(Forgive fuzzy pic. Batteries were dying.)
Top: mushroom barley risotto, yogurt cheese cubes, mixed veg
Middle: pomegranate yogurt and blueberries
Bottom: granola
I should start portioning all my meals into my bento box. When I open it at lunch, it seems like so little food, but by the time I’m done, I’m full.
Top: Homemade beef, barley and mushroom soup (from the freezer)
Middle: garlic breadstick, herb yogurt cheese, pomegranate yogurt with blueberries
Bottom: granola to sprinkle on yogurt
Okay, so my soup container clashes with my bento and my middle layer is very monochromatic, but this met my Eating from the Pantry Challenge guidelines about not buying anything. The granola was left over from Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters (I got free a couple months ago) and the blueberries were free from the sample lady at Big Box Mart. Nothing tastes better than free!
I usually spend my Sundays in the kitchen – making soup, precooking meat, making bread or cookies. I decided to use this Sunday to work on the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. I made garlic breadsticks, tortillas, green tomato relish, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. It was took me a couple hours, but we now have some great homemade food in the fridge and freezer for later use.
And I didn’t have to buy a thing!
I had bought two green tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market with the intention of making fried ones. I didn’t get to them and I noticed today they were starting to get spots. I researched recipes online (bread, salsa, chutney) and found I was lacking a lot of ingredients. However, I did have all the ingredients for this one.
Since money is going to be tight this month, I decided that we will eat from the pantry and freezer. The only items I will purchase are milk, bread, fresh fruit and vegetables. We have plenty of meat, dry goods, cheese, eggs, frozen vegetables, etc. I’ve started a menu which will save me from buying items to make meals, when I have plenty at home.
This gives me two weeks of meals as there are at least two nights a week we both work late and don’t eat at home. Everything is from my freezer, pantry and fridge. How much can I save by not buying a little here and a little there?
