Pre-holiday pantry challenge

[HLDisney]

I'm very pleased with myself. I was trying to come up with a dinner for my DD and I on Sunday, without going out to buy anything. I found I had a can of refrigerated biscuit so I put that in the ingredients search at Allrecipes, along with some other ingredients I had (pepperoni slices and pizza sauce) and found Lunch Box Pizza. I made it and my DD loved it so much that we not only had it for dinner but she also brought it for her school lunch on Monday (it's good hot and cold)

I'm usually not good about coming up with things like this but I'm trying to get better at it.

Helen

 

[Irin997]

I'm in! Better late than never, right?

Maybe you guys can help me out with a couple things. I cook for just DD8 and myself so we ALWAYS have leftovers that I toss in the freezer. I need some help figuring out what to do with already cooked and made:

- A lot of chili - well, for 1 and half people anyway
- 3/4 of a Pork tenderloin roast

Hopefully you guys will help inspire some new dinners for me to make!

Tonight is tacos with lettuce and tomatoes in the fridge that I haven't even looked at since I bought them. Luckily they are still good!

I actually started making a menu for the whole month this morning before even reading this thread. And the organizer I am, I did up a calendar on Word so I could type in the menu and print it out.

 

[Irin997]

I'm usually not good about coming up with things like this but I'm trying to get better at it.

I'm terrible at it too! I want to be creative but it just never seems to work out that way!

 

[WDWHo]

I'm in! Better late than never, right?

Maybe you guys can help me out with a couple things. I cook for just DD8 and myself so we ALWAYS have leftovers that I toss in the freezer. I need some help figuring out what to do with already cooked and made:

- A lot of chili - well, for 1 and half people anyway
- 3/4 of a Pork tenderloin roast

Hopefully you guys will help inspire some new dinners for me to make!

Tonight is tacos with lettuce and tomatoes in the fridge that I haven't even looked at since I bought them. Luckily they are still good!

I actually started making a menu for the whole month this morning before even reading this thread. And the organizer I am, I did up a calendar on Word so I could type in the menu and print it out.

You could add some velveeta to the chilli and make a great queso....my family loves that. You would really stretch it if say you were having some people over.

 

[keenercam]

Irin -- I'd also use the pork roast for at least 2 things.
Pork fried rice
Recipe: scramble an egg, open a can of peas and a can of corn, make some brown rice, "fry" it all together with cubed (small) pork roast mixed with soy sauce. Delicious, filling meal and really good cold, too.

Pork stir fry:
Pull out any frozen veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beans and "fry them" in a pan, add large chunks of pork. Add some soy sauce just to add a bit of extra flavor. Another quick, filling meal that includes protein and which is also good cold.

By the way, I've also done both of the above with leftover chicken and leftover beef (like if we've grilled a london broil and put the leftovers in the freezer).

I always try to have brown rice in the pantry. It is a great base for many recipes.

 

[WDWHo]

Ok dinner tonight was:

London Broil
Asperagus
Rice

Just cubed the leftover meat and used the rest to make Fried Rice for dinner for tommorow. Probably have enough for two dinners.

 

[Jen117]

I'm in! Better late than never, right?

- A lot of chili - well, for 1 and half people anyway
- 3/4 of a Pork tenderloin roast

My mom always made pork and gravy over noodles with leftover pork. Cube up the pork and heat it in gravy (left over, canned, or made with powder).

Leftover chili is great over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream. Or make chili nachos.

 

[annsteere]

We have LOTS of potatoes. So, last night was creamed chicken over mashed potatoes.

I've got a bag of frozen strawberries that you've inspired me to make with buttermilk pancakes for breakfast on Sat. That will be a nice change from all the cereal we've been eating. (At least we had a variety stocked up).

Tonight will be a pasta, chicken, broccoli dish. When I walked in from school, DH announced that he was making dinner and that he had found everything he needed except for a head of broccoli. He'd already gone to the store to pick it up. That's our first grocery purchase this week and dinner prepared for me is definitely worth the cost of some fresh broccoli.

Our grocery bill since my first post is still less than $10

 

[Jen117]

Tonight is BBQ chicken legs from the freezer, homemade baked french fries using potatoes we had on hand, and some onion rings from the freezer. I will make a veggie also, maybe a can of green beans and the kids love those.

My grocery shopping list is really small so far... yah!

 

[neatokimmo]

The kiddo had breakfast and lunch at preschool. I skipped breakfast and had a salad & some more of that darn lasagna for lunch.

For dinner we had tortilla pizzas, a pepperoni one and a cheese one. We also had apples.

I have one more lunch packed up for that lasagna then the last 2 portions are going into the freezer. SOO sick of it!

 

[PaulaSue]

I am not doing well. Went to Target and bought cereal and quaker bars (with coupons) plus a bunch of stuff I need to make cookies for a benefit Dance in a few weeks. Approx $20 more today, plus out to dinner with friends...

 

[charming23]

I fell a little off the wagon at the store today to get stuff for a get together tonight. I had most things in the house but I needed a few things and ended up spending more than i should have but the menu for tonight is mostly from the freezer

Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches with Pasta salad, fruit and veggie sticks. I also am making apple dumplings for dessert.

 

[Swimnoid]

DH is unintentionally helping with the pantry challenge. He has the flu or something and is not eating so the pork roast I made last night will last at least another couple of meals. I was going to grill steaks tonight but that's going to have to wait for a couple of days. We'll be using up some canned soup. I think. I still have to go get some dog food though.

 

[Irin997]

You could add some velveeta to the chilli and make a great queso....my family loves that. You would really stretch it if say you were having some people over.

This sounds really really yummy. We may try the chili nachos too. DD8 likes nachos....in fact when I make chili, she eats it with tortilla chips!

Pork fried rice
Recipe: scramble an egg, open a can of peas and a can of corn, make some brown rice, "fry" it all together with cubed (small) pork roast mixed with soy sauce. Delicious, filling meal and really good cold, too.

I will definitely do this...I did have this thought originally so I guess I'll give it a shot!

My mom always made pork and gravy over noodles with leftover pork. Cube up the pork and heat it in gravy (left over, canned, or made with powder).

Leftover chili is great over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream. Or make chili nachos.

Love the pork & gravy idea....and of course chili nachos. Yum, I'm hungry now!

Tacos went well last night. I perfectly portioned out the meat (I buy in bulk and separate into packets) for all of dinner tonight plus enough for DD8 to take a taco to school for lunch. She's all excited to eat her taco. Lettuce and tomato were still good so I have to make sure to eat those up this week!

Dinner tonight is soup & grilled cheese. Super quick dinner cause its my nephew's 4th birthday today and we're headed up to their house after dinner for cake and presents.

I will have to go to the store this weekend for milk and probably some sort of produce....whatever kind is on sale.

 

[kristinw3girls]

Really proud of myself. last night, I fought off the urge to run to the store for dinner. I pulled out chicken breasts from my freezer. Cooked them with one of those marinade packets, didn't marinade, just cooked it in the pan. i made a potato casserole, and frozen corn. I'm defrosting pork chops for tonight, but may just make breakfast for dinner. My girls love it. DH and I can have BLT's. I'll use up one of the 3 boxes of blueberry muffin mix too!

 

[tinkarooni]

Good morning all. I was successful in not going to yesterdays election day Fish Fry at our local Fire Dept. It is so yummy but we have so much food here. So I voted but did not take the family to eat, instead we came home and at our leftovers as planned.

Tonight we will have a roast chicken from our freezer stock. Probably mashed potatoes, frozen garden veggie and home canned applesauce.

Another problem we have here is that I can and freeze so much garden stuff but than don't get it all eaten before next year. Instead I am always buying stuff to make sure I don't run out. This year thanks to this thread, I will use up what I have FIRST and than buy if I need at the end. It's shameful what I spend on food with all the stuff in the house. I'm feeling good now though. Thanks guys!

 

[christyhud]

Really proud of myself. last night, I fought off the urge to run to the store for dinner. I pulled out chicken breasts from my freezer. Cooked them with one of those marinade packets, didn't marinade, just cooked it in the pan. i made a potato casserole, and frozen corn. I'm defrosting pork chops for tonight, but may just make breakfast for dinner. My girls love it. DH and I can have BLT's. I'll use up one of the 3 boxes of blueberry muffin mix too!

If you want to use up TWO boxes of blueberry muffin mix, try this. We love it!

Blueberry Coffee Cake
2 boxes blueberry muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese- do not soften
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Kyle's mom uses 350)
Grease a 13 x 9 pan
Drain and rinse blueberries. In medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and margarine until crumbly. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix sour cream and eggs. Gradually stir in water. Stir in muffin mix until moistened. Spread 1/2 of batter in pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of blueberries and 1/2 of brown sugar mixture. Slice cream cheese and lay on top of streusel. Top with remaining batter, blueberries, and streusel.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until golden brown and set.

 

[stahshee]

well last night we did not eat the strawrberry short cake..today we will for desert

dinner Pizza bagels home made Salad and summer squash
also I have 2 cucumbers lets over and half a head of lettus..I would like them all to use the dressing I have in the fridge....
also I have 3 yellow squash so we will eat that

 

[tavettava]

I'm in, but I am not making anything for turkey day. We will be at WDW 11/18-11/26. I will do it so I can have more money to spend in Disney. I will only buy sale items that are super cheap, since we will be doing this in December too.

 

[acename]

Tonight we're having spaghetti and I'll make some garlic bread with some french rolls I have in the freezer. So far since I started doing this I've only spent $4.91 at target for cat food and baby wipes.