Author Topic: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2  (Read 1186096 times)

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2850 on: September 07, 2020, 10:02:45 AM »
-Used two zucchinis in the fridge + a shredded freezer zucchini to make zucchini muffins
-Used garden cherry tomatoes over my egg, and toasted 1/2 a stale pita for breakfast. Delicious

We stopped by a friend's yesterday to drop off a treat (homemade brownies from my 13 y.o. So good that I can't keep them in my house). They were just receiving a produce delivery & insisted we take 4 fresh coconuts with us.

Question for all of you lovely people... what should I do with fresh coconuts? I want to make the most of them, but it appears like I could spend all day on various coconut related activities. Recommendations?

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2851 on: September 09, 2020, 11:49:04 AM »
Congratulations buying the house, @GermanStache@MaybeBabyMustache, sorry, I have no coconut ideas.  I use it only in coconut flour form.

Lately in our home:
~DH grilled up another box of hamburger patties
~The remaining baby spinach from the prior grocery pick up was sauteed with minced garlic and served under last week's tuna steaks
~The rest of a container of sour cream went into soppin' biscuits
~The leftover shredded pork was used in yesterday's Taco Tuesday supper.  Also used up a cheddar cheese block.
~3 leftover boiled eggs were turned into deviled eggs
~A bag of cauliflower rice was cooked for last night's Taco Tuesday, and the rest will be served with chicken curry tomorrow night
~A can of coconut milk went into smoothies last weekend, and another can will be used in the chicken curry
~Doing well at incorporating the produce purchased last Wednesday into meals. 

Igelfreundin

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2852 on: September 09, 2020, 04:27:03 PM »
I still remember a fresh coconut salad that an Indian friend made for me, but I don't have the recipe. The internet pulled up lots of coconut cucumber Indian salad recipes that look about right.

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rachellynn99

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2853 on: September 13, 2020, 01:49:37 AM »
Family of 5 here with my husband and I both working from home during COVID.  I REALLY need to clean out the pantries, fridge, cupboards and freezer. My husband has been asking me to clean out our deep freezer for some time and I must try to. Deer season is upon us and we need meat. I have about 15-20 frozen quiches in the freezer right now from the spring and early summer when our chickens were laying so well- so I need to start cooking them more. My family loves them for breakfast but also for dinner. Normally two will serve us all dinner, with leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

I have an appointment in the town closest to us that has a Trader's Joe coming up soon and would love to stock up on some items there- but should use up some of the other items that we have first. Our grocery budget has been running between $400-$500 a month lately, and honestly I could probably do with only $100 a month until the new years if I tried....

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2854 on: September 14, 2020, 11:59:41 AM »
@rachellynn99 - jealous of all those quiches in the freezer! Yum.

Over the weekend, I used up a bunch of the coconut milk I made last weekend in a big chicken/veggie curry. I was also able to use up carrots, 2 small zucchini from my produce box, and other odds & ends. I froze two other can size containers of coconut milk for future curries.

We prepped a bunch of food for the week, because I have a crazy, crazy work schedule for the next two weeks. Today we will have grilled sausages with a nectarine salad.

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2855 on: September 14, 2020, 04:20:39 PM »
~The rest of the pepperoni and cherry tomatoes went in today's lunch salad
~The 2 yellow squash will be used in a stir fry tonight
~The last 2 pounds of ground beef will go into tomorrow's tacos.  I'll serve them with eggplant fries and avocado slices.

Only baby spinach, an avocado, and a few limes remain in the crisper drawer.  Time for grocery shopping!

okisok

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2856 on: September 21, 2020, 04:14:22 PM »
Accidentally burned a whole pan of bacon. I crumbled it into tiny pieces and am using it as smoky bacon salt to flavor dishes instead of throwing it away.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2857 on: September 21, 2020, 04:57:42 PM »
-Made salsa verde from tomatillos & cilantro (produce delivery), as well as garden jalapenos
-Made mojitos, using fresh mint
-We received a free meal delivery service (one time, 3 meals, 2 servings each) & are using as a cooking practice for our 13 year old. He's loving the very tailored practice, and we're trying new things & not wasting food
-Sent a bunch of herbs & jalapenos home with my sister
-Made leftover tacos into two lunches of taco salad

centwise

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2858 on: September 22, 2020, 09:55:28 AM »
Joining this thread!

We did a great job of eating our way through most of the pantry and almost all of the freezer between March and July 1. Then we focused on delicious fresh vegetables, salads and fruit over the summer.

A couple of weeks ago however, in anticipation of my work ramping up exponentially, I did a couple of major stocking-up shops, and I think I overdid it a little. I'm expecting to be overworked, so I bought more prepared foods than I normally would, and the freezer is FULL! Time to eat everything in the house!

-There's lots of jam in the pantry, so I baked bread and opened up a new jar of rhubarb jam. That will be breakfast this week.
-Had frozen potstickers and rice for dinner
-For today's lunch: I took some flatbread and frozen cooked chicken out of the freezer and am making wraps with Za'atar, chicken, marinated cucumbers and chili mayo

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2859 on: September 22, 2020, 11:42:13 AM »
Welcome to the thread, @centwise!

@MaybeBabyMustache, so glad your child is enjoying cooking.

Sad to report because I was pressed for time last Tuesday before leaving town, I didn't get around to making the eggplant fries, and ended up tossing the eggplant last night.  Which leads me to:

Went away for a much needed holiday.  I stayed at a family member's condo saving me hundreds on lodging, and bought groceries for the condo to refrain from restaurants.  A half pound of shrimp, 1/4 pound of scallops, baby spinach, 1 Roma tomato, blueberries, yogurt, an avocado, a container of deli prepared shrimp in sweet chili sauce, some kale chips and paleo puffs, along with things in the condo such as butter, EVOO, and eggs turned into 3 different meals and several snacks.  I went out several times with family, my father picking up the tab.

Last night was football food:  From the freezer came leftover egg rolls, bacon, and hotdogs, and I made freshly prepared dip for pork rinds out of an avocado, mayo, spices and lime juice.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2860 on: September 27, 2020, 08:29:38 PM »
@MountainGal - sounds like a wonderful getaway!

I made quite a bit of progress this weekend:
-Set out enormous containers of mint, parsley, basil & jalapenos for neighbors to enjoy
-Made lasagna for a friend who lost her father. Used up two open boxes of lasagna noodles & had just enough for the pan. Also used a jar of pasta sauce. Used the leftover ricotta cheese in blueberry ricotta muffins.
-Made a jalapeno feta dip (which, was amazing) to use up six jalapenos from our ever producing plant
-Made a huge batch of pico de gallo to use up garden tomatoes & more jalapenos, plus cilantro & a red onion from the produce box
-Made guacamole with a similar assortment of ingredients, plus avocados
-Used up two containers of homemade chicken broth (from the freezer) in the crockpot carnitas I made for dinner tonight.

And, yesterday, made a "happy hour" at the request of hungry teen diners. Got rid of 1/2 a package of store bought taquitos, and an unopened wedge of orange goat cheese that had made its way to the back of the fridge. Toasted up the last of a baguette, and added the aforementioned jalapeno feta dip.

It was a great "use it up" kind of weekend. Oh, & I made myself smoothies out of fridge fruit for breakfast each day, and salad was whatever was in the fridge, topped with leftover chicken from Friday's dinner.

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2861 on: October 01, 2020, 12:02:44 PM »
Well, the blissful, relaxing state of mind is gone from being on holiday, LOL.

~Last Friday I finally used the spaghetti squash under Chicken Alfredo.
~Sunday we had leftover BBQ food including hamburger patties, brats, pasta salad, and Cheetos mac and cheese.
~I assembled work lunches out of the rest of the baby spinach, a cucumber, and a few other odds and ends.  Our fresh produce drawer is now empty except for a few limes.
~Taco Tuesday used up 2 chicken breasts, a can of enchilada sauce, a bag of frozen cauliflower, a wedge of cheddar, and an avocado.  Just two of the latter to go!
~Last night we had orange and black food to welcome in October:  The final leftover hamburger patties and brats, the rest of the Cheetos mac and cheese, Birds Eye veggie made pasta, and black and kalamata olives.
~Saturday I'll use the remaining half package of wonton wrappers by making cream cheese wontons.
~Sunday's doctored up grilled cauliflower crust pizza will use up the rest of the pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 10:44:48 AM by MountainGal »

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2862 on: October 01, 2020, 02:30:40 PM »
@MountainGal - that bliss goes away pretty quickly, doesn't it?!

We keep plowing through our food & looking out for waste. I didn't get an email to customize my produce box this week, so I'll need to be creative to ensure we keep on top of everything.

Also, so many tomatoes! I love garden tomatoes, but don't want to squander them. We are using them in & on everything.

horsepoor

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2863 on: October 02, 2020, 01:21:08 PM »
Time to clear the freezer, since I just got on the list for a 1/4 beef that should be ready in three weeks.  I froze a lot of riced cauliflower from the garden this summer, so I'll need to use up some of that, salmon, a whole chicken, and the last of the pork I bought from a coworker last year.  Time to take inventory and probably also transfer some items to the fridge freezer as well.  With any luck we'll be getting a lamb in a couple months too.

nobody

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2864 on: October 02, 2020, 03:57:55 PM »
Going to attempt to spend $15/week or $60 this month on groceries.  Everything else is going to come from what I already have in my pantry, fridge/freezer.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2865 on: October 03, 2020, 09:18:59 AM »
Now is the time of the year that I am filling up my kitchen with selfpicked mushrooms: frozen, dried, pickeled or confitured. But because of a meager mushroom season, only in small quantities at the time. But we are regularly eating the fish that DH caught this summer, which is in the freezer. Recently we also had a day where we only ate leftover portions from the freezer. I also eat jam from my self made jars.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2020, 01:31:17 AM by Linea_Norway »

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2866 on: October 04, 2020, 12:27:55 PM »
Wow, @nobody - that's an awesome challenge!

I forgot to customize my produce box last week, so I'm working through all of the unexpected items. So far today:
-Used carrots, celery, mushrooms & red onions as the base of a bolognese sauce. Added a 1/2 can of tomato paste I found lurking in the fridge, as well as a takeaway "dip" sized container of marinara sauce when the kids had pizza last night. This (plus beef, and other ingredients) will hopefully make a 3x batch of bolognese
-Used up the remainder of a lemon panna cotta with lots of berries in my smoothie this morning. Do not recommend.
-Planning to roast the remaining veggies that are left (carrots, beets) & need to pan saute the brussel sprouts tonight. Still need to deal with the asparagus.

nobody

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2867 on: October 04, 2020, 07:31:33 PM »
Thanks, @MaybeBabyMustache!  It probably highlights how badly I'm overstocked.  ;)  I am generally this way, but would like to change that.


The only thing I've bought so far this month is 4lbs of apples for about $4.
So far, using what I already have in the house, I've made...
- A big pot of hamburger vegetable soup that should last me for about 5-6 meals
- Mashed potato patties with cheddar cheese inside
- Mung bean sweet soup with brown slab sugar and seaweed
- An "express" version of phở
- Beef cheung fun
- Potato wedges
- Eggs and hash browns


Using only ingredients I already have...

This week, I plan on finishing that pot of hamburger vegetable soup, and then make...
-Pork and cabbage stir-fry
-Walnut dessert soup
-Roasted eggplant
-Roasted mackerel with a soy ginger sauce and rice
-Eggs and hash browns

Next week...
-Lamb and cabbage biryani
-Monk fruit tea
-Thai curry with rice (curry paste, coconut milk, pork, bamboo, cabbage)
-Pork congee with picked vegetables
-Jeera aloo with dosa
« Last Edit: October 04, 2020, 07:33:49 PM by nobody »

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2868 on: October 05, 2020, 01:35:09 PM »
@horsepoor, that is great you have fresh cauliflower available!  I think the "cauliflower craze" has caught on, as it is so expensive in the store!

@nobody, wow!  Let us know how it goes, and thank you for posting your list thus far.

@Linea_Norway, what kind of jam?

@MaybeBabyMustache, that sauce sounds divine.

It was another productive weekend.  Saturday's wontons turned out great!  I made enough for four servings, and leftovers will be enjoyed tonight.  :D

Speaking of tonight, we're having leftover chicken and bean something or other frozen in March, along with leftover tempura eggplant fries from last night.

Yesterday for brunch we ate the rest of the open package of bacon, and another cup of the homemade pancake mix I jarred up last month.

I'm currently eating the last of the opened bag of baby spinach, along with the rest of the ranch dressing here at the office.  It also contains some of the walnuts purchased earlier this year in a large quantity.

We had the last two avocados in a crema Saturday, and sliced on the side last night.  Saturday DH bought fresh ones for this week.

Wednesday I'll make a chicken coconut curry to use up more of the curry paste.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2869 on: October 05, 2020, 03:04:16 PM »
I've set a goal to reduce my grocery budget by 10% this month. (We're up nearly 2x since COVID hit, & while some amount is acceptable - the adults previously had free breakfast, lunch & snacks at work - double is not okay. Our freezer are packed, so I need to address that. I think I'll pause our produce box for a bit, and see if I can find a safe time to go to the local produce stand. It's significantly cheaper.

The main win will be eating what we have already, vs buying more. Tonight my husband is making salmon, I'm grilling asparagus, I'll make a salad to continue to use a bunch of veggies. The kids will have burgers (freezer) & buns (freezer), as well as tortellini (freezer). Should be a good "clean out" meal

Linea_Norway

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2870 on: October 06, 2020, 01:36:21 AM »
@MountainGal
I made jam from plums from the plum tree in our garden. DH also made wine from a lot of the plums. And I made two types of plum cake, which is the cause that DH is now trying to loose weight.
Earlier in the year, I bought rubarb and made jam from that as well.

There are lots of rosehip bushes in our area with ripe rosehips on them. I haven't bothered to pick those, as they apparently are a lot of hassle to use. I ate a lot of commercial rosehip jam as a child and I don't associate the taste with an adult jam.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2871 on: October 06, 2020, 03:38:25 AM »
I am joining you guys! I see there are 58 pages to read thru and I am going to start doing that! Can't wait to read this from the beginning.

I just want to say, we are a household of two. We have more food here than a small army needs. Have stocked up on different canned meats. It started because I have a sick dog that I am trying to please food wise. That is a whole other chapter...

My dilemma is that our very large stand up freezer is pretty packed. I have filled it with a little of everything. The problem is that now, it is the season that I want to buy turkey on sale and rib roast, spiral ham on sale. Right now my local grocery store has frozen turkey breast on sale for $0.99 a lb. I would like to buy about 6 to throw in the freezer. UGH, that is pushing it a little. We contemplated buying another freezer but that seems ridiculous considering we have a refrigerator with a freezer above for additional freezer space and also not to mention my refrigerator with freezer space upstairs.

I typically buy stuff on sale but due to the pandemic, I have purchased some meat online that was a little pricey. But, I do have a nice variety of things. So now we are at a stage of being at full capacity but I want to buy more!

OMG, just lock me up!

We use up all our leftovers as lunches, breakfasts so we have little waste. The issue is that we have more incoming food than we have capacity for.  I had considered buying a small 8 CF chest freezer just for bulkier items like turkey, rib roast, hams. But, I know I will fill that up too and still need more room! OMG, am I a hoarder or a purchasing agent?

Well, glad to join this group and maybe learn to eat all the food in my house!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2872 on: October 07, 2020, 01:17:06 AM »
I am joining you guys! I see there are 58 pages to read thru and I am going to start doing that! Can't wait to read this from the beginning.

I just want to say, we are a household of two. We have more food here than a small army needs. Have stocked up on different canned meats. It started because I have a sick dog that I am trying to please food wise. That is a whole other chapter...

My dilemma is that our very large stand up freezer is pretty packed. I have filled it with a little of everything. The problem is that now, it is the season that I want to buy turkey on sale and rib roast, spiral ham on sale. Right now my local grocery store has frozen turkey breast on sale for $0.99 a lb. I would like to buy about 6 to throw in the freezer. UGH, that is pushing it a little. We contemplated buying another freezer but that seems ridiculous considering we have a refrigerator with a freezer above for additional freezer space and also not to mention my refrigerator with freezer space upstairs.

I typically buy stuff on sale but due to the pandemic, I have purchased some meat online that was a little pricey. But, I do have a nice variety of things. So now we are at a stage of being at full capacity but I want to buy more!

OMG, just lock me up!

We use up all our leftovers as lunches, breakfasts so we have little waste. The issue is that we have more incoming food than we have capacity for.  I had considered buying a small 8 CF chest freezer just for bulkier items like turkey, rib roast, hams. But, I know I will fill that up too and still need more room! OMG, am I a hoarder or a purchasing agent?

Well, glad to join this group and maybe learn to eat all the food in my house!

Your problem sounds famaliar, your freezer being too full to take advantage of a good sale. But you should not buy endless amounts of food on sale just to only put it in a freezer. You should also consume it.

I personally find it difficult to get an overview of what is inside a stuffed freezer. Therefore I made a list that hangs on the combi fridge, that contains the contents of each freezer drawer. It is at least easy to find in which freezer something is. I also can easily check whether we have a lot of meat or not, as I try to organize food types per freezer.

I think you should look at at least some of your froozen stuff and make a plan for how to eat it. Like having a day of eating leftover portions. Or eating fish 2-3 times a week of your freezer is full of that, like ours is.

I took out two portions of long time cooked beef which have been in the freezer quite long and will eat that which long time cooked pears, which I bought yesterday.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2873 on: October 07, 2020, 08:48:16 AM »
I am joining you guys! I see there are 58 pages to read thru and I am going to start doing that! Can't wait to read this from the beginning.

I just want to say, we are a household of two. We have more food here than a small army needs. Have stocked up on different canned meats. It started because I have a sick dog that I am trying to please food wise. That is a whole other chapter...

My dilemma is that our very large stand up freezer is pretty packed. I have filled it with a little of everything. The problem is that now, it is the season that I want to buy turkey on sale and rib roast, spiral ham on sale. Right now my local grocery store has frozen turkey breast on sale for $0.99 a lb. I would like to buy about 6 to throw in the freezer. UGH, that is pushing it a little. We contemplated buying another freezer but that seems ridiculous considering we have a refrigerator with a freezer above for additional freezer space and also not to mention my refrigerator with freezer space upstairs.

I typically buy stuff on sale but due to the pandemic, I have purchased some meat online that was a little pricey. But, I do have a nice variety of things. So now we are at a stage of being at full capacity but I want to buy more!

OMG, just lock me up!

We use up all our leftovers as lunches, breakfasts so we have little waste. The issue is that we have more incoming food than we have capacity for.  I had considered buying a small 8 CF chest freezer just for bulkier items like turkey, rib roast, hams. But, I know I will fill that up too and still need more room! OMG, am I a hoarder or a purchasing agent?

Well, glad to join this group and maybe learn to eat all the food in my house!

This is my take, your mileage will obviously vary. I'd find that situation to be stressful (waste freaks me out & makes me anxious), & I would not buy anywhere else to store more food. Instead, I'd aim to spend 15-20% less on groceries over the next few months & mix in freezer/pantry/fridge options with new choices. I'd personally go closer to cold turkey & make more substantial cuts, but a more moderate approach sometimes creates more lasting habits in the long term.

I'd also take the time to inventory everything that you have, and commit to buying no more in areas where you have X months/years of supplies, regardless of the price. I'd also make it into a bit of a fun challenge, & track your progress for yourself. (E.g. use up all of the frozen pesto - my current challenge, get creative with menu options, try new meals, etc).

Welcome along on the journey!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2874 on: October 07, 2020, 09:38:01 AM »
No, it is rare I have any waste. We rotate thru the inventory. I started stocking up due to the pandemic and not wanting to expose myself to the virus. It has worked out very well except for produce, dairy and deli meat.

Most of my meats are vacuum sealed for protection and longevity.

I am a bargain shopper and when I see a deal, I usually stock up. Right now, I am stocked up and have no room for more bargains. We are working on freezer reduction. We don't have anything that is very old at all, no freezer burned items.

The Hub keeps track of the inventory and pulls out things for the week to thaw.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2875 on: October 07, 2020, 10:11:48 AM »
@Roadrunner53 - sorry, I didn't explain well. I freak out when I have a lot in my freezer/fridge/pantry, because I feel pressure to use everything & thus not create waste. It sounds like you have a great system for ensuring that doesn't happen. For me, having a lot (say, more than a week or so), stresses me out, because I feel like constantly digging through our supplies & ensuring nothing falls behind a container, etc.

My preferred way of shopping is to be out of leftovers by Friday, as well as have whittled down fruit//veggies. We shop on weekends, so seeing a mostly clear space helps me start again on the tracking & planning process.

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2876 on: October 07, 2020, 11:16:36 AM »
@Linea_Norway, reading about you picking fresh plums from your property to turn them into jam and wine made me smile.   How relaxing and delightful!

Welcome to the thread, @Roadrunner53!

Last night's Taco Tuesday dinner destroyed my kitchen, LOL.  I made fish tacos in cheddar shells with Sunday's remaining portobello mushrooms and red shrimp from the freezer on the side.  The last bag of frozen cauliflower was cooked and riced and half used in the tacos, and the other half will be under tomorrow's chicken curry.  I breaded cod in pork rinds and parmesan cheese which almost used up the bag of plain pork rinds, and the rest of the small milk purchased for mac and cheese for the neighbor kids a few weeks ago.

Tonight I'm making Sloppy Joes in order to use some of the several different opened bottles of BBQ sauce.  Leftover chicken bean soup from Monday will be on the side.  First I must wash last night's dishes.  :)
« Last Edit: October 07, 2020, 11:18:11 AM by MountainGal »

Hula Hoop

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2877 on: October 07, 2020, 02:21:58 PM »
I just found out that the teenager downstairs from us has Covid so his family is quarantined.  And kids at both my children's schools have tested positive so their families and those classes have had to quarantine.  So I'm kind of reluctant to use up our freezer and cupboard stash.


Roadrunner53

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2878 on: October 07, 2020, 02:52:33 PM »
Hula Hoop, I am with you. I started stocking up around March of this year. Little by little. It isn't that we don't use the food, we use it but then replenish due to the virus.

In our State we have low Covid numbers but since school opened, we are seeing a significant increase. You just don't know where you will get it. Could be the stores, gas station, work, post office. I will not even think of eating in a restaurant.

The Hub is very conscientious of expiration dates. He thinks everything is rotten as soon as the expiration date has been met. I worked in the food industry and know full well, most foods last way longer than the date printed on the food. We did storage studies and proved that the products were still edible. The only thing that might be off is that it might lose some flavor and the nutritionals might be off a little. Vitamins might be lower than ingredient statement. Flavors diminish over time. Of course you have to use your head too. If you were feeding a baby formula, you would not want to feed the baby old formula that has diminished vitamins. If in doubt, throw it out! I can't convince my husband that food does last longer even though I worked with food for 18 years. He sometimes won't throw something expired out but he cringes to eat it. We usually only have a can here or there that has expired. Mostly eggs and then we cook them up for the dogs. I would eat the eggs though! LOL!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2879 on: October 08, 2020, 01:05:21 AM »
@Roadrunner53
Eggs stay fresh longest in the fridge. Often many weeks after expiration date. Before eating an egg, you can put it in a cup of water. If the egg lies flat on the bottom, it is very fresh. If it stands up on the bottom, it is not so very fresh, but still edible. If it floats, it is spoiled and should not be given to the dogs either in my opinion.

Hula Hoop

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2880 on: October 09, 2020, 05:13:44 AM »
@Roadrunner53 - we only have a few things in the freezer so I think I'll buy some frozen veggies, fish and maybe chicken to freeze this weekend.  Also, I might stock up on yeast and flour.  I remember during our lockdown that those were impossible to find.  Luckily grocery delivery seems to be working better it was previously here.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2881 on: October 09, 2020, 03:41:02 PM »
Lots of progress:

-Finished the roasted carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, & whatever else I'm forgetting from the produce box
-Kids ate the last of the sandwich bread. (We don't keep sandwich bread on hand, but one kid had a hankering for grilled cheese.)
-I'm almost done with a "sweet cream" coffee creamer. It was a freebie at the grocery store, picked up because my sister was visiting, and enjoys that in her coffee. I prefer plain almond milk, but waste not, want not.
-Have made caprese salad three times this week, to use garden tomatoes & basil, as well as the last of some fresh mozzarella. The mozz is now officially gone as well, so I don't have to worry about it spoiling.
-Cleaned a bag of lettuce that was super questionable, saving what was still usable.
-Kids are out of their preferred frozen berries, but have been eating my bag of "scrap fruit" that I keep in the freezer for morning smoothies.
-I finished off the homemade protein bars I made, and need to make more this weekend
-I found a bag of edamame in the freezer, and used that as my protein on a salad this week
-Remembered we had two cheeseburgers in the freezer, and made them for the kids for lunch. They typically make their own lunch, so this was a nice surprise. Little did they know I was just trying to clean the freezer. ;-)

This weekend I need to use up more tomatoes. Probably pico de gallo to go with my taco slaw bowl dinner (think egg roll in a bowl, but taco style). I may have to put out a call again for neighbors to use up our parsley & mint. They are overtaking their containers again.

horsepoor

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2882 on: October 09, 2020, 11:11:24 PM »
The Hub is very conscientious of expiration dates. He thinks everything is rotten as soon as the expiration date has been met. I worked in the food industry and know full well, most foods last way longer than the date printed on the food. We did storage studies and proved that the products were still edible. The only thing that might be off is that it might lose some flavor and the nutritionals might be off a little. Vitamins might be lower than ingredient statement. Flavors diminish over time. Of course you have to use your head too. If you were feeding a baby formula, you would not want to feed the baby old formula that has diminished vitamins. If in doubt, throw it out! I can't convince my husband that food does last longer even though I worked with food for 18 years. He sometimes won't throw something expired out but he cringes to eat it. We usually only have a can here or there that has expired. Mostly eggs and then we cook them up for the dogs. I would eat the eggs though! LOL!

Have you pointed out to him that most labels say "best by" which infers exactly what you said about lack of quality.  It does not say "do not eat after".  Then for dairy and meat it is a "sell by" date, and I always assume 5-7 days of grace for consumption after that date, as long as nothing smells or looks off.

OTOH, I use the "expired" ploy to through out random crap that my husband buys and uses once, like maraschino cherries.  I worked one summer at a cherry packing plant, and know from the noxious brine those cherries sit in, that they will never actually go bad.  But the expiration date gives me an excuse to toss them.  He can buy more 5 years from now when he wants the specific cocktail that requires them.

This weekend I'm making braised oxtails to help make way for the beef quarter.  I just harvested about 20 gallons of various peppers, so some of the less atomic ones should probably go in there. We can eat it with one of the packages of cauliflower rice.

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2883 on: October 12, 2020, 12:48:54 PM »
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Saturday DH bought HUGE ribeye steaks to grill last night.  I divided mine into thirds and ate a portion last night, eating some now on top of my salad, and will do so again tomorrow.  Today's salad also consists of the remaining raspberries and blackberries, and crumbled blue cheese.

Saturday night I ate the rest of last week's chicken curry, and DH grazed on cottage cheese, a boiled egg, and a few other things.

For tonight, there are pork chops in the slow cooker along with a jar of apricot jam one of DH's co-workers gave us.  Yum.

Taco Tuesday will feature the leftover sliced, seasoned chicken breast my sister gave us in August along with the last avocado.

Wednesday we'll eat the rest of the chicken pot pie I made a month or two ago.

Other than 2 bags of okra, and a bag of fresh green beans given to us by our neighbor over the summer, there are no other veggies in the freezer.   Let's just say it's going to be a very large grocery pickup this week!

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2884 on: October 13, 2020, 09:09:42 PM »
Made a pot of chili last night that is the best I've ever made! And it was mostly just to use up random stuff and partly because it was finally cool enough for chili. No recipe, just dumped things in I had lying around and threw in more spices than I thought advisable :)

The last pound of frozen ground venison, since deer season is rolling around again
Basil from a hand-me-down plant & onion volunteers from the compost pile that I moved into a pot
Aldi spices and some dried red pepper from a long-ago pizza delivery
Canned tomatoes, tomato soup, and kidney beans from the quarantine overbuy
Bacon grease and the last tablespoon of overcooked bacon
Frozen celery from the 5 lb box I got free from work (only one more quart bag to go!)
A cup of dry pasta lingering in the pantry, tying up a Majon jar I could use for other storage

Made a box of cornbread mix and ate chili and cornbread until I couldn't anymore. I had leftovers and was looking forward to it so much for lunch today!

Tonight's cooking adventure was quinoa salad to use up some cherry tomatoes and cucumber before they went bad, and jam bars to use up some way-too-sweet jam I was gifted. Spread on a crust and baked, it's just a decadent treat instead of a sugary, syrupy mess. Only half of the jar to go...

I've got the last of the frozen pheasant thawing in the fridge to make a bowdlerized chicken marsala with jarred sauce, some more of the frozen celery, and some frozen bell peppers tomorrow or the next day, whenever it's properly thawed.

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2885 on: October 14, 2020, 04:39:34 AM »
Chili sounds so good! I have been craving it for a little while!

I might just have to make up a big bucket of it very soon!

MountainGal For tonight, there are pork chops in the slow cooker along with a jar of apricot jam one of DH's co-workers gave us.  Yum.

Can you tell me how many chops in the crock pot and did you do it on high or low and for how long. I am afraid of them drying out but the apricot jam does sound delicious!

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2886 on: October 14, 2020, 07:25:45 AM »
Gave away the Costco sized package of Hot Pockets no one in my family will eat. While I know that's the opposite of the thread title, I'll just call out that it was either that or the garbage. So, we've saved someone else money & saved food from waste. I'll take it.

-Ate all of the keto friendly chicken parmesan I made over the weekend
-Our tomato production has slowed down quite a bit due to the shorter days, so we're totally on top of the garden tomatoes & have only a small bowl in the fridge
-Tonight I'll take one kid to a masked up activity & will need to wait in the car. Two people are eating before they leave, I'm bringing food to eat in the car (classy like) & I have leftovers prepped for my husband. Hopefully he'll finish off the last of the taco slaw, pico de gallo & guacamole

I need to plan something for tomorrow's dinner. If I pick up hot dog buns at the store, perhaps hot dogs for the kids, & Italian sausages/coleslaw for the adults. That will get some of the previously grilled & frozen dogs & sausages out for the freezer, and use up the rest of the (homemade) coleslaw mix

okisok

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2887 on: October 18, 2020, 04:21:13 PM »
Gave away the Costco sized package of Hot Pockets no one in my family will eat. While I know that's the opposite of the thread title, I'll just call out that it was either that or the garbage. So, we've saved someone else money & saved food from waste. I'll take it.

I feel like this decision is in the spirit of the thread, if not the title :) *Someone* will eat that food from your house!

Reconstituted the last of the chili with another can of tomato soup and some more spices. Eating it for dinner with the crumbs from the bottom of the tortilla chip bag. There's one more serving for lunch tomorrow. Put the last serving of quinoa salad in the freezer since I didn't finish it today. We'll see how it freezes.

Have mozzarella and homemade pasta sauce from gifted tomatoes thawing in the fridge for my first attempt at fathead pizza tomorrow. I have plenty of cheese, pepperoni, and Italian seasoning, so it can't turn out too awful.

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2888 on: October 18, 2020, 04:25:06 PM »
@okcisok - that's how I felt about it. ;-)

Cleaned the fridge, made a batch of coleslaw mix. Used almost the last of the (homemade) coleslaw dressing. I tend to buy 2 heads of cabbage & carrots, and make coleslaw multiple times throughout a few weeks. Mix up a batch of dressing (although we prefer less than the recipe calls for) & then just combine when we're ready for more. We have a Keto friendly recipe that my husband really likes.

I have a slow cooker chicken & dumplings going for dinner for several eaters, and my husband will grill salmon patties to eat during the week. This was a purchase he made & no one else will eat them. So, let's hope he enjoys having them throughout the week.


MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2889 on: October 19, 2020, 02:53:41 PM »
-Used the last of the sliced cheese that my son purchased for grilled cheese sandwiches
-Used up the two lingering carrots
-Started on the huge tub of mixed greens. This is an ongoing challenge that i sometimes lose before they go bad. My goal this week, no mixed greens waste, even if I have to use them in smoothies

I've moved away from using bagged salads (these were my go to lunch when COVID was just starting, as we'd previously had free lunch at work & time for lunch was often quite tight). I'm now largely off of bagged salad, and am instead just using balsamic vinegar. Way healthier, cheaper & more environmentally friendly vs bagged salads. Win/win.


MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2890 on: October 19, 2020, 03:40:31 PM »
@Roadrunner53, thank you for asking!  Into the Crock Pot went a slow cooker liner, 4 boneless pork chops, the entire Mason jar of jam, and I added ginger and onion powders.   I cook them on low setting until we get home from work, so usually 8+ hours.  Yes, they end up a bit dry, but that's partly due to our Crock Pot.  It's very aggressive, LOL.

Last Thursday's large grocery pickup was successful.  Other than fresh produce, we should be all set for the next month.

DH and I went camping over the weekend, and my food frugality segues while away from home as well:
~Leftover strawberries were eaten on top of Saturday morning yogurt
~Friday we had brats, and the leftovers last night when we arrived home
~We had sauteed asparagus and French cut green beans Friday, and the leftovers Saturday
~A container of fresh blackberries were eaten for 2 different meals, and the rest will be consumed for this week's lunches
~Last week's leftover boiled eggs were turned into egg salad and we ate them in low carb tortillas for breakfast
~Canned items purchased during the food shortage earlier this year such as Beanie Weenies, corned beef hash and the can of green beans mentioned above were consumed

okisok

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2891 on: October 19, 2020, 06:18:16 PM »
Made the fathead dough into pizza tonight. Turned out very well for a first attempt! The directions skipped a few steps, but I've figured it out and next time will be even better.

Used up the last of a package of mozzarella cheese that was a bit dried out and the last 2 Tbs of cream cheese in a package. Topped it with sauce I made from free tomatoes and bell peppers I'd frozen before they went bad.

I read that the key to adding veggies to pizza is to roast them first so the moisture doesn't cook out and soak into the crust and make it soggy. It worked! I've got enough pizza for two big meals and one smaller one. And enough tomato sauce to make several more pizzas or bowls of pasta.

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2892 on: October 20, 2020, 09:26:36 PM »
I slow cooked a chicken tonight smothered in some chutney and a bit of leftover BBQ sauce that were languishing in the fridge.  Also chunked up the last of the garden eggplants and cooked them with the chicken.  Alongside we had cauliflower cooked with the last of the frozen peas that I grabbed when everyone was grabbing all the frozen veg at the beginning of This Situation.  Then I tossed in the remains of a little bag of slivered almonds to give it a pleasant crunch.

DH has been buying too many bananas recently, so I used his extras to make a paleo-ish chocolate banana bread thing which also used up a partial bag of chocolate chips.  Not bad eating something extra chocolatey in the morning and thinking it's fairly healthy!

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2893 on: October 21, 2020, 07:25:43 AM »
A recent success: I used the last of a can of baking powder I bought when I moved back to the US in fall 2018. I use up other baking ingredients and spices, but baking powder is a slow one I always ended up throwing out when it got old.  It was very lumpy toward the end and tempting to toss it, but it was also satisfying to break the lumps up and use it to the end.

We're also coming to the end of 20 pounds of quinoa we stocked up on super sale in summer 2019. I was worried when I bought it that we'd waste it, I am pleased to say that is not so!

We're keeping a lot more food in stock these days and we have had some losses mostly of fresh veggies that we overbought and couldn't eat quickly enough. We've gotten a bit more conservative with our orders and are keeping more frozen veggies and fruit on hand.  We're doing pretty good at rotating through things, especially dry goods. 

I did just buy us some canned chicken, tuna and fruits that I hid away in the back of the cupboard. That's our little stockpile for if we really can't get out to the stores this winter, but they are also things that we used during camping this past summer, and we expect to do the same next summer so my plan is that if we don't need it for emergency we'll still use it up before it approaches expiration.

I made some ham and green beans earlier in the summer that turned out kind of boring.  I don't know how!? Yesterday I got a container of it out of freezer, added some potatoes and a nice scoop of smoked paprika and it helped give it a little more zing. I am proud of that.

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2894 on: October 21, 2020, 09:29:53 AM »
@PMG - I'm always happy when I can repurpose something that didn't turn out great, and not give up on it.

I have a huge batch of chicken & dumplings in the fridge, and it turns out that really only I will eat it. I need to both give it more of a kick, freeze some, and ....eat a lot of chicken & dumplings.

I'm going to deal with all of the jalapenos this weekend - freeze for future use.

I've been on top of the food waste, and have been eating through leftovers at lunch, which is helping.

MountainGal

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2895 on: October 21, 2020, 11:50:50 AM »
@okcisok, congratulations on the fathead success!  It has been one of my favorites for years, and it's so versatile!  It can be made into bagels, calzones, pretzels, etc.  Check out recipes online.

@MaybeBabyMustache, I would help you eat the chicken and dumplings if I could.  ;)

I poked around the pantry yesterday to confirm we have corn syrup and brown sugar for the caramel popcorn I am going to make for our Halloween party.  Oof, the both the light and dark brown sugars are dried out.  Luckily, I know just how to revive them.

From the spice cupboard I pulled out several types of Halloween sprinkles for the above referenced popcorn, and wooden frill toothpicks (I'm going to make mini mummy dogs).  These, plus several unopened packages of black skull plates and napkins from prior years, helped save money on this year's festivities.

okisok

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2896 on: October 21, 2020, 06:50:51 PM »
Reeaallly wanted Taco Bell and pie tonight for dinner. Instead I made some slapdash nachos and made some instant pudding. Just as poor nutrition but without spending any extra money.

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2897 on: October 22, 2020, 12:55:30 AM »
Going to attempt to spend $15/week or $60 this month on groceries.  Everything else is going to come from what I already have in my pantry, fridge/freezer.

So far, I have spent $54.79 this month.  That includes game night food that runs about $2-5/week.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2898 on: October 22, 2020, 05:44:40 AM »
Had some way over ripe bananas and made one banana bread in my bread machine. It was good but I meant to put in some cinnamon and forgot. The bread called for one cup of mashed bananas and I followed the directions on that. The banana flavor was way too mild for me so I am buying some banana extract. I have enough bananas for two more loaves. Mashed the bananas and put them in two separate bags into the freezer. I also had frozen walnuts I used. That was kind of a treat and we enjoyed it. Tonight pulling out some salmon from the freezer. Will pan sear it then remove it from skillet. Then add some butter, baby spinach, minced garlic. Once that is sautéed a little, I will add Alfredo sauce, warm it then add the fish back to it. Not sure on a side dish like rice or pasta. I wonder how chickpeas would be added to the sauce?

Last week we had walnut crusted sea bass. OMG, love that! All I do is take walnuts and break them up using a can to lightly crush the nuts in a plastic bag. Then add some mayo and grey poupon and a little cayenne. I put some lemon, dill sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, drizzled the sauce over the top of the fish and then put the walnut crust on the fish. Cooked in oven till fish temp reached.

So now I have run into and issue. The Hub has developed gout! Very painful foot pain and swelling. The doc told him to stay away from shellfish. We have a few lobster tails in the freezer, king crab, shrimp, scallops. This stinks because we enjoy seafood so much. So, now I will be the only one eating this stuff! I will probably get gout too!

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Re: Eat All The Food In Your House - Take 2
« Reply #2899 on: October 22, 2020, 11:25:11 AM »
-Made coleslaw with almost all of the remainder & dressing
-Used leftover taco meat & cheese (+ garden tomatoes) for my salad for lunch
-Going to repurpose meat from chicken & dumplings for two diners (I'll eat as is, because.... it's great) & two people will have ravioli & the chicken together

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!