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New Year Grocery and Pantry Challenge, how did you do? - Page 5

post #81 of 245
1/4/10 at 11:13pm
1 was good and no money spent.
2 $0 spent. We are using up the last of the french bread for garlic toast
3 $0 spent. used up leftovers for brunch and we pulled out a chicken to roast tonight
4. $0 spent. ate chicken soup from last night's roasted chicken for lunch. grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.

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post #82 of 245
1/4/10 at 11:40pm
Sounds like you all are off to a good start. Used up some of the (many) spaghetti noodles in the pantry, along with dried tortolini and tomato sauce.
post #83 of 245
1/5/10 at 8:33am
does anybody happen to know how long the Pacific Islands boxed organic free-range broth really lasts? i just found quite a bit that expired in august 2009 but i'd hate to throw it out if it was still good just because of the date stamp. so far, the ones i've opened seem to taste OK.
post #84 of 245
1/5/10 at 12:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by annettemarie View Post
I was going to make spaghetti pie for dinner, but we have no spaghetti noodles-- only soba noodles. Any ideas for me?
speggetti pie? Recipe?


Also, as far as the broth. Take whiff, smell ok? Boil it and then try to check taste.
post #85 of 245
1/5/10 at 4:20pm
1 was good and no money spent.
2 $0 spent. We are using up the last of the french bread for garlic toast
3 $0 spent. used up leftovers for brunch and we pulled out a chicken to roast tonight
4. $0 spent. ate chicken soup from last night's roasted chicken for lunch. grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.
5. $67.11 spent. finished chicken soup for lunch and we'll be having garlic, parmesan chicken, pierogies, and some veggies from the freezer for dinner
post #86 of 245
1/5/10 at 5:54pm
We ate soup for lunch, and will eat the rest for lunches tomorrow.

We are having baked oatmeal w/my stash of oats, li'l smokie sausages I bought on sale during the holiday season, boiled eggs (we always have plenty of eggs), and a berry crisp for supper. We'll use up some fresh milk in and on the oatmeal. I have an abundance of both cow and goat milk in the fridge. I had a neighbor give us a gallon of goat milk last night, and I had just bought a gallon of organic cow milk at the store. I also had a gallon in the fridge. Maybe I'll see if my other neighbor wants some...

I think I'll whip up some peanut butter granola w/some of those oats, too.

I also think we'll have sushi rolls and spring rolls both tomorrow night. I have a bunch of nori and sushi rice and spring rolls sittin' around. I also have a ton of frozen ginger root. And fish sauce. Good grief, maybe I'll make a soup, too....My dh will be happy as a clam tomorrow night for sure!
post #87 of 245
1/5/10 at 5:58pm
Thread Starter 
Had a tube of crescent roll mix in my fridge. Not sure where it came from, but I think at a playdate last week someone brought to make something that wasnt made. Rolled up hot dogs and DH and dd2 ate for lunch. Greasy!

Tonight salad with chopped up various lots of things to get rid of. I will also grill some chicken to chop up as well.


DD2 requested I make a bannana bread yesterday. I have 2 bannanas perfect for the job too!
post #88 of 245
1/5/10 at 6:14pm
We went to chipotle today, under $10 for me and the kiddies. It's been a rough few days (had to stay at the IL's due to no heat).

Other than that I've been solid. So I'm not going to worry about it.

Liz
post #89 of 245
1/5/10 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by meandk0610 View Post
does anybody happen to know how long the Pacific Islands boxed organic free-range broth really lasts? i just found quite a bit that expired in august 2009 but i'd hate to throw it out if it was still good just because of the date stamp. so far, the ones i've opened seem to taste OK.
You could call the company and ask if it's an expiry or best by date. Expiry I wouldn't touch, best by, I would probably give it a whiff and if it didn't look weird or something I could roll with it.

Liz
post #90 of 245
1/5/10 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dachshundqueen View Post
You could call the company and ask if it's an expiry or best by date. Expiry I wouldn't touch, best by, I would probably give it a whiff and if it didn't look weird or something I could roll with it.

Liz
i never thought about them being different! thanks, i'll call them.
post #91 of 245
1/5/10 at 9:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by maciascl View Post
I use them to make pasta fagioli. In a large pan sautee chopped carrots, onion & celery in olive oil (& anyother veggies you like). Add canned diced tomatoes, broth, italian seasoning, garlic, beans & about 2 cups spiral (or other shaped) pasta. Cover & simmer about 20 min. I also like to throw in some fresh baby spinich in the last few minutes. Yum!
I made this tonight with some dry white beans and 1/4 of an old box of mostaccholi I had laying around. DH and I thought it was pretty good, but it wasn't one of the kids' favorites. Oh well. Two more pantry items disposed of
post #92 of 245
1/5/10 at 9:14pm
Spent $11 at the store today for limes, apples, onions, avocado, and muesli. I didn't really need the muesli, and it was the most expensive thing I bought. Oh well. Brings my grocery total for the month so far to $25. I got some soy milk, coffee, and carrots at the store today as well, but I had a gift card, so didn't spend and cash.
post #93 of 245
1/5/10 at 11:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dachshundqueen View Post
We went to chipotle today, under $10 for me and the kiddies. It's been a rough few days (had to stay at the IL's due to no heat).

Other than that I've been solid. So I'm not going to worry about it.

Liz
Darn it, now I have a taste for that! Dh and I usually split a burritto though so not too spendy. OTherwise you might have to roll me out of there. There guac n chips are sinful.

My salad of plenty was fun. We had some beautiful green leaf lettuce and spinach as a bed. Added a thin sliced cucumber, chopped up walnuts, celery, radishes sliced thin, blue cheese chunks, chinese noodles for crunch, a pear that was going bad, grilled chicken bteast and presto= YUM! We had a few salad dressings again brought over by that playdate that had to be used up.
The kids didnt want salads so we also boiled some rigatoni and they had a plate made up of plain pasta, grilled chicken, and whatever of the chopped up stuff they liked, just seperate.

I saved some of the chicken for lunch. Maybe chicken nachos or yet another salad. I can eat salads everyday!
post #94 of 245
1/6/10 at 12:49pm
I've been doing well this month so far! Granted, it's only the 6th I have found that one of my problems is not being able to see everything I have. I have a lot. I have one upright freezer full, regular freezer full and full pantry pretty much. So there are SO MANY combos of things I could make I get overwhelmed and then forget to use stuff. Like last night when I made the soup from the leftover roast, I just happened to see in the cupboard some dried zucchini chips and threw some in there. But maybe there's stuff in the way back that I could have used too? Anyway, my point is, do any of you have like an inventory of goods that you have? I'm thinking of going through the freezers as well and making a master list of what's there. I think I'm finally figuring out that once summer comes around there is an abundance of fresh food so I really want to make cleaning out the pantry and freezer a priority.
post #95 of 245
1/6/10 at 4:22pm
1 was good and no money spent.
2 $0 spent. We are using up the last of the french bread for garlic toast
3 $0 spent. used up leftovers for brunch and we pulled out a chicken to roast tonight
4. $0 spent. ate chicken soup from last night's roasted chicken for lunch. grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.
5. $67.11 spent. finished chicken soup for lunch and we'll be having garlic, parmesan chicken, pierogies, and some veggies from the freezer for dinner
6. $31.14 spent. leftovers for lunch (spaghetti) and we've got broccoli cheese soup and breadsticks on the menu for tonight
post #96 of 245
1/6/10 at 4:32pm
i don't know if it counts, but i've decided to go ahead and use up our plastic cutlery and paper plates so i don't have to move them later. anyone need some plastic knives?
post #97 of 245
1/6/10 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cody'smomma View Post
Anyway, my point is, do any of you have like an inventory of goods that you have? I'm thinking of going through the freezers as well and making a master list of what's there. I think I'm finally figuring out that once summer comes around there is an abundance of fresh food so I really want to make cleaning out the pantry and freezer a priority.
I've done this before, but I don't have an accurate list at the moment. During past pantry challenges I've inventoried everything I had in both my freezers, as well as dry/canned food in my pantry and cupboards. It took awhile to compile, but the list really helped me to use up random items that had been sitting around for too long. It wasn't as big of a help with the items I knew I had (like 100 lbs. of ground beef ), but I was able to use up boxes of noodles, mixes, and packaged foods that I bought for who-knows-what reason that were cluttering up my shelves and freezer. It also helped me to come up with a plan to use up all of the half-portions of foods and leftovers that I had in the freezer.
post #98 of 245
1/7/10 at 2:07am
well, i moved everything from the paper bags into mason jars and went grocery shopping. argh. is food alot of money. alot. i only got fresh stuff like yogurt, and fruits and veggies. my stuff is extra pricey because fo my allergies.
but other then that our pantry is stuffed to the gills. stuffed. now i need recipe ideas. for beans. and noodles. that arent hot dish and dont have dairy.
post #99 of 245
1/7/10 at 4:49am
Did a freezer meal last night. Cut up some chicken breasts, and threw assorted frozen peppers and onions in a skillet. Added olive oil and garlic and sauteed until the chicken was cooked completely. I also added a bunch of spices from the cabinet. Pulled tortillas out of the freezer (defrosted in microwave) and used up a block of monterrey jack cheese. The fajitas were amazing! Now if I can only recreate again...
post #100 of 245
1/7/10 at 6:48am
Hi! I passed up this thread a week ago for a few reasons. I don't have much of a pantry, but I have realized a little can go a long way. And most importantly, I was preparing food for two other adults (my mom and brother) who I thought would complain... but we decided to separate the food purchasing and preparation. Most of the pantry staples we have get rotated pretty regularly (and therefore it would be expected that I replace them), but I have noticed some beans lingering around, and a few other things I could probably use up.
I finished off some polenta recently, nobody will miss that. Pasta really doesn't stick around long, I always keep extra linguine stocked and any others come and go. I have some arborio rice I need to use, as well as medium grain brown (now my favorite- good bye long grain!). Dry beans: pinto, adzuki, a couple kinds of lentils. Canned: pinto & garbanzo. Spices and a couple other things fill up that cabinet.. On the other side we have cereal, grits, oatmeal, teas, a small amount of nuts and dried fruits (we use these sparingly, usually in salads, and make them last!) Ok then there is a closet with some spare things- ketchup, AP flour, lots of Cheerios, our favorite jarred salsa, a drink mix, two boxes of rice a roni, box of brownie mix... oh and a bag of store bought stuffing (for my brother's birthday, since he doesn't like home made ). Baking supplies stashed around the kitchen- ww, ap & bread flours; white & brown sugar; baking soda & powder; dry active yeast and a starter. Two roasts in the freezer, some marinated chicken, frozen corn and peas. Funny how it all adds up! I still think I have a somewhat small supply tho- none of this is just sitting around forever, it's stuff we do use.
So my plan is to.... do more cereal for breakfast (maybe try to find a better price on rice milk?); incorporate oatmeal and grits into baked goods and dinner, respectively; use up those beans and the meat in the freezer, figuring out ways to morph them into meals with homemade bread and little else. That should do it! I am $66 in for the month already.
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Frugality & Finances › New Year Grocery and Pantry Challenge, how did you do?