Menu Plan Pantry Challenge - Week 26



Yes, that's right, we have gone half of the year without buying meat, canned foods, pantry staples, or frozen foods from the store.

So what I have I purchased?  Milk from a farmer, fruit (and even a lot of that has been given to us by friends/family with fruit trees or from our own garden), a few specialty items, vinegar (we go through a lot of that around here) and the occassional loaf of bread. 

Note to self:  really must make bread making a priority.

We have had parties and brunches and dinners with friends from our stash. 

You know what has been amazing has been the variety of stuff we have had in the freezer/pantry.  But my saving grace has been all of the freezer cooking that I have done at different times.  That's why we have been able to do things like whip up a quick dinner for 9 at the drop of a hat.  :)

Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Beef & Pepper Stir-Fry over Rice
Tuesday - BBQ Sausages, Sweet Potato Casserole, Greens
Wednesday - Soft Tacos, Rice, & Beans (carried over from last week)
Thursday - Turkey Pasta and Tomato & Cucumber Salad
Friday - Date Night
Saturday - Party!!!!!!

This is part of Menu Plan Monday.

Comments

  1. When the days are this hot I'm so glad to have freezer meals to thaw and quickly reheat!

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    1. Me too!!!! Plus, once I'm done pickling and preserving for the day, making supper is not that exciting of a prospect. It's nice to be able to pull something out really quickly.

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  2. I'm just coming over as a newbie from Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie. So I have no idea why you're doing a pantry challenge but glad you've been successful! Our goal is to be ABLE To live off our home store (you could call it a pantry) if we had to. So we're building it up with lots of freeze dried fruits and vegetables, as well as freeze dried cheese and meats. When my husband lost his job 3 years ago, we were faced with trying to not go to the store as much as we could. And found the dairy items were a big reason we had to go. And so now I'm finding ways to not have to do that if we had that experience again.
    We're also growing a garden, but I need to learn how to preserve some of those items.
    As for with the heat, I'm not a fan of freezer meals unless they can go into my crockpot. I just don't want my oven on at all!

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    1. Sounds like you have faced your situation with grace and have manuevered quite well. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  3. I don't think we could last anywhere near that long living out of our pantry¬ I'm currently working on emptying out ours a bit in preparation for our trip to the US this summer and I think we could last probably about a month, but no more. However, pantries, fridges and freezers are smaller here in the UK - so that's okay.

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    1. Oh I remember those UK kitchens and lack of storage space quite well, not fondly, but well. :) Have a good trip home!

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