I have a well-stocked pantry and a well-stocked freezer. For this I am very thankful.
I usually have ingredients on hand at any given point to come up with a meal. I have decided to challenge myself. For the next two weeks I am only going to purchase items from the grocery store that are absolutely necessary such as fresh vegetables. I will give myself a budget of $50 for the two weeks. Milk I will get at the local farm. Our chickens will supply eggs. For the rest of the time I will be utilizing food from our pantry and freezer. This will give me a chance to use up leftovers, unbury freezer items and clean out my pantry. I will use the money normally spent on groceries to bolster our savings. My desire is to continue this challenge for an additional two weeks which would mean we only spent $100 on food for the month. Do you think it’s possible?
This challenge will start on Sunday and go for two weeks. I will give you our meal plan as I go along. This is what I’m planning to eat for the first week:
Sunday: Shepherd’s Pie (freezer)
Monday: Pork, Bean & Kale Soup (leftovers)
Tuesday: Chicken Stir-fry
Wednesday: Baked Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash (squash on counter)
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (freezer)
Friday: Country Chicken Chowder
Saturday: Quiche
Breakfast will either be dry cereal we have on hand, homemade granola, oatmeal or eggs. If inspired I might even make pancakes or waffles (much to my husband’s delight, he claims they are an excellent excuse to enjoy our local maple syrup!). Lunch will be leftovers or soup from the freezer or sandwiches from what is on hand. I’m hoping this will inspire me to make better use of the food we do have in stock. I usually cook meals from scratch but don’t always do a good job with using things already in the pantry! I spend a lot of time in the summer preserving our harvest, now it’s time to make use of it.
Next Thursday I’ll give you an update as to how we’re doing! If you’d like any of the recipes I’m going to be making please comment below and let me know, I’d be glad to share them! This challenge is something we’re taking on personally, would any of my faithful readers like to join us?
Nancy on the Home Front 