The goal for this month was to concentrate on eating down the pantry and spending $100 or less at the grocery store.
And guess what? It was a total success.
I suggested we should do it again for March but The HH said no… He’s out of chips and pizza and other stuff.
Then I remembered Maine Maple Weekend is coming up and I’ll want to load up on a year’s supply of maple syrup.
Real maple syrup. You can’t beat it!! Plus it’s always fun to check out the local sugar houses and talk to the makers.
Saturday night beans with real maple syrup. It’s one of my favorite cold weather meals.
And Lucy’s too.
I’m kidding! I do not feed Lucy beans. But I do let her pre-rinse the pot.
The HH: How old is this chicken?
Mavis: I don’t know… I think I froze it in December?
Also, he had to slice mold off one side of the cheese. He was not amused. But I was like… EVERYBODY does this! You don’t throw away a nice piece of cheese just because it has a little mold on it. You just cut that part off.
He didn’t believe me. Told me not to tell you about it. HA HA HA.
Tuna casserole is always a good idea. And yes, peas are a must! At least we agreed on that.
And that egg salad always tastes better on the second day. Why is that?
No idea how long the chicken curry had been in the freezer. But hey, we ate it over rice and now I can fill my container with something else.
I also used up the vegetable pucks I added to the freezer a while back. Do you make vegetable pucks?
Whenever I have extra carrots, celery and onions {and sometimes spinach too} I’ll sauté everything and then freeze them into ½ or 1 cup portions.
Making soup when you already have all the vegetables ready to toss in the pot really cuts down on prep time if you ask me.
Fact: We still have 10 million pounds of beans.
But at least the contents of the refrigerator and freezer have been thinned out quite a bit. Poor Lucy. She is always hungry.
She has Addision’s disease and has to take prednisone which leaves her thirsty and hungry all the time.
Clearly she isn’t missing any meals but anytime we are in the kitchen or open the fridge {or cupboards, or eating a meal!} there she is. 🙂
Thank goodness she hasn’t figured out how to open the pantry door.
Even after eating down the pantry for an entire month there are still a few things left.
The sugar and flour needs to be replenished though. So you know what that means… A trip to Costco. Yee-Haw!
I’m looking forward to loading up on the basics plus cheese, nuts, dried fruit, BACON. And who knows what else. After two straight months of working with a food budget of only $100, I am ready to splurge.
Several of you mentioned you were working on eating down your pantry this month too… How did it go? Did you get the cupboards whittled down?
Hey! It’s the weekend. I hope you have a good one. 🙂
Peace Out.
~Mavis
Nancy Settel says
Mavis I saw an article yesterday about sugaring houses in Maine and if you go into them they have a pot boiling of the maple sap and it has hot dogs cooking in them! Wouldn’t mind one bit trying those that’s for sure. We have been eating down the freezer this month and it has been fairly successful but the pantry still so darn full. Who the heck buys all this stuff anyway? Looks like it is going to be sunny and bright and mid 40’s here in Delaware this weekend and I am so ready for it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Weenies and maple syrup would taste good! Maybe I’ll be able to find one of those. It would draw a crowd, that’s for sure.
Alice says
We also have been eating from the freezer and pantry but there comes a time when I just don’t have what I need to make something like pizza when there is no sauce or mozzarella cheese. No salsa, no chips? No frozen chicken, no ground beef, no sausage roll.s? So, rather than eat frozen squash all by itself or a bag of shredded cabbage, it was time to stock up. But we have rotated out a lot of freezer food as well as pantry food, you know, the stuff that we stocked up on a long time ago and didn’t end up using has now been used.
Kari says
I am an accountant who is in the middle of tax season. My cupboards are getting whittled down simply because I’m too tired after a 70-hour week to do much grocery shopping. I have been planning the meals, setting out recipes, and my hubby, who is in his slower season, has become quite the tax-season chef. What a blessing.
Good job on your food challenge. I never doubted for a moment that you’d complete it with flying colors.
Tracy says
I laughed when I saw the 10 million pounds of beans comment. I straightened out my big pantry yesterday and what did I find? 10 million pound of beans. I have refried beans cooking and getting ready to go in the canner as I type.
Rosemary says
I save the “extra” veggies (and scraps) in the freezer and then use them when I am making broth from the rotisserie bones (Costco chicken) that I also save in the freezer until a get a few. When I have enough, then I make the broth and can it. It is soooooo good!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
I have been working on my pantry and freezer the last two months as well. I have made good progress but we still have so.much.food! And included in that is dried beans! However, I have whittled them down quite a bit and have pintos and a ham bone in the crock pot as well “speak”. Despite the decrease, I’ve still had food available for unexpected occasions, which is one of the reasons I keep a stockpile-to bless others and always be prepared. But I’m out of condiments and canned goods now, so March will be a stock up time. But, I’m going to try and be reasonable about it.
Along with my foodstuffs, I’ve been using up household items and health and beauty items as well. They also needed a use up “challenge”.
I knew you’d pass your goal with flying colors, Mavis. Congrats.
Mavis Butterfield says
We need to load up on condiments too. I think it’s good to do these “spend less” months to use up what’s in the cupboards. It totally helps prevent food waste, that’s for sure.
Susan says
I grew up out in the country and my husband grew up in town or suburbia. Our experiences with how close a store was is quite different. He calls me a food hoarder and I keep telling him, its just ingrained in me because we couldn’t always get out to get to the store. On top of being in the country, my dad only got paid once a month, so mom always kept a full pantry and would stock up with payday.
I have a list of things to stock up on, but my hubby thinks I’m nuts and told me not to get it (Costco canned chicken, Costco diced tomatoes – you know, basics!)
I did manage to stock up on carrots and celery on our last Costco trip and are freeze drying them to store in the pantry for when I need basics.
I didn’t try to do a pantry challenge, but some days feel like it if it’s past time to get to the store.
suzanne says
Poor Lucy. That little head tilt kills me.
My grands are real maple syrup snobs. They don’t mean to be and they never complain. They just don’t understand why other people’s and restaurants syrup tastes so funny. I’ve read it described as the holy water of deciduous trees.
It’s Girl Scout cookie season here. My HH came home with a box even though we bought a years’ worth from our grand daughter. I don’t blame him one bit.
Mavis Butterfield says
I think once you’ve had the real stuff, it’s hard to eat the other stuff. Just isn’t the same at all. This coming from a kid who grew up {and loved} Mrs. Buttersworth.
Honeybee says
We ate out of the freezer Jan and Feb. Found a few surprises: frozen egg nog cubes, coconut milk, whipped cream dollops, 1 stuffed bell pepper, mashed sweet potatos and butter nut squash.
Still working on the cocount milk and sweet potatos.
Mavis Butterfield says
Frozen egg nog cubes… What do you do with those?
Honeybee says
Egg nog freezes well. We use it in coffee and chai for a treat.
Judy says
We have a food pantry cupboard a few blocks from us and whenever I go for a walk I drop off a few cans from my house to share with those in need!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
That is great, Judy. I volunteer at our church’s food pantry and those donations are always appreciated!
Tiffany F says
Yes! We cut the rare mold spots off the cheese and use the rest. I also make veggie pucks. I think I agreed with everything except the tuna casserole, and peas, I’m not a fan of either of them by themselves anyway.
Cathi says
We always cut off the bit of cheese that are dried out or moldy and eat the rest of the cheese.
When I say “we” I mean that I do the cutting and my kids and I eat it. They are not impressed when they find out but by then it’s too late. Hahahahahaha
Vy in Seattle says
When I was a kid growing up in Alaska in the 70s, the only cheese we could find in the winter was the 2 pound bricks, and slicing off the mold was a given, because who can eat 2 pounds of cheese in time? (Okay, more like 10, we bought in bulk.)
maureen detmer says
i made a simple soup the other day, you might enjoy….just saute some carrots, onion, celery and garlic. add a can of petite or regular diced tomatoes, throw in 2 cans of cannellini (sp) beans, 4 cups of chicken stock, a bunch of fresh baby spinach, season with salt (1tsp), pepper (1/2 tsp) and a teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil. most times i use the italian seasoned diced tomatoes for extra flavor. i’m not a meat eater, but i think adding some cooked bacon would be good too for extra protein. anyway, it was simple and cheap to make. the vegetable pucks reminded me of it and the photo of your soup, i’m sure its basically the same recipe.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love soups like the one you described!! Easy to make, tasty and they make the house smell soooo good!
Katie P NC says
I basically made this recipe a couple of months ago when we were snowed in in Coastal Carolina. I also added a pack of Trader Joes spinach tortellini and some andouille sausage I had for another recipe. My fiancé went out of his mind over this soup, it was a “keeper.” If you have some cream on hand, throw some of that in there and it really is one of the best soups I’ve ever eaten.
Mavis, do your silicone puck freezer things have a lid? Or do you set them in the freezer open faced? I usually throw my scraps into a ziplock or the rotisserie chicken bag and keep that in the freezer, but these cubes might be easier to store if they have lids to stack. Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes they have lids and are easy to stack. I bought them at Costco. I like the portion sizes. 1/2 cup, 1 cup and 2 cups.
Katie P NC says
Thanks!
tc says
Growing up in England we always cut the mold of cheese and ate the rest and I still do. I don’t tell my HH as he would be horrified. I have a few girlfriends who do the same thin and don’t tell their partners either. We get a lot of cheese given to us so once a month I make a mac n cheese using all the leftover cheese, I add a little tumeric to it for colour and usually have 6 or more different cheeses, also add a little mustard and horseradish and everyone I give it to loves it and asks for more. I also use it to make scalloped potato’s
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m glad I’m not the only one!
Dot says
Growing up and even now I cut off the mold if there is any. The rest is fine eating.
Angie says
I agree, once you’ve had real maple syrup you just can’t go back. We are the same way with tuna. We live on the Oregon coast and can fresh tuna. Seeing your pantry with chunk light tuna made me wonder, do you ever can tuna? I just can’t do the chunk light after having the ” real” thing. It’s so easy to can and oh so good.
Sue S. says
Yes I shave mold off of cheese. In the past I have tried to pick mold out of shredded cheese but solved thst problem by repackaging a bag into smaller bits and freezing for later. Spending the weekend at a rug hooking camp nearby and guess what? One of the girls is working on your 2 whales runner! Very cool
Gigi says
I’m from Wisconsin where everyone has a dedicated cheese drawer in the fridge. Usually we eat it too fast to mold. But if it’s a big portion, I’ll cut and freeze half. Texture doesn’t change too much, maybe drier. If it’s cheddar, it just crumbles easier.
I did decent emptying the pantry and freezer. I’ve gotten better over the years reducing food waste by freezing.
Sue says
Wisconsin-born girl here! Yes, you are a complete amateur if you can’t manage to cut off a little mold and proceed. :^)
I just winnowed a 2024 bag of frozen, cooked Italian meatballs (okay, okay–not my sanest purchase!) and made crockpot meatball stew with them. Got rid of the off-putting rubbery, compacted texture by cutting them in half so they could absorb the beef broth and “de-compact” during the 6-hour cook on low. The meatballs had a great texture, the stew was freaking delicious and I’m so glad there are leftovers. But I will never buy frozen meatballs again.
Ashley B says
I have been working on my freezer and pantry and only allowing myself to buy refill items like cheese or eggs that we use frequently. The real problem are items we’re happy to avoid while we keep buying other things to eat first.
Eileen Stewart says
I’m glad I am not the only one who buys a years supply at a time of something. I buy my spices in bulk in February and have jars that I refill through the year. I keep the overflow in my freezer and they do stay good until the next year. I’ve both saved money and gotten better quality spices at the same time. Win-win!
KC says
A little bit of white mold usually came off okay, but my mom used to cut Any Mold [green, blue, whatever] off Any Cheese (2lb blocks, 4 people in a family, 2+ cheeses open at a time: something will get moldy), and let me tell you, that moldy flavor gets *into* jack cheese or mild cheddar or colby. I still don’t enjoy those cheeses because the back of my mind is always expecting that moldy flavor betrayal. (if you cut a thick enough layer it might work? But it takes more than a slice or two to get past where the moldy flavor has spread, sometimes. The harder the cheese, the less the mold flavor transfers.)
I don’t think I ever told her, though. Just… didn’t like those. (and then, as an adult, I learned to wash the knife thoroughly if I did trim some white off a cheese, before slicing it, and then putting the cheese in a different container. Details help with reducing mold growth as well as mold flavor!)
Kathy says
KC, I used to cut mold off until my college microbiology teacher told us about feeding hyphae. Apparently, mold sends out tiny threadlike feeding arms called hyphae. Because they are not visible to the naked eye, even cutting off the mold doesn’t guarantee you get the hyphae. Which makes sense when you say the mold flavor permeated the cheese. After that class, I haven’t cut mold off my cheese. It grosses me out too much.
Marcia says
Great job! I love beans. My husband likes to limit them because of their effects on his digestion. What to do…
I have to lol a bit, bc my DH does ALL the Costco shopping. Last week he came home with a rotisserie chicken and said “guess what it costs?” I thought it’s a trick question. Everyone knows it’s 5 bucks…
Cindy Brick says
WOW. I wish my freezer looked like that… we went away for 1 1/2 weeks, and I didn’t get some things eaten up…so I just stuffed it back in the freezer. But now I have no idea where anything is. That’s the job for next week: FIND OUT.
Still dealing with high-temp fever off and on every day…but at last the ‘high’ is gradually getting lower. Hope you’re well.