The Pantry Challenge

I have been working for about 2 months on lowering my monthly grocery bill. Thanks to help from Kelly at Faithful Provisions I have been able to slightly lower my bill while getting about twice as much food as I normally would. Through Kelly's blog I found the Life as Mom blog.

I recently started following FishMama on her blog Life as Mom. This month she decided to challenge herself to using up some of the reserves she has in her pantry and freezer before she makes/buys anything else. I have done this before for a week here or there, heading to the grocery store only for milk and a few fresh produce. When I first read FishMama's plan, I thought there is no way that I can go a whole month with what I have on hand already in the house.

Well, after taking stock of pantry and freezer last night and thumbing threw several different cookbooks, I have already have two weeks worth of meals planned out. I will need a few fresh ingredients each week to make these come together. After two weeks I am going to again take stock of where I stand and what we have left. My hope is that I can get another two weeks out of my pantry and freezer.

Here are my meals planned for the next two weeks:

WEEK ONE

Lemon Roasted Chicken with Broccoli and Rice

Cheez-It Chicken Tenders with Salad

Empanadas

Creamy Penny Pomodoro

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

WEEK TWO

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Salad

Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops with Broccoli and Rice

Super Pot Roast

Cranberry Glazed Chicken with Wild Rice and Salad

Santa Fe Chicken with Spanish Rice and Salad

I usually only plan about 5 meals a week. It seems like if I plan for more at least one meal doesn't get made.

Breakfast will be either eggs and whole wheat toast or cereal (which we have plenty of on hand). For lunch I've got frozen spinach quiche and lots of soup, and we always sandwich fixings on hand.

Have you ever done anything like this? Do you think you could do it for a whole month?

Life as Mom: Eat from the Pantry Challenge - Join Us!