Pre-holiday pantry challenge

[Grendalynn]

It was a new recipe I looked up on Recipe Zaar yesterday... added all the ingredients we had on hand (in the freezer or pantry) into the crock pot before I left for school/work and whoolah! Dinner was 90% ready when we got home!!
The ingredients are:
1+ lbs of ground beef - browns and drained. 1 onion and chopped garlic - added the the ground beef.

3 carrots, 2 ribs of celery chopped and added in. 1 can beef stock, 3 cups water, 1 can kidney beans, small can tomatoe paste, 1/2 parm cheese, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add it all into the crock pot, low for 6-8 hrs. Add some cooked pasta and there you go. We served grilled cheese with it, but bisuits or corn bread would be just as good!! Lots of leftovers for the weekend!!

Tuesday night was Pork loin cut into chops (from the freezer), Stove top and peas! Easy enough and everyone was happy!!

Tonight is chix breast from the freezer - cut and sauteed in butter and garlic, bag of frozen Califoria Mix veggies (Broccoli, Cauliflower and carrots) - all tossed with alfredo sauce (jar from pantry) over egg noodles or angel hair!! Makes me hungry just thinking about it!!


Happy Cooking!!

 

[Jen117]

I went grocery shopping and only spent $22!!! I bought milk, eggs, flour, canned soup (I was out, I can't believe it!), and fresh veggies. I shouldn't need to shop again for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks unless we run out of bread or fresh veggies. My goal is to keep the groceries at about $150 this month!!!! With only the essentials, I think that is doable! And now I really need to save on something as DD6 has a new asthma prescription that is $42 a month.

 

[tinkarooni]

Yesterday I had a great plan for dinner, roast chicken, mashed potatoes. Well when I went to take out the chicken it was still frozen. I went back to the chest freezer and found some turkey keibasa, it didn't seem enough for all 4 of us. I added a bag of frozen cheese tortellini, frozen garden carrots and applesauce.

Tonight's easy, roast chicken, mashed potatoes......you get the idea.

Breakfast has been hard boiled eggs and frozen bagels, OJ concentrate I found in the back of the freezer. Treats have been easy we're overflowing with Halloween treats.

Tonight we have an event at school and we need to donate to the food bank. That's a couple more cans of soup down.

 

[Irin997]

Last night went well. Grilled cheese...was supposed to have soup too but didn't have time as we had to run to DBF's Bro & SIL's to celebrate their son's 4th birthday. So we supplemented with cake.

Tonight I had planned spaghetti (well, pasta) with tomato sauce made from a can of tomato paste I've had for probably a year and a half. Not sure if i'm in the mood though. I need a super quick dinner cause DD8 has basketball practice tonight and pasta fits the bill. Add in some green beans and we're good to go I guess.

At some point I need to buy milk....probably tomorrow on my way home from work.

 

[stahshee]

Everyone HATED dinner again. It was gross at least that bean dish was It taste like candy covered beans. ....anyway the noodles were good... desert was cereal

 

[neatokimmo]

Lol

Tonight was chicken breast strips that the kiddo dunked in ketchup. She also had corn and ketchup soup (tomato soup).

I had chicken breast strips and corn covered with salsa and cheese. It was actually pretty good!

Everyone HATED dinner again. It was gross at least that bean dish was It taste like candy covered beans. ....anyway the noodles were good... desert was cereal

 

[smiller]

Tonight will be scrambled eggs & potatoes (fry cubed potatoes in a bit of olive or canola oil, when done throw eggs in with them and scramble, top w/ shredded cheese at the end). I'll pick up some bananas so we can have strawberry/banana smoothies w/ this (or some other fresh fruit, whatever is on sale). Last night we brought home soup and Runzas from Runza so back to the pantry tonight!

I am so making this very soon... I have some blue potatoes - they might look cool with the eggs! How do you make your smoothies? I have several bananas I may freeze right now.

Tonight's dinner was spready cheese & crackers and a giant spinach salad - nothing used up yet but I'm working on it!

Tomorrow evening I'm heading to a European/German delicatessen grand opening so I'm sure I'll buy a few items - but hoping to keep it to food I can share at work and not store around the house.

 

[pigletto]

Thank you so much for the Pork Loin recipes! It looks like I will be making it Saturday as some good friends of ours invited themselves for dinner .

That is always a budget buster for me. For some reason when I am entertaining, no matter how casual, I become convinced I have to run out and buy all kinds of things I don't have.
Well I refuse this time. So it will be roast pork loin, mashed potato,gravy, salad, and brown sugar carrots. All I needed to buy was the veggies for the salad and the carrots, which were all on my list for today anyway.
If you invite yourself for dinner during clean out the pantry/feezer month you get what's on hand. I think it will turn out well

 

[NHWX]

I have all three and company planned for Sunday afternoon! Do you think baking potatoes would work here? 'cause I have a whole bag of them.

NHWX

I love pork loin. Defrost one in the fridge (takes a day or so) and rub with salt, pepper and paprika. Place the meat in an open roasting pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add a large, thinly sliced, onion and some quartered, peeled potatoes. I use both red potatoes and sweet potatoes. around the roast, along with a little water to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika on top of the potatoes. Roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes/pound. I use a meat thermometer - it takes about 90 minutes for a half loin.

Remove the meat to a platter and cover.

Add 1 cup of water and scrape/deglaze the pan. Add salt and pepper. Turn the potatoes and spread out the potatoes and onions in the roasting pan. Raise the heat to 400 degrees. Roast another 10 minutes. I serve the potatoes in one dish with the onions, and the sliced roast on a platter. The pan juices/water make an au jus gravy that's light and tasty. (Skim off fat that collects on top.)

 

[MsDisney23]

Well I am in, however I let my big freezer run almost out, so it is pretty empty. However, I do have plenty in my regular freezer. I already have my turkey, I really only need to pick up fresh produce, milk & bread.

 

[acename]

Last night we finished up left over spaghetti (Pregnant Mama was in no mood for cooking yesterday ) Tonight we'll have pork chops, carrots and mashed potatoes or broccoli. A friend gave us a ton of broccoli from his garden I just have to figure out what i want to do with it. If Dh gets home in time I'll have him grill the pork chops. If not I'll just bake them.

 

[charming23]

Last night my Grandma was kind enough to treat my mom and I out to dinner. We had an amazing meal at a local family returaurant.

Tonight is Pork Souvlaki with cucumber yogurt sauce and rice pilaf.

Tomorrow I am not sure yet but I know it will be from the freezer/pantry.

 

[tinkarooni]

Finally ate that roast chicken that has been taunting me and frozen in the fridge all week. Last night was a super fast night as DD9 has an event at school so we quick ate and opened a box of mac and cheese, canned green beans and off we went.

Tonight I will take some chopped up chicken and make a Chicken brunch ring using more of those crescent rolls I have an overabundance of. The recipe is ala The Pampered Chef. So we will have little sandwiches from that and everybody can pick the soup they want out of the freezer. I had the flu last month and had no soup while I was sick, so when I got better I got a little crazy. I have a variety of homemade frozen soups, beef and barley, potato, bean and chicken noodle all in individual servings. We'll add some apple slices from apples I have stored in the basement and call it dinner.

 

[Irin997]

Last night's pasta was a success although I wound up making a parmesan cream sauce instead of tomato.

Tonight I'm making a cheesy chicken and rice casserole I got from Campbell's Kitchen online. It sounds delish and I actually have everything needed! Of course I only have one very large chicken breast left....I thought I had more. At least I won't be buying chicken breasts before I actually need them....and that would be the point of this experiment!

 

[stahshee]

well after last night dinner was a BOMB.. I am going to make a whole chicken. I have 3 cans of Yams and mash potao, biscuts and carrots...
Boy yesterdays bean dish was so nasty It was like candy coverd beans.. Im laying off the beans for the next couple of days and going with what we know is safe

 

[momto1]

Yesterday I stopped at the store and got some stock up items that I really didn't need but they were below my price point so I had to! Is there a support group for those trying to stop stocking up? Any for $23 I got needed items - 2 Caribou Coffe bags, 5 yogurts, asparagus, flank steak - and stock up items - 4 cans Progresso soup, 1 chicken broth, 5 boxes of cereal, and individual Tony's pizza.

Last night I made a meatloaf using up some English Muffin bread that had been hanging out in the fridge too long and the asparagus.

Today for lunch is leftovers - one pork loin chop and some soup.

Supper will be leftover meatloaf, a little bit of mashed potatoes. 1/2 squash, and probably some bread.

Tomorrow I am making Lasagna Soup from Tastefully Simpley using 1/2 pound hamburger saved from the meatloaf and making TS Beer Bread. Both have been in my pantry since a party last November. Guess it is time to use them up!
Lori

 

[tinkarooni]

Yesterday I stopped at the store and got some stock up items that I really didn't need but they were below my price point so I had to! Is there a support group for those trying to stop stocking up?
Lori

I don't know. This is what I am doing. I have a plan for the money I will save. For example my food budget is usually $800. I figure if I can skim $200 off of that, it is going right into a savings account I am trying to build up. I figure good stock up prices will come around again, and I'll have bulked up this savings account a little. (I plan to do this for the winter, I could probably feed you all for the winter. )

 

[Jen117]

Tonight I am taking DD to get her ears pierced as her birthday gift. We will have dinner out together (mom and oldest daughter bonding). I have a bean and pork soup in the crock using dried navy beans from the cupboard and a ham hock from the freezer. Hope DH and other DD like it.

 

[stahshee]

we all loved dinner tonight.

 

[neatokimmo]

We had sliced chicken breast and mac & cheese. I'm still hoping I can talk her into a fruit or veggie tonight before bed.