I joined her .

I have this afternoon worked out the dinners for the next week and will do a shop tomorrow for things we need for those and breakfast/lunches - so am aiming to have a better week this week I'm going to try pre-cooking a few things tomorrow and doing a crock-pot meal on Monday.

Oh and another good thing my daughter the queen of wanting take-out told me the other day that she has been liking our eating at home more and said we had been eating yummy food

Hope you all have a good week.

If your weeks can get overwhelmed, there's nothing wrong with keeping a "fast food" meal or two in your freezer. I routinely keep veggie pizzas in my freezer for the nights I need something done in 30 minutes with no work on my part (everyone grabs fruit with the pizza and it's a done deal). You can grab these for $5 or less (even the "healthy" ones) on sale and keep 2-3 in the freezer for the days you can't cook. I did this once last week and restocked the pizzas on my last grocery trip on Frday...it's cheaper and healthier than take out pizza (hard to beat $10 or less for 2 pizzas with 3-4 toppings each, particularly ones where I can read the ingredients and know what's in them)...

 

[ariel1025]

Ok so end of our first week being back to school and work after our summer holidays and ....... I have failed terribly for dinners The kids have taken lunch from home each day - it is typical for kids here to take their lunches - we don't have school cafeteria's like you guys do but we do have what are called 'tuckshops' that the kids can buy food from I suppose they are kind of like a café of sorts that sell a range of quick service type foods. I have also done well with lunches taking it from home each day.

School didn't start until Wednesday so 3 days this week - so here is the confession:

Wednesday - I had totally forgotten to plan and take the meat out of the freezer - so after hockey fitness training for the 2 boys (5-6pm) we grabbed McDonalds on the way home
Thursday - my oldest boy got a part-time job this week Yeah! and he had induction training from 4.30-7.30pm his sister and I did his paper route delivery (6-7pm) then it just seemed easier to grab dinner at the shops when we picked him up - Mexican
Friday - I have had a super busy start to work - no air-conditioning in my office and it has been SUPER HOT and humid here the last few days with us also getting storms from the heat. So heat and busyness meant that I left work at 4pm feeling totally blaah and headache starting and no motivation to cook anything! So takeout pizza it was after picking up the kids from my parents I fell asleep on the couch between 5.30-6pm my daughter woke me at 8.30 to tell me she was going to bed so I joined her .

I have this afternoon worked out the dinners for the next week and will do a shop tomorrow for things we need for those and breakfast/lunches - so am aiming to have a better week this week I'm going to try pre-cooking a few things tomorrow and doing a crock-pot meal on Monday.

Oh and another good thing my daughter the queen of wanting take-out told me the other day that she has been liking our eating at home more and said we had been eating yummy food

Hope you all have a good week.

As others have said, it happens to us all! That's why we're all here to support and encourage each other's successes and failures. Don't beat yourself up over all the fast food. Just keep a positive vibe moving forward and leave the less-than-perfect days behind you

I also second what @TwoMisfits said, keep some quick and easy meals in the freezers for these very occasions!

 

[Zoesmama03]

Struggling so much this week to figure out meal plan. I keep changing it. AHHH I gotta get it together because I need to shop. Otherwise I'll end up going to get something quick I know these kids will eat mac and cheese and hot dogs and doing the shopping in the morning. I'd probably like that better anyway because my Fry's(a Kroger store) gets sooooo packed. I may make it to the farmer's market chain store(Sprouts) to get a few sale items and the chicken deal I was going to do at "fry's" was buy one get two free but it works out quite a bit cheaper per pound if I go to Sprouts. I need 5-6 skinless/boneless breasts for the meal plan I "think" I settled on.

Oh and if you like pot pies and have kroger stores should be .29 each in quantities of 6 or paired with other stuff on the buy 6 sale. Pretty sure all the kroger stores do this. I was thinking of tatertot casserole but I think I decided on that instead. I know my dd won't eat one but she has spaghetti o's still. Or can eat something else leftover that night. I'm sure the 3 of us that will eat them will need 2 for a filling dinner. but still if she makes herself spaghetti o's(we already have but is valued at about .99 cents) or Ramen that is still under $5 for a dinner meal. Really under $3. mac and cheese and hot dogs will run us anywhere from 7-9 depending on the hot dogs I get. Without kids with I can make them do with cheap bar s ones. I hate them personally(mac and cheese too) but try to deal one night a month so they get their mac and cheese.

Hopefully can keep the budget. DD wants to go skating this weekend. Maybe tomorrow. I'm undecided if I'll attempt to go myself. I did for years but its been 15 years or so. And the last time I tried quad skates my balance was way off from learning inline/rollerblades that I had to go exchange for inline. I'm only slightly afraid of weight on them but more so if I did fall somehow I have such a problem getting up off the floor due to bad/weak knees and wrists that just can't handle the weight. Of course the exercise is a "cure" hehe

Guess I better get back to work on finalizing the shopping plans. Just trying to guesstimate the costs is daunting and trying to keep under or around $70. People just won't get the dessert sweets they wanted stuff for smores and ice cream. That would be my "extra" kid. It's my friends nearly 14 year old who is now living with us. He will likely have to wait or get my brother to pick that stuff up because my calculations aren't leaving much room for that stuff.

Ok so end of our first week being back to school and work after our summer holidays and ....... I have failed terribly for dinners The kids have taken lunch from home each day - it is typical for kids here to take their lunches - we don't have school cafeteria's like you guys do but we do have what are called 'tuckshops' that the kids can buy food from I suppose they are kind of like a café of sorts that sell a range of quick service type foods. I have also done well with lunches taking it from home each day.

School didn't start until Wednesday so 3 days this week - so here is the confession:

Wednesday - I had totally forgotten to plan and take the meat out of the freezer - so after hockey fitness training for the 2 boys (5-6pm) we grabbed McDonalds on the way home
Thursday - my oldest boy got a part-time job this week Yeah! and he had induction training from 4.30-7.30pm his sister and I did his paper route delivery (6-7pm) then it just seemed easier to grab dinner at the shops when we picked him up - Mexican
Friday - I have had a super busy start to work - no air-conditioning in my office and it has been SUPER HOT and humid here the last few days with us also getting storms from the heat. So heat and busyness meant that I left work at 4pm feeling totally blaah and headache starting and no motivation to cook anything! So takeout pizza it was after picking up the kids from my parents I fell asleep on the couch between 5.30-6pm my daughter woke me at 8.30 to tell me she was going to bed so I joined her .

I have this afternoon worked out the dinners for the next week and will do a shop tomorrow for things we need for those and breakfast/lunches - so am aiming to have a better week this week I'm going to try pre-cooking a few things tomorrow and doing a crock-pot meal on Monday.

Oh and another good thing my daughter the queen of wanting take-out told me the other day that she has been liking our eating at home more and said we had been eating yummy food

Hope you all have a good week.

Some weeks are like that. So great that your daughter is enjoying the home cooked food. Mine just got sooooo picky in the last couple years on meat. She will eat all the veggies I could throw at her but meat is like blah. Very little she will eat in that department.

 

[Zoesmama03]

If your weeks can get overwhelmed, there's nothing wrong with keeping a "fast food" meal or two in your freezer. I routinely keep veggie pizzas in my freezer for the nights I need something done in 30 minutes with no work on my part (everyone grabs fruit with the pizza and it's a done deal). You can grab these for $5 or less (even the "healthy" ones) on sale and keep 2-3 in the freezer for the days you can't cook. I did this once last week and restocked the pizzas on my last grocery trip on Frday...it's cheaper and healthier than take out pizza (hard to beat $10 or less for 2 pizzas with 3-4 toppings each, particularly ones where I can read the ingredients and know what's in them)...

Yes in the past I have kept totinos in the fridge for nights I forgot to pull meats out but the way I've been shopping by the week I haven't had to pull anything out of freezer because I'm shopping weekly. Only issue would be chicken for us omnis which is something we are doing this week. I planned to do the chicken both within the first two days of getting it because it doesn't stay in fridge much more than that. I'm thinking enchiladas probably tomorrow because of how late it is already and that takes me hours of prep work(peeling, rinsing tomatillos and chiles that have been roasted and blending of them all not mention mixing up the pico/salsa) it seems I try to do the chicken in the crock pot because it cooks while I work on the rest. . LOL and then bbq chicken probably the Monday. Leftovers Wednesday and pot pies on Thursday. Friday is pay day and it will be a lot fuller amount to work with. But hoping to have some deals pop up next Wednesday that I can do a little stock up on meats maybe. Then it will help the shorter weeks.

 

[4Mickeys]

Thank you friends for your support - I knew you would understand

I am starting to run out of room in the freezer - due to my trying to be better at shopping and stocking up on meat when on sale as well as some trips to Costco which means bigger bags of chicken nuggets and fries also there must always be room for ice-cream in our freezer or my children don't know what to do lol.

I am in debt dumping mode at the moment so can't afford to buy a freezer but I will plan a couple of meals to see if I can squeeze them in there .

Mine just got sooooo picky in the last couple years on meat. She will eat all the veggies I could throw at her but meat is like blah. Very little she will eat in that department.

I can be hard with picky eaters - my oldest son is the picky although he does like meat - his main go to fruit is watermelon or apples - I have managed to stretch him into grapes and oranges but that took a huge effort over a long time. He doesn't like any salad foods, dressings or sauce (he has a hot dog with nothing on it but the dog I don't know how he can eat it lol), he will now eat coleslaw mix on a wrap with ham or chicken but without any dressing. He will eat gravy he loves that. Veggies he is getting better at.

People just won't get the dessert sweets they wanted stuff for smores and ice cream. That would be my "extra" kid. It's my friends nearly 14 year old who is now living with us.

Yes some deserts are more a luxury than others given that he's just moved in with you, you don't want to set him up thinking he is having all sorts of deserts every night. Better that there are a few nights with the special deserts when they can be afforded.

Cooking ahead is huge typically if I'm cooking I make at least 2 meals, either a double batch I can freeze or another dish for the next day. Feels like half as much work!

This is a habit I am going to develop - I used to shop week to week but have reworked my budget and am now able to have the whole grocery budget at the start of the month for the month (if that makes sense) whilst I know I will have to be careful to not run out I think it may give me more freedom to purchase on sale items in bigger amounts and then be able to do bigger cook ups.

 

[Zoesmama03]

$40 so far and my list for the final stop later is just around $29 estimate on items I'm not sure on price. I think I'll do better and even might get the ice cream treat if enough is left. I don't eat much myself mostly my brother and extra kid but I will usually have a bowl once in awhile to remind myself of my lactose intolerance. So pretty much sticking with my $70 budget and even had two things I added that weren't on the first plans. Did remove a couple things so that helped. Though I am getting two non food items ivory 3 pack of bar soap at .60(after 40 cent digital coupon) and feminine supplies because I do not want to run out if I start and DD too. She's over due but doesn't bother her that they are skipping its better than what she used to have which was non stop. Poor kid was so excited when she didn't have that all the time anymore(took a tough decision to let gyn put her on 3 months of pill at age 11 to try to jump start a cycle pattern and it worked 9 months later and if anything she skips months). Pad supply was eating through our budget before. Sorry if there are any men lurking about in here. Seemed like mostly ladies.

 

[megs193]

An unexpected snow day helped me clean out my freezer a little more. I had lunch plans with a friend which were cancelled when the kids school was cancelled. We had frozen wontons in the freezer that I fried in a little olive oil and made a dipping sauce to go with them. My picky child had the last of the frozen meatballs. I had frozen bananas in the freezer so I took those out and we just made banana bread for a snack. I was planning on stopping at the farmers market for some peppers for dinner so I could make a new pasta dish. Instead of going out in the snow I think I am just going to make chicken parmigiana with pasta. My freezer is more empty than I've seen it since we moved into the house. I am definitely going to take advantage of that this weekend and clean it out.

 

[4Mickeys]

@Zoesmamma03 glad to hear things have settled down for your daughter poor kid.

Ok I'm feeling a little more back on track. And now have 2 meals in the freezer gumbo (I did a big double batch) and taco mince (there was enough left over tonight for a whole other meal for all of us I think).

I think tomorrow night will be an easy night maybe toasted sandwiches as we are having a lunch time party for my Aunty's 70th at my cousins place.
Monday: Lasagne
Tuesday: Pot Roast in the slow cooker
Wednesday: Roast beef and gravy sandwiches with left over pot roast (kids loved this last time)
Thursday: Soft Chicken Tacos

That's all I have so far - need to think about it some more.

Have a great week everyone

 

[Zoesmama03]

Oh gosh with a bigger pay check this week I'm fighting the urge to just go shop and skip making plan and list. ahh I did start a list but didn't plan meals. I decided to get KFC tonight because I wanted to try the new hot chicken. Not sure what I think of it. Not worth the cost though I'm thinking. Spent way too much there. I'll finish a list for the store and keep to it. We are stuffed and have lots of left overs for lunch this weekend. lol Probably will be some chicken at least left for me to take to work Monday too.

Not sure what we'll have for dinner tomorrow but I'll get 5 meals planned out and make a list. Not super impressed with the sales ads this week. It will either be crock pot meal or something fairly quick to cook because we'll be out 4:30-7pm skating.

 

[ariel1025]

After a months long hiatus, I am going to attempt to resurrect this thread

Personally, we did well for a while. Then summer came, then vacation, then my husband had knee surgery and...well...the restaurant expenses and food waste aren't looking so good.

My Mom came to stay with us to help out with the kids while my husband was on bed rest the first two weeks following his surgery which was the biggest blessing ever. To add onto that, she went grocery shopping for us before she left.

Here's where we're starting



My goal today is to get the fridge cleaned out/organized. And then get a plan in place for at least this coming week. Needless to say, we are very lucky and starting from a good place. It should be easy in the beginning, but I know the dread of cooking in the kitchen will fade after time, so I need this thread to help hold me accountable!

 

[pjlla]

After a months long hiatus, I am going to attempt to resurrect this thread

Personally, we did well for a while. Then summer came, then vacation, then my husband had knee surgery and...well...the restaurant expenses and food waste aren't looking so good.

My Mom came to stay with us to help out with the kids while my husband was on bed rest the first two weeks following his surgery which was the biggest blessing ever. To add onto that, she went grocery shopping for us before she left.

Here's where we're starting

My goal today is to get the fridge cleaned out/organized. And then get a plan in place for at least this coming week. Needless to say, we are very lucky and starting from a good place. It should be easy in the beginning, but I know the dread of cooking in the kitchen will fade after time, so I need this thread to help hold me accountable!

WOW.... that's a lot of food! I'd say you could eat from the fridge/freezer and pantry for weeks! Love to see this thread brought back to life.

I haven't gotten away from the pantry clean-out mode..... in fact, just today, for lunch, I used up a carton of butternut squash soup that I'm SURE has been in the pantry for 6 months....plus a small container of butternut squash baby food (not sure why I ever bought that!)....combined them together and ate for lunch. And for dinner I used up some single-serve hummus that no one else liked plus some homecooked black beans (can't get much cheaper for protein than that!). I've got a short road trip next week that involves 4 hotel nights, plus a family vacation soon after that, then a trip to California with DD in September and a surprise for DH's birthday..... add to that DH's car bit the dust unexpectedly plus TWO tuition payments and the budget is BEYOND tight!! We are BLESSED that our garden is producing really well and we haven't needed to buy much in the way of green veggies in a few weeks..... but we don't grow chickens or eggs or beef or bananas, so groceries need to happen!

Interested to hear how others have been doing with their pantry challenges!.............P

 

[ariel1025]

WOW.... that's a lot of food! I'd say you could eat from the fridge/freezer and pantry for weeks! Love to see this thread brought back to life.

I haven't gotten away from the pantry clean-out mode..... in fact, just today, for lunch, I used up a carton of butternut squash soup that I'm SURE has been in the pantry for 6 months....plus a small container of butternut squash baby food (not sure why I ever bought that!)....combined them together and ate for lunch. And for dinner I used up some single-serve hummus that no one else liked plus some homecooked black beans (can't get much cheaper for protein than that!). I've got a short road trip next week that involves 4 hotel nights, plus a family vacation soon after that, then a trip to California with DD in September and a surprise for DH's birthday..... add to that DH's car bit the dust unexpectedly plus TWO tuition payments and the budget is BEYOND tight!! We are BLESSED that our garden is producing really well and we haven't needed to buy much in the way of green veggies in a few weeks..... but we don't grow chickens or eggs or beef or bananas, so groceries need to happen!

Interested to hear how others have been doing with their pantry challenges!.............P

Yes, it is an obscene amount of food. Our first goal is to only buy the bare bone basics (milk, bread, fresh fruit, fresh veggies) for the next two weeks. After that we'll take another look and go from there. But I definitely think we could easily get at least a month out of it all.

So glad to hear that you are still going strong with the pantry clean out mode and that you're glad to have the thread back running

Yay for so many upcoming trips - how exciting!!! Bummer about the car though

 

[Eureka]

Between being unemployed and going on vacation soon, my goal this summer has been to eat down as much as possible and try to waste less than we have in the past. I've gone back to writing out a menu for each week so I don't forget about things I bought...mainly produce.

 

[ariel1025]

Between being unemployed and going on vacation soon, my goal this summer has been to eat down as much as possible and try to waste less than we have in the past. I've gone back to writing out a menu for each week so I don't forget about things I bought...mainly produce.

A menu is definitely a big help! For me, I can know what food I have in the house in my head, but when it's time to actually cook I go blank unless I have a menu to guide me.

 

[ariel1025]

How'd everyone's weekend go?

We are off to a good start. For breakfast the kids had leftover bacon and biscuits from the day prior. Hubs and I had leftover sausage and egg casserole and the remaining biscuits. Lunch was also a mish-mash of leftovers and pantry items that included macaronis, breakfast casserole and peanut butter sandwiches. Snacks for the kids was tortillas with jam. My in-laws called to take us to dinner minutes after I put ours in the oven. Saying no to them is asking for a war, so after the food finished cooking I sealed it up and we met them to eat (they paid). Stopped at Target on the way home for milk, $2.29 after using a 5% cartwheel ($22.71 left in the food budget for the week).

Today we had lazy man's breakfast (cereal). Lunch was, once again, a mish-mash of leftovers. This time it included the remainder of the macaronis, chicken and sweet potato fries (what was intended to be Saturday night's dinner) and leftovers from eating out with his family. Dinner was spaghetti with garlic bread and strawberries. Had to use three different types of noodles (wheat, white and veggie enriched), so that was a tad interesting but it worked. Used the last jar of marinara - added spices from the pantry and fresh basil from the garden to up the flavor

 

[pearlieq]

We're about to move in a month so I've begun the project of having us clear out the fridge/freezer. If he could, I suspect DH would cheerfully eat 90% of his meals in restaurants so it's a bit of a challenge to get him on board with eating at home for long stretches, but he's been pretty cooperative. I think the fact he's excited about the move is helping.

I'll be using up the last of my frozen ground beef in a shepherd's pie today. Tomorrow is the last of the frozen chili with arepas. I've got to come up with a plan for cheese ravioli when I've got no more pasta sauce left (maybe a garlic/olive oil sauce?), one last chicken breast, and some frozen chicken tenders.

As I've been doing these I've been amazed to realize how much grocery shopping I'd actually been doing. I probably wound up in a store 3-4 times a week and that $20 here and $30 there really added up!!!

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

glad to see this getting revived I thought about this group the other day. the goal was to spend a lot less this shopping trip and use heavily from the freezer because I had been stockpiling like a nut. yea we still blew the budget on nonsense getting extra things that we wanted but didn't necessarily need. ugh....oh well move on do better next time and get the freezer cleaned out!

 

[Arich01]

Glad to see this thread! Sticking to budget and using up the pantry and freezer is my main goal lately! It's been kind of hard with a new room mate moving in (big eater) and hubby's Birthday yesterday, but I'm doing pretty good! We hosted a bbq for friends and family where we smoked some ribs and grilled hot dogs. I had other people bring sides and it worked out well- not too much out of the budget on our end. I'm pretty happy that hubby chose to stay home and grill steaks yesterday instead of going out for dinner! I spent $40 on steaks, and used potatoes and green beans (green bean casserole at hubs request) from the pantry so we did good, especially for a b-day dinner!