My place to dream, plan, vent, record, & share about life as myself, wife, and mother to four boys.

Eat from the Pantry - Week 2

By kjkmom2boys · January 11, 2010 · 0 Comments · 115 Views

Eat-from-the-pantry

When I saw the Eat from the Pantry Challenge that Fishmama from Life as Mom and Crystal from Money Saving Mom were doing for January, I just had to give it a try.  I have never done much "Once a Month Cooking," so I don't have extra meals stashed away in the freezer (unless we're going to eat pie, Cool Whip, & lemonade for dinner!).  But I do have a LOT of food in our kitchen cupboards and on our basement shelves, and I know we need to rotate through what is stockpiled away - especially in the basement.  

I started with taking an inventory of all the food in our freezers, on our basement shelves, and in the kitchen - and discarding all the expired items, which amounted to more than I expected.  Feeling terribly wasteful, I decided that my main goal is to work through the excess that we have, and get to a point where our food supplies fit in our kitchen cupboards.  Most of what is in the basement came from great "deals," but they are only deals if I'm actually using the items, not letting them expire on the basement shelves.  

Normally, we plan to spend $100 per week on groceries, which includes toiletries and household items as well.  That $100 amount is my target, but we often go over it by a little, or pick up extra milk and bread throughout the week without counting it in the weekly tally.  For January, while attempting the Eat from the Pantry Challenge, I know we can't completely avoid shopping.  But I want to limit our purchases to produce, dairy, meat (as needed), and bread - spending as little as possible to fill in the gaps in what we already have available here at home. 

Last week, I was successful with my shopping goals.  I made one trip to the grocery store, limited my purchases to that "outer rim" of the store, and spent $53.  Those purchases included a beef roast for $2.29/lb and pork chops for $1.49/lb - both of which I will use in this week's menu.  Bud made a quick trip to Wal-mart yesterday to buy milk, a few other dairy items, some fresh fruit, and laundry supplies - spending a total of $32.  We will need to make at least one more trip for milk later in the week (the boys go through about a gallon a day), but I think we'll be able to stay under $50 for our grocery expenses this week.

"From the pantry" solutions and challenges from last week:

  • Used some of the frozen blueberries (that I had forgotten were in the freezer) in our pancake dinner.

 

  • Created a new topping for my baked macaroni and cheese recipe. It calls for croutons, but we didn't have any. Instead I used buttered whole-wheat bread crumbs and seasoned them with Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning.  I think I actually prefer it this way, because the bread crumb topping was more evenly distributed over the entire dish than when it is topped with croutons.  I'll definitely use variations on this topping for other casseroles in the future.

 

  • I didn't feel like cooking on Saturday, and the guys had requested pizza.  It would have been so easy to just order some, or make a trip to Little Caesar's, despite the cold weather.  But, thanks to the challenge, I dug out the from-scratch recipe I used when I was on a bread-baking kick a while ago.  The dough wasn't as cooperative as I remembered, but I made two batches (three large pizzas' worth), and everyone ate their fill.

 

  • I have a lot of Tastefully Simple baked good mixes in my kitchen cupboard.  Some are current, some are retired items that are no longer available.  I really want to make use of them, and I'm sure the boys won't complain about eating more baked desserts.  I mixed up cranberry pecan muffins on Saturday, which combine two of Bud's favorite flavors!

 

  • The only "failed" meal of the week was just a matter of picky eating.  Friday night, for our main dish, I used up the partial bags of popcorn shrimp, boneless buffalo wings, and cod nuggets - so everyone could enjoy their favorite.  I paired them with a box of parmesan couscous and some glazed carrots.  B refused the couscous, R rejected the couscous and the carrots, and W wouldn't eat the carrots.  I don't think I'll bother to buy more couscous for a while!

 

Overall, the first week of eating from the pantry was a success, we have spent significantly less for groceries so far this month than we usually do, and this week's menu plan came together nicely.  Next week?  Things might get a little more difficult!  Are you eating from the pantry this month too?  Check out Crystal's update and share your own Eat from the Pantry progress here

Menu Planning Monday - January 11th

By kjkmom2boys · January 11, 2010 · 0 Comments · 61 Views

mpm-1

This will be our second week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge.  Last week, while I fed us almost completely from what was already on our shelves and in our freezer, I didn't really make a plan.  We ended up having:

Monday: Pasta and Meatballs

Tuesday: Pancakes (Blueberry and Regular), Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs

Wednesday: Bacon and Egg Spaghetti

Thursday: Leftover Night

Friday: Popcorn Shrimp/Boneless Hot Wings/Cod Nuggets and Parmesan Couscous

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This week, however, I am back to thinking ahead for my Menu Plan Monday.  Here's our continued Eat from the Pantry plan:

Monday:

Breakfast Casserole, Home Fries, and Apple Slices with Caramel Dip

Tuesday:

Slow-Cooked Pork Chops with Spicy Tropical Mango Sauce, Rice, Peas, and Peaches

Wednesday:

Stuffed Shells, Cheese-Stuffed Bread Sticks, Broccoli, and Pineapple

Thursday:

Slow-Cooked Beef Roast with Celery and Onion, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Cranberry Sauce

Friday:

Leftover Buffet

Saturday:

Baked Tilapia, Egg Noodles, Peas, and Applesauce

Sunday:

Oven-Baked Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Glazed Carrots, and Orange Slices 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .

By kjkmom2boys · December 24, 2009 · 2 Comments · 20 Views

Little Jimmy Franklin watched over the boys from his well-hidden location inside the Christmas tree.  On other days, he's been on top of the ceiling fan, in the dining room window valance, on a sconce, etc.  Special thanks to Aunt G for Little Jimmy Franklin, Elf on a Shelf, the newest member of our household.

The boys put out treats for Santa. Although they wanted to give him some leftover lasagna from tonight's dinner ("He probably needs some real food!"), they settled on Thin Mint cookies, homemade vanilla marshmallows, and Orange Crush.  Yes, I know.  We're terribly traditional here!  Along with ten carrots for the reindeer.  Why ten, you ask?  Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and . . . Olive.  As in, " . . . Olive, the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names . . . ", which has been B's favorite joke during this holiday season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B took a break from making silly faces at the camera to hang the Santa key on the front door. 

We're all ready for Christmas now!  How about you?  What family traditions are part of your preparations during this holiday season?

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday, and a wonderful new year!  Please be safe!

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Wordless Wednesday - Happy Feet!

By kjkmom2boys · December 16, 2009 · 0 Comments · 14 Views

Ok, not quite wordless.  Ordered on-line from Lands' End - waterproof windfall squalls, weatherlys, trekkers, and more.  On sale.  Free shipping.  I am all set for the winter!

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Muffin Tin Monday

By kjkmom2boys · December 14, 2009 · 1 Comment · 69 Views

Muffin Tin Monday at Her Cup Overfloweth

It's Monday.  And my menu isn't done yet.  Sounds like a perfect excuse to put up a Muffin Tin Monday post first, doesn't it?  I've been out of my blogging rhythm (if I ever had one?), so forgot to check ahead of time for the theme.  I put together W's lunch, with his help:

Took a picture:

Raisins, Club crackers, kiwi slices, dinosaur chicken nuggets, a Tootsie Roll, and fruit snacks.

And, then . . . W ate (Tootsie Roll first, of course!):

W loves his muffin tin meals, no matter what day of the week it is!  Join us next Monday for Muffin Tin Monday: Christmas.  If I start thinking about it now, I should be able to remember the theme!

Menu Planning Monday - December 7

By kjkmom2boys · December 7, 2009 · 0 Comments · 36 Views

First menu plan in a couple weeks because we had Thanksgiving week where we were only home for two days out of the entire week.  And then last week?  Well, I just wasn't organized! 

However, along with some of my flylady chat (this is a new one that just started last week!) friends, I am starting over with tracking my meals, water intake, and exercise on SparkPeople.  For that reason, along with the money-saving and convenience aspects, menu planning is back at the top of my list to start the week.  This week's Menu Plan Monday:

Monday

Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce, Garlic Toast, Salad, and Pears

Tuesday: H's 2nd Grade Holiday Program and Orff Concert are tonight!  

Seasoned Grilled Chicken, Rice, Broccoli, and Pineapple

Wednesday

Sliders, Baked Potatoes, Peas, and Peaches

Thursday: Bud's the chef for tonight because I have a party.

Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs, and Oranges

Friday

Baked Tilapia (Bud & I), Fish Nuggets (the boys), Couscous, Green Beans, and Applesauce

Saturday

Kielbasa, Pierogies, Cauliflower, and Berries

Sunday

Steak Salads, French Onion Soup, Fries, and Kiwi

Finishing Touches

By kjkmom2boys · November 21, 2009 · 0 Comments · 18 Views

$3.00 chair - picked up for free when neighbor moved out and reupholstered with fabric purchased on sale:

Small round table, which the boys have already used for a coloring station today:

And loads and loads of bulletin board space:

Once Upon a Time . . .

By kjkmom2boys · November 19, 2009 · 1 Comment · 18 Views

I started on a project.  In a tiny little room that looked like this:

 

I made a bit of decluttering and closet rearranging progress, and then I got distracted.  Then I made a little more progress and started playing with paint, which looked like this:

Then, I reached the point where I just wanted it to be done. That's when I finished this:

Finally, I asked Bud to help me wrap things up.  He painted trim while I painted stripes, and then we moved the boys' computer desk into "the room."  Now we have this:

We decided to go with two striped walls and two plain walls, and we still have to get the bulletin boards that we want for the other side of the room.  But the boys were excited to wake up this morning and find their room almost finished.  Next domino?  Decluttering/reorganizing my office!

Wordless Wednesday - Play Time

By kjkmom2boys · November 18, 2009 · 0 Comments · 14 Views

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Menu Planning Monday - November 16

By kjkmom2boys · November 17, 2009 · 0 Comments · 28 Views

Thanksgiving

This week, due to technical difficulties, I'm having a Menu Plan Monday Tuesday.  Here's what I have in the works:

Monday

Pizza Night

Tuesday

Pesto Turkey and Pasta (to use up the leftover turkey from Sunday), Green Beans, Peaches

Wednesday

Meatball Subs, Steak Fries, Peas, Applesauce

Thursday (I have a party, so Bud's on dinner duty.)

Hot Dogs, Macaroni Salad, Carrots, and Pineapple

Friday

Creamy Artichoke Chicken (didn't get to it last week), Rice, Broccoli, and Pears

Saturday

Barbecue Cheddar Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, and Oranges

Sunday

Pork Chops with Onions and Apples, Buttered Noodles, and Salad

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