Okay. Starting today, 6/20/2020 we will spend no money on food for the remainder of the month. Gosh...that is terrifying.
Why am I doing this?
A lot of people try out challenges or get sick of seeing items in the back of their pantries never get used up. I am not these people. I am deadass broke. My grocery shopping trips are always weekly, so the money I already put into grocery shopping this month is what we have to work with. I'm out of WIC Vouchers, our Food Stamp card got lost in the mail, so we have to wait at least a week for it to arrive. I can't think of any more ways to get help from the government. It's time to eat the pantry.
The following is a breakdown of all the items I will be using this week. I hope I don't forget about any, but since it's slim picking chances are this will be a pretty accurate inventory.
Refridgerator:
1 Gallon 1% Milk
1 Bag Baby Carrots
1 Dozen Eggs
Yeast..maybe 1lb?
1/2 Can Sliced Mushrooms
3 Sticks of Margarine
1 Pack of Firm Tofu
2/3 Jar Grape Preserves
1,000,000 Condiments
Freezer:
1 OJ Concentrate
1 Gallon Bag of Vegetable Scraps
1/2 Bag Frozen Peas
1/2 Bag Frozen Carrot Slices
1 Bag Frozen Peas & Carrots
1/2 Bag Frozen Corn
1 Bag Frozen Broccoli & Cauliflower
1 Bag Frozen Green Beans
1 Bag Frozen Broccoli
1 Bag Frozen Spinach
1 Bag Frozen Chicken Strips
2 Bags Frozen Mixed Vegetables
3 Bags Mixed Frozen Fruit.
Pantry:
2 Huge Boxes of Cheerios
1 1/2 Boxes Almond Honey Bunches of Oats
1/2 Container Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cream of Wheat
10-15lbs Basmati Rice
2 Cans Garbanzo Beans
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Great Northern Beans
1 Can Cannelini Beans
1 Can Butter Beans
1lb Dry Pinto Beans
3 Cans Concentrated Tomato Soup
4 Jars of Nut Butter
1/2 Jar of Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
1 Jar Salsa
2 Onions
3 Garlic Bulbs
1 Potato
1 Sweet Potato
4lb Instant Corn Masa Flour
5lb All-Purpose Flour
3lb Self-Rising Corn Flour
5lb Sugar
1C Walnuts
1C Chocolate Chips
1C Olive Oil
1/2 Container Vegetable Oil
Various Common Baking Ingredients, Spices, Herbs, and even more Condiments
Looking into the fridge and pantry, I get a little sad. There are a lot of empty spaces where my regular food items are placed. Thankfully we do still have a good amount of food for the rest of the month, even if it is mostly rice and beans. Writing down all the food we have really really really helps if you are feeling mentally strained. It puts into perspective what you actually have and makes it a lot easier to create recipes because you already know you're ingredient list. Speaking of recipes, I do not like to have the same food every day. It is something about me that will never change. That's why I can get a bit nervous when supplies run low, my creativity goes from endless to limited. It can be a challenge to create a non-monotonous menu, but this is seriously where I feel I thrive. See for yourself!
The menu for the next 11 days:
Breakfast:
2 Eggs, Sweet Potato & Potato Hashbrown & Pancakes for Father's Day
Granola Bars & Coffee
Cream of Wheat
Just Coffee
Lunch:
PBJ's
Chicken Salad Sandwich & Tomato Soup
Leftovers
Dinners:
Egg Drop Soup & Rice
Homemade "Ramen" Soup
Homemade Linguine Cacio e Pepe
Refried Bean Tacos
Homemade Mushroom, Carmelized Onion, & Spinach Ravioli with Balsamic Sauce
Fried Rice Vegetable Stir Fry
For most of the soups, I will be using a base of my vegetable scraps stock.
The pasta recipe I use is simple:
4 eggs
3C Flour
mix it up, let it rest under a towel for 10-15 minutes, roll out & shape.
I'm probably going to make about 3 loaves of bread if I have enough flour. If you want the most amazing sandwich bread in the world, USE THIS RECIPE!!!
As I type this right now I have one loaf of bread in the oven and my stock simmering on the stovetop. Between tonight and tomorrow, I should really get at least one more loaf of bread finished and the pasta ready to be dried (well the linguine & "ramen", the ravioli will be eaten fresh). Oof. I'm going to be tired, making food from scratch is hard work. However, it is rewarding. Wish me luck!
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