...and more Pantry Challenge

Here's the link to the last few days.  http://www.cookncents.com/p/budget-relief-pantry-challenge-here.html

Yep, we're still eating from the pantry/freezer/fridge.  Yesterday, I bought milk, eggs, bread and cheese at the store, but so far those are our only food expenses.

Here's some more meals we've made from our well-stocked kitchen!

 Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches made with leftover flank steak.

 Hashbrown Soup

Chewy Granola Bars

Budget Relief Pantry & Freezer Challenge

It's a New Year.  Don't you think it's time to clean out the pantry and freezer?

Click this link to see our meals!!!

I'll be honest... after the holidays, I could use a little room in my budget.  Why not use food I already have instead of buying more?  (other than staples like milk, eggs, bread).  Join CookNCents in this challenge, and check back to see what we've come up with for meals!

As you can see, we are pretty well stocked up.  Here's the pantry:

 Our mostly-packed refrigerator:













And a nicely stocked freezer:

One of the best tools I know for cooking from the pantry is Recipe Matcher .  Just plug in what you have on hand, and it will give you a list of recipes.   You can also go to www.allrecipes.com
and search for recipes by ingredients, but I prefer Recipe Matcher because it will give you a long list of matches and near matches.

Here's a link to our post about using a freezer inventory (use it for your pantry too!)  http://www.cookncents.com/2011/12/keeping-and-using-freezer-inventory.html

Keeping and Using a Freezer Inventory

Buying food at a discount and freezing it for later use is a great way to save money on groceries.

The USDA states that frozen foods remain safe indefinitely, however they provide the following chart for quality: 


Freezer Storage Chart (0 °F)
Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Item	Months
Bacon and Sausage	1 to 2
Casseroles	2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes	12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees	3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry	2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats	1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground	3 to 4
Meat, cooked	2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole	12
Poultry, uncooked parts	9
Poultry, uncooked giblets	3 to 4
Poultry, cooked	4
Soups and Stews	2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked	8 to 12

(Chart courtesy of USDA, Freezing and Food Safety)

So, while your frozen foods may remain SAFE per the USDA, they may not taste as good after awhile.  If your freezer is stuffed like mine is, a freezer inventory is the way to keep track of what you have on hand.

Print out this document, take a tally of what's in your freezer, and as you use it, mark off what you've used.  The Freezer Inventory is also good to refer to when you are doing your meal plan and grocery list to see what you already have on hand.

Print a one-page Freezer Inventory with Categories if you don't have a lot in the freezer, or

Print multiple copies of this Blank Freezer Inventory if you have a stuffed freezer like mine!



I made a 3 ring binder to put my inventory in.    I found the picture randomly on the net and it made me chuckle.  I must be looking really, really cute!    So can you, if you do your freezer inventory! 

After taking my inventory, I discovered I have a 13 bags of green beans!  Time for some Cold Green Bean Salad!