Author Topic: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2  (Read 1183611 times)

MountainGal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 756
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2000 on: January 02, 2018, 02:12:53 PM »
Back from a productive 3-day weekend!

Apples were made into apple fritters.  Traded a neighbor a large bag of them for 18 farm fresh eggs.  :D

The rest of the bag of potatoes were made into steak fries Sunday night and mashed last night.

Assembled a casserole for tonight which used up a pound of ground beef, and two cans of different type chilies.

Tossed leftover dip, a few dry homemade cookies, and a few other odds and ends from Christmas.

Using up Keurig pods before I buy any more coffee, in a can or otherwise.  ETA:  I feel like I should note there is no way I would have spring for a new Keurig.  The one we have was a free hand-me-down.  And I don't normally buy the pods because of the cost and waste involved by using the loose coffee filter.

Here's to a frugal 2018!
« Last Edit: January 03, 2018, 12:22:04 PM by MountainGal »

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2001 on: January 02, 2018, 02:33:18 PM »

[/quote]

I do absolutely nothing special to prepare it.

I'm not much of a salad person but happy to eat frozen broccoli (sometimes with a bit of cauliflower for variation) every day.

I microwave it for two minutes at home to help thaw it, put it in a Decor lunch container with whatever else I'm having (salsa chicken, leftover steak, etc), and microwave it for 90 seconds at lunchtime.

I generally just rely on whatever I'm with the broccoli to give it a bit of flavour, but I really have no problem eating it plain.

I used to cook it first but Budget Bytes taught me that isn't necessary, as long as it's defrosted properly, and it makes for much nicer broccoli because it stays firm and bright green.
[/quote]

Thanks for the reply. I struggle eating vegetables (particularly broccoli) that isn't roasted/seasoned/prepped quite a bit. That takes time, so I find I'm just not eating much of it.

plainjane

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1645
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2002 on: January 03, 2018, 07:11:06 AM »
Thanks for the reply. I struggle eating vegetables (particularly broccoli) that isn't roasted/seasoned/prepped quite a bit. That takes time, so I find I'm just not eating much of it.

Did you know that you can freeze roasted cauliflower and broccoli? I roast up large trays, and then freeze it on a cooking sheet with a silpat underneath. Then I have roasted cauliflower in a ziploc for use in lunches and such. It isn't quite as good as fresh roasted, but it is close enough for lunch.

TikiTime

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 28
  • Location: Gulf Coast
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2003 on: January 03, 2018, 09:45:26 AM »
I try to do a freezer challenge twice a year, January and February to flex my frugal muscles, and July and August to reduce the risk of spoilage in case of a hurricane power outage.  I also do a pantry challenge Jan/Feb, but not in summer, that is when up on canned/boxed foods in case of a hurricane.  So, I am challenging myself to only buy absolutely necessary fresh produce, potatoes, rice, beans, eggs, and dairy for our 3 adult household.  The holy trinity is always necessary (onions, celery, and bell peppers) We are full to the gills, otherwise.

Last night we had hawaiian pizza, using the last GF pizza dough box, tomato paste from the freezer, canned pineapple, cheese from the freezer, and onions and bell peppers, and more of the never ending holiday ham.

Today we will have crockpot pulled pork from leftover pork loin, with onions and peppers, will blend last of cottage cheese with green salsa to top the  tostados, and lettuce. Oh, and left over cowgirl caviar, if they want beans on it.

« Last Edit: January 03, 2018, 09:49:44 AM by TikiTime »

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2004 on: January 03, 2018, 11:00:16 AM »
Thanks for the reply. I struggle eating vegetables (particularly broccoli) that isn't roasted/seasoned/prepped quite a bit. That takes time, so I find I'm just not eating much of it.

Did you know that you can freeze roasted cauliflower and broccoli? I roast up large trays, and then freeze it on a cooking sheet with a silpat underneath. Then I have roasted cauliflower in a ziploc for use in lunches and such. It isn't quite as good as fresh roasted, but it is close enough for lunch.

Didn't know that, but will definitely be trying it!

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2005 on: January 03, 2018, 11:01:29 AM »
Made dinner last night with pasta rescued from the vacation house, a super discounted jar of puttanesca sauce doctored a bit, and frozen meatballs. My pantry needs a bit of a clean out, but is generally looking pretty good! Who knew it would get to this point?! :-)

SquashingDebt

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 441
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2006 on: January 03, 2018, 08:21:44 PM »
Thanks for the reply. I struggle eating vegetables (particularly broccoli) that isn't roasted/seasoned/prepped quite a bit. That takes time, so I find I'm just not eating much of it.

Did you know that you can freeze roasted cauliflower and broccoli? I roast up large trays, and then freeze it on a cooking sheet with a silpat underneath. Then I have roasted cauliflower in a ziploc for use in lunches and such. It isn't quite as good as fresh roasted, but it is close enough for lunch.

Didn't know that, but will definitely be trying it!

This works great with lots of veggies - I do it all the time.  My favorites are broccoli and cauliflower, eggplant, and green beans.  (I mostly do it when I get free vegetables in the summer and want to prep them for the chest freezer.  It's easier than blanching them and also makes them more appealing to eat straight out of the freezer.)

TikiTime

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 28
  • Location: Gulf Coast
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2007 on: January 05, 2018, 09:42:00 AM »
Last night we had the last of the holiday roast as roast beef poboys, dressed, used GF poboy bread from freezer, and made artichoke dip from pantry and fridge items, and GF crackers.

Tonight we eat up the last of the gumbo, will make rice to go w/ it, a few left over ribs, left over boudin.  Will bake a GF king cake tonight for 12th Night tomorrow for DD to have before catching plane back to college tomorrow, and make a dump cake to get rid of sugary temptations from the pantry!

Tomorrow we will have Italian sausage meatballs and spagetti with asparagus and that king cake.  Have to think about what we will have for the football game on Sunday.

4alpacas

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1825
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2008 on: January 05, 2018, 09:54:51 AM »
We cleaned out the freezer a bit last night--used ground turkey and a variety of half-used bags of frozen vegetables. We threw it over some quinoa made quickly in our Instant Pot.  Dinner last night.  Lunch for me today.  3 bags of frozen veggies and one roll of ground turkey finished!

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2009 on: January 05, 2018, 12:36:55 PM »
-Ate one of the dreaded freezer breakfast sandwiches this morning. 6 to go!
-Finished the remaining protein balls, and tossed a few that were freezer burned. That bag is now gone.
-Used fridge leftovers (meatballs, baked chicken, pesto, 1/2 a red pepper, the remainder of a puttanesca sauce) to make dinner last night. Naan pizzas
-Defrosted a leftover chicken & goat cheese risotto for dinner tonight. There is enough for two, so the adults will have that, and the kids will have the remaining naan pizzas.

Now that I've made progress on the pantry, & the fridge is in good shape from our holiday, my goal is the freezer, & I like to start the new year by clearing it out as much as possible. This includes freezer meals. Other than core staples, we have the following:
-2 or 3 bags of cranberries, which I use for our favorite muffins
-The dreaded 6 breakfast sandwiches. Must.Go!
-Leftover chicken/mushroom pilaf, serves 2.
-4 servings of lentil soup, which isn't that good & needs doctoring to be rescued
-Many containers of pesto & green olive tapenade
-The remaining pack of gyozas

Serendip

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2208
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2010 on: January 07, 2018, 10:29:52 AM »
Discovered the joy of homemade tortillas--so started using some of the flour from the cupboard yesterday and made enfrijoladas.

Found a bag of cream-of-wheat, being used this morning

Also millet, buckwheat groats and wild rice. Need to find some tasty uses for those.
Was going to bake muffins this morning to use more flour, berries and coconut--but tray is M.I.A...I think my SO may have decluttered it!


MountainGal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 756
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2011 on: January 08, 2018, 01:05:55 PM »
MaybeBaby, you're cruising through those breakfast sandwiches!

Serendip, sorry about the missing tray!

This is the week before my monthly grocery trip next Monday.  Time to get freezer creative:

Tonight is a casserole which will use up a bag of cauliflower
Tomorrow is a different casserole originally put into the freezer in November
Wed will be a bag of chicken tenders breaded in almond flour and parm cheese, with a side of another bag of frozen veggies.
Thursday will be leftovers
Friday we have take out
Saturday IDK yet
Sunday will take care of the rest of the shrimp, stuffed crab and cod.

Somewhere in the above I need to use up a container of Budget Bytes Not Refried Beans frozen a few months ago...


Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2012 on: January 09, 2018, 04:39:37 AM »
My goal in the next weeks is to eat many of the portions of leftovers that we have in the freezer. They are piling up, as I am much better at putting food into the freezer than taking it out. I will have to be organized, know what is there and make a plan for when to eat it. Somewhere in December I had a list on the fridge with all the frozen food. I need to update it again and make a plan for eating it.

Monday it went well. I made lasagna on Saturday evening and had more veggies and sauce than what fitted in the bowls. So I made an extra portion and froze it. Due to DH's unexpected overnight stay at the hospital on Sunday, I ate the frozen portion already on Sunday night. (DH is okay now)

I have started to eat some of my frozen mushrooms (last weekend: amanita rubescens). I have another bag of those. But I'm not sure I will pick them again to eat. They have a lot of taste, but they do taste quite special and they are far from my favorite. But this year I wanted to try out all edible species so this is just the next step. My freezer is full of many different species, all guaranteed safe to eat.


horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2013 on: January 09, 2018, 07:33:24 AM »
I'm going to make miso soup tonight and finally finish the package of miso that has literally been in the fridge for at least half a decade.  That miso definitely has seniority over all other condiments in the fridge.  The soup will also feature mushrooms and green onions that need to be used up.

SimpleCycle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1259
  • Location: Chicago
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2014 on: January 09, 2018, 08:23:21 AM »
I fell off the wagon!  There is less food in the house than when I started, but I've definitely put more into the pantry and freezer lately than I've taken out.  So my New Year's resolution is to draw down the pantry and freezer as much as is practicable.

-two nights ago I made an apple crisp with some older apples and some lingering whole wheat flour that has been around too long
-last night I snacked on cranberry compote left over from the holidays.
-I made potato salad to use up some potatoes and will serve it tonight with dinner
-dinner is hot dogs/soy dogs I bought a while ago for myself and the toddler and never got to

I definitely need to get more creative in combining multiple ingredients for using up.  Unfortunately I have a spouse who complains if meals are not fresh/fancy enough too many nights in a row, so it's a balance.

MountainGal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 756
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2015 on: January 09, 2018, 12:18:10 PM »

Monday it went well. I made lasagna on Saturday evening and had more veggies and sauce than what fitted in the bowls. So I made an extra portion and froze it. Due to DH's unexpected overnight stay at the hospital on Sunday, I ate the frozen portion already on Sunday night. (DH is okay now)

I have started to eat some of my frozen mushrooms (last weekend: amanita rubescens). I have another bag of those. But I'm not sure I will pick them again to eat. They have a lot of taste, but they do taste quite special and they are far from my favorite. But this year I wanted to try out all edible species so this is just the next step. My freezer is full of many different species, all guaranteed safe to eat.

Glad he is doing better, Linda!  :)

LostGirl

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 298
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2016 on: January 10, 2018, 10:01:52 PM »
Were doing the Frugalwoods Uber frugal month that's helped to motivate. Ate some freezer meatloaf tonight and used some jarred roasted peppers for red pepper hummus.

I have my eye on some dry lentils that we'll cook later in the week. I have two jars of olives that I need a use for. My husband doesn't like them and I usually use them in summer Greek salads but all of that is out of season.

SimpleCycle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1259
  • Location: Chicago
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2017 on: January 10, 2018, 11:07:45 PM »
I made an improvised dinner tonight of tofu tacos.  Used up half a red pepper, half a bag of spinach, a block of tofu, and some lingering too hot salsa.  Ate left over apple crisp for dessert.

Mialao

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2018 on: January 11, 2018, 05:11:42 PM »
We signed the lease for our new apartment on Monday and will be moving in the first two weeks of February. (Looking forward to a 7 minute bike commute instead of almost one hour in public transit - sorry for being OT but I`m still too excited about that)
So now it is time to get really serious.

I am so glad we already started eating down the food we have, otherwise we wouldn`t manage to reduce the amount we have significantly until we move. 

Last weekend I used up half a Hokkaido pumpkin, some remaining spelt flour and flax seed to make bread which turned out quite nice.

I only spent around 20 Euros for fresh produce and dark chocolate I craved for, so that's a big win.

Saturday we had salmon from the freezer, carrots in marsala wine and a risotto mix from the  pantry.
Sunday was a goose breast also from the freezer with an orange sauce and mashed potatoes.
Monday was leftovers and Tuesday DH and DS had homemade Bolognese sauce also from the freezer as I got home quite late.
We finally see some space freeing up.

Eucalyptus

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 372
  • Location: South Australia
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2019 on: January 11, 2018, 06:23:52 PM »
I've noted this thread for ages....and I'm slowly inching closer and closer to getting this down! I just love stocking up on bulk things. But I'm seriously cutting down on pantry items that I rarely or may never otherwise use, and also getting far better at not letting fresh fruit and veg go past its useby date

Astatine

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3676
  • Location: Australia
  • Pronouns: they/them
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2020 on: January 11, 2018, 06:44:34 PM »
I'm joining this thread as a reminder and maybe for some inspiration. We're not too bad at freezer and fridge management but the pantry is more chaotic/unplanned than I'd like. And we're doing a kitchen reno mid year so ideally we should eat down most (all?) of our food for that.

Suzanne

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 32
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2021 on: January 12, 2018, 03:59:21 AM »
We grow veggies in our lawn.
They are so tasty.
Especially bitter guards.

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2022 on: January 12, 2018, 07:37:21 AM »
I'm joining this thread as a reminder and maybe for some inspiration. We're not too bad at freezer and fridge management but the pantry is more chaotic/unplanned than I'd like. And we're doing a kitchen reno mid year so ideally we should eat down most (all?) of our food for that.

Can't you just move your fridge to some temporary other place until the new kitchen is done? Or buy some cheap second hand fridge to put into your hallway for that period.
But yes, it is probably smart to eat up a lot of the content, so that it is less fuss.

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2023 on: January 12, 2018, 09:26:59 AM »
-Worked from home today, so used up one of the remaining breakfast sandwiches. Added sriracha, and it was pretty good!
-Defrosted a lentil soup for lunch. It didn't turn out well, for whatever reason. So, plan to doctor it & hope for the best
-Defrosted a chicken pilaf dish for dinner. The freezer clean out continues!
-We usually have a nice base of leftovers in the fridge. We've done a really solid job of eating down all of the random bits & bobs.

Goals for this weekend:
-shell all of the pistachios & make pistachio butter! They are stale, so not good for general snacking, but should be great in a nut butter.
-Make cranberry muffins, using some of the frozen cranberries.

Astatine

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3676
  • Location: Australia
  • Pronouns: they/them
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2024 on: January 12, 2018, 02:37:10 PM »
I'm joining this thread as a reminder and maybe for some inspiration. We're not too bad at freezer and fridge management but the pantry is more chaotic/unplanned than I'd like. And we're doing a kitchen reno mid year so ideally we should eat down most (all?) of our food for that.

Can't you just move your fridge to some temporary other place until the new kitchen is done? Or buy some cheap second hand fridge to put into your hallway for that period.
But yes, it is probably smart to eat up a lot of the content, so that it is less fuss.

Thanks for asking that question because it made me think about the practicalities in more detail. I think we'll have it unplugged while we get the renovations done. Our place is small (approx 70 square metres/700 square feet) with 2 small bedrooms. We're also getting the bathroom done and the floors replaced in all of the house except the 2 bedrooms. We'll move out for a month while it all happens so we won't see if anyone unplugs the fridge in that time. So, I think it's best if we eat it all down (and anything we can't eat we can give to friends).

jkitiara

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Location: San Francisco
    • My journal: The Most Expensive City in the US and How I Got Here
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2025 on: January 13, 2018, 12:26:10 PM »
Trying to GET ON my meal planning! DH and I cooked dinner at home every night for the past 7 nights, which is a big win for us. I made a black bean soup from dried beans that I've had FOREVER. The nice part is that I could do things in stages while interacting with my 1.5 year old--like chop an onion, retrieve kiddo's ball, add stock to beans, leave to change diaper for 10 min, etc.

Next up: using a bag of red lentils I've also had forever. Maybe lentil cakes? I also have a can of cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. Could I make some sort of cranberry based sauce to dip them in?

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2026 on: January 13, 2018, 01:24:03 PM »
-Made a pistachio butter with 1/2 pistachios & the last cup of cashews. I haven't tried it, but the husband is in love with it. So, winning there.
-Finished the last of the chicken pilaf for lunch, and kids ate the last of the crescent rolls last night for dinner.
-Made cranberry muffins with cranberries from the freezer

And, in true use it up style, took the crumbs of tortilla chips & pretzel chips, added the nut pieces that were too small to toast, and stored them for future use in this granola bar recipe. http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2027 on: January 14, 2018, 01:52:56 PM »
I like long weekends, as I have more time to prep. Here's what I've done today:

-Taken yesterday's chicken bones & made lots of broth for the freezer
-Used up the last of one jar of yeast + a bit of the new jar & made sandwich bread
-Used some of the remaining cranberries for a cranberry orange bread. Didn't have enough orange juice, so subbed pomegranate juice, which we already had on hand
-Used the last of my onions that I brought back from our vacation. DH laughed at me quite a bit when I included them in my checked bag. But, what was I going to do - throw them away?!
-Fed the army of 10-11 year old boys cranberry muffins that I made a couple of days ago, when everyone started asking for a snack.
-Making homemade guac to go with dinner tonight. Yum!

Mialao

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2028 on: January 14, 2018, 04:07:41 PM »


And, in true use it up style, took the crumbs of tortilla chips & pretzel chips, added the nut pieces that were too small to toast, and stored them for future use in this granola bar recipe. http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

Thanks for that link. I found a nice recipe for brownies on that site:  http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/04/black-bean-brownies/

I made some modifications to use up stuff on hand: used mung beans instead of black beans, orange and ginger syrup instead of maple syrup and substituted walnuts with almonds
Those turned out quite nice.

I just ate a piece with some home made berry sauce

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2029 on: January 14, 2018, 04:50:51 PM »


And, in true use it up style, took the crumbs of tortilla chips & pretzel chips, added the nut pieces that were too small to toast, and stored them for future use in this granola bar recipe. http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

Thanks for that link. I found a nice recipe for brownies on that site:  http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/04/black-bean-brownies/

I made some modifications to use up stuff on hand: used mung beans instead of black beans, orange and ginger syrup instead of maple syrup and substituted walnuts with almonds
Those turned out quite nice.

I just ate a piece with some home made berry sauce

I've seen that recipe, but haven't tried it yet. Will have to give it a go. I've liked most of the recipes I've tried for the site.

MountainGal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 756
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2030 on: January 16, 2018, 11:20:51 AM »
Ridding of pantry items things leftover from the holidays.  I added the following into my first ever baked oatmeal for DH:  Mini marshmallows, white and milk chocolate chips, Heath toffee pieces, and some walnuts.

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2031 on: January 16, 2018, 01:43:52 PM »
Yesterday I smoked a turkey I bought cheaply at Thanksgiving.  For the rub, I used a packet of Moroccon spice blend that was a free bonus with an order of spices.  I also slathered the turkey in molasses to help the spices stick.  The same bottle of molasses has been in the cupboard for quite some time, so I was happy to put a dent in it.  Now to eat turkey with all of the veggies in the fridge this week.

BZB

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 409
  • Location: Houston, Texas
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2032 on: January 19, 2018, 06:44:52 PM »
I found uses for half a can of fried onions, half a bag of rice noodles, and a can of pineapple chunks that were languishing in my pantry. I made a stir fry with random veggies and pineapple chunks, and topped it with a fried egg, sriracha sauce and fried onions, served over rice noodles. I'm not sure I could replicate it but it sure was good.

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2033 on: January 19, 2018, 07:38:26 PM »
-I made granola bars this afternoon with the last of an open bag of chocolate chips, plus subbed the very dregs of a bottle of maple syrup for honey. (A reasonable approximation).
-For dinner, used the last of the grilled chicken thinly sliced on naan bread pizza. Used up part of a jar of super clearance pasta sauce, in place of pizza sauce. And, homemade pesto for the adult pizzas.

Generally, I like the fridge to be almost empty (with the exception of condiments) by Friday night. We're in pretty good shape going into shopping day tomorrow.

Noodle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1316
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2034 on: January 20, 2018, 08:14:28 PM »
I did so well for so long keeping the food storage from getting crazy...I guess I went too long between inventories, because I need to get back on the use-it-up train! I did finally break into the unsweetened coconut that has been hanging around forever...put one cup in a black beans and coconut rice recipe, and one cup in a recipe for crispy sauteed tofu.

mustachepungoeshere

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2404
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2035 on: January 20, 2018, 11:39:49 PM »
My fridge is back to its bachelor state: beer, pickles and mustard.

The pantry is another story... red lentils and canned tomatoes are on the hit list this week.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2018, 11:18:30 PM by mustachepungoeshere »

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2036 on: January 21, 2018, 08:40:20 AM »
Yesterday I smoked a turkey I bought cheaply at Thanksgiving.  For the rub, I used a packet of Moroccon spice blend that was a free bonus with an order of spices.  I also slathered the turkey in molasses to help the spices stick.  The same bottle of molasses has been in the cupboard for quite some time, so I was happy to put a dent in it.  Now to eat turkey with all of the veggies in the fridge this week.

This turkey came out sooo good.  It had a BBQ sauce taste without having to deal with all the BBQ sauce, and still allowed the skin to be crispy. It's nice when an improvisation turns into a cooking hack.  Hopefully I can replicate it with the spices I normally keep on hand.

I actually need to hit the grocery store in the next day or two for fresh veggies.  I put the last of the cabbage and kale into a bean and ham hock soup yesterday; now the only green thing in the fridge is a big bottle of homemade Tabasco.

The next thing I need to start working on is the homegrown fingerling potatoes.  I don't cook them often because of the work involved in cleaning them, and they our out of sight/out of mind in the basement, but it's time to start making them disappear.

If this government shutdown lasts a while, I'll definitely have time and motivation to use up the food stores even more while I'm stuck at home.

mountain mustache

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 557
  • Age: 33
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2037 on: January 21, 2018, 07:40:52 PM »
I have some low grocery spending goals the next couple of months, and one of my goals is to eat some stuff that I've been hoarding in the pantry forever! I keep a good stock of staples because I live in a small town, and only get to stock up at Costco every couple of months...but there are things in the pantry that I don't even like to eat, that I really need to just go through the next few months. Some foods to attack for the next couple of weeks are canned sardines and tuna. I also have a jar full of red lentils and 6 cans of beets from when I went through a serious beet phase and had to put them in everything haha! I have a bunch of canned beans, and quinoa, and just other random things that aren't staples for me anymore, and I just need to eat them so I don't waste them. I also have a metric sh$t ton of frozen broccoli from a farm harvest this fall, so I'm chipping away at that, too. I love broccoli, but it is taking up a ton of space in my freezer. I'm ready for it to be gone!

PMG

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1599
  • Location: USA
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2038 on: January 22, 2018, 03:21:43 AM »
I started writing this post thinking the cupboards were bare, but now I’ve convinced myself we have enough food for at least another day. (But my partner has a bigger appetite than I do... )

Things we have in small quantities:
Eggs, millet, kefir, milk, 1/2 head garlic, 1 kilo potatoes, oranges and apples, 1 serving vereniki, 1/2 kilo oatmeal, flax seeds, jam, 1 kilo dates, spices, flour, honey, oil, salt, soy sauce, coffee & tea, champagne.  1/2 a cake.

I am cooking up the last onion, carrot, cabbage and some potatoes and garlic in a “stir fry”.  I’ll have an egg with it for lunch and likely eat up the vereniki for dinner.  Fruit for snacks, oh!  And cake.  We must eat that cake. 

Oats and fruit and jam for breakfast tomorrow.  Creamy millet and eggs for lunch.  Cake any time...  We have plenty of food for another day...

Hmm.  Fried potatoes, garlic and eggs.  My Partner will boil eggs for a snack. 

Pancakes with jam and kefir.

Oh!  And we have a box of chocolates that I hid out of site!

My partner laughs because our grocery list is always the same and always vague.  Whatever veggies and fruit that are on sale, whatever proteins are reasonably priced.   

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2039 on: January 22, 2018, 06:43:51 AM »
@PMG  - you could make a nice Spanish Tortilla.  What is vereniki?

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2040 on: January 22, 2018, 07:55:24 AM »
A few updates:
-Finally tossed the last of the lentil soup that didn't turn out (and, same recipe, don't understand?), as I needed the freezer space
-Used the last of some questionable broccoli in a chicken curry recipe
-Used the last can of garbanzo beans + tahini in a batch of hummus. (Will likely rebuy both, as we like homemade hummus)
-Used up about 1/2 a jar of homemade pesto
-Almost done with the stale pistachios. My littlest, who is the pickiest eater ever, apparently doesn't mind stale pistachios

Made homemade yogurt yesterday. Super excited to try it! It's straining now. Either going to have been a major kitchen fail or a win. But, was on my January list to try either way. :-)

MountainGal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 756
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2041 on: January 22, 2018, 02:19:00 PM »
My monthly grocery trip last week was $188 thanks in part to this thread.  My list included proteins, fresh produce, eggs, cheese, shampoo for DH and TP. ;)  I used 8 coupons, e-coupons, saved 28% off my bill, and received fuel points to use at the pump.

Before the frugal lifestyle, my grocery bill was upwards of $550 a month.  :P

PMG

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1599
  • Location: USA
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2042 on: January 22, 2018, 02:22:38 PM »
@PMG  - you could make a nice Spanish Tortilla.  What is vereniki?

Ooh. That does look lovely.  Thanks.

Vereniki are dumplings with filling, sold as pierogi in the states.  I see Wikipedia spells it varenyky. I'm in a Russian speaking Eastern European town where pierogi is a bread with filling. And where vereniki are the go to fast food.

Aaaand... my partner went grocery shopping tonight. I do love getting so low. It means we aren't wasting food.

I'd better keep the millet on my radar. I've never cooked it so it's easy to ignore, but I want to learn!

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2043 on: January 24, 2018, 12:56:26 PM »
Vereniki are dumplings with filling, sold as pierogi in the states.  I see Wikipedia spells it varenyky. I'm in a Russian speaking Eastern European town where pierogi is a bread with filling. And where vereniki are the go to fast food.

Yum.  :)

I made am almond flour coffee cake today, using up the almond meal that's been in the freezer for ages.  I think from now on, if I want to bake I'll just use regular old flour.  Cheaper, and doesn't lure me into baking more than I ordinarily would because of the "health halo" assigned to the paleo options.

Dinner tonight is a ham and chard frittata that will also use up a partial bag of shredded cheese, a spaghetti squash (as a "crust"), some sad green onions and mushrooms.

Linea_Norway

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8569
  • Location: Norway
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2044 on: January 24, 2018, 01:03:03 PM »
Today we tried some new dried seaweed that we picked in spring. Earlier we tried some very thick stuff that became slimy after putting it in water. I learned on facebook that this slime is the weed's self defence mechanism, caused by fresh water. The sea salad that we tried today did not become slimy. But I didn't like the sea water smell of it. DH ate it.

We also ate some of mu dried mushrooms.

AmandaPanda

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 91
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2045 on: January 24, 2018, 03:29:54 PM »
Maybebaby how was the yogurt?  If it was a success, what method did you use?

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2046 on: January 24, 2018, 03:35:10 PM »
Maybebaby how was the yogurt?  If it was a success, what method did you use?

Ooh, yes! I loved it. It was a super easy recipe. I tried this recipe - https://www.daringgourmet.com/easy-homemade-greek-yogurt/. Followed it pretty much exactly.

Astatine

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3676
  • Location: Australia
  • Pronouns: they/them
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2047 on: January 25, 2018, 09:27:51 PM »
Oooh, I can actually contribute to this thread. Our fridge is now mostly empty apart from the staples (condiments, yoghurt, skim milk, carrots plus a jar of suerkraut which we're gradually eating).

I cooked a basic fried rice (in no way authentic!) for lunch. It used up:

2 eggs which had a best before date of yesterday (I checked to see both still floated in water), made a thin omelette and chopped that into small pieces

1 brown onion (this is a staple - we always have a few in the fruit bowl), chopped fine

Several small celery sticks (needed to cut a lot of brown/yuk off them), chopped fine

2 carrots, chopped fine

3 cloves of roasted garlic (had been in the fridge for nearly a week from when DH cooked them)

1 container of instant brown rice

Plus flavourings like soy sauce, mirin, a vinegar (random white condiment vinegar, Woolworths brand - not great), powdered ginger, powdered coriander and some ground black pepper.

Yum!!

HappierAtHome

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8015
  • Location: Australia
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2048 on: January 25, 2018, 11:14:43 PM »
I'm not going to eat ALL the food in my house, but I'm back here in this thread because I need to use up the weird ingredients that I just won't use in the normal run of things.

I bought instant oats a while back, but have stopped eating porridge. I realised I could use them in some of my go-to recipes that normally use rolled oats. This morning I used a cup and a half in a jam slice, success!

MaybeBabyMustache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5304
    • My Wild Ride to FI
Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2049 on: January 26, 2018, 08:56:03 AM »
-Had a breakfast sandwich this morning, so I'm down to 2! Yes.
-Defrosted a lingering dinner item for tonight's dinner. Glad to clear up the freezer space.
-Used up some chocolate chips (white & milk) in a granola bar recipe.
-Saved the dregs of a bag of tortilla chips & pretzel chips for another granola bar recipe

I have a can of green beans in the pantry that's almost past it's prime. Plan to serve with dinner tonight. My pantry is almost entirely out of canned goods. This is a good place for me, as I tend to overbuy way more quantities than we need, and our dependence on canned goods has dropped quite tremendously. I will rebuy hummus ingredients, as we make that weekly.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!