Not only am I going to use what is in my pantry, I have uncovered a meal that could feed me for four day! Our of my pantry, I had a pack of corn tortillas, vegetarian chili w/beans (soy protein for meat), can of sliced kalamata olives, vegan jalapeno cheddar shreds. I just threw it all together and it is now cooking in the oven. Tada! Vegetarian Enchiladas!

My morning newspaper had an interesting article today. Our local Sur Le Tab recently held a cooking class on this very subject. The old “What’s for dinner?” dilemna when looking into the fridge or pantry was taken on. 3 teams, 1 had fish, 1 pork, the other chicken. Each team had to use items in the fridge & “pantry” to create a full meal. No cookbooks allowed, just common knowledge & creativity. It was really astonishing what the teams came up with, and refreshing to see what I can do myself following this same idea.

Since I accepted this challenge, I have made dinners using what was in my cabinets. I open them up and see whats there, then go to one of my my recipe sights (depending on the food I’ve chosen) and type in the name of the food and it brings up recipes including that food. Then I just go through and pick out one that sounds the best but isn’t high in carbs or fat. Foods like green breans, corn, peas, etc., I just use as a vegetable for the meal I’m preparing. So, I’m slowly getting it down to nothing. Of course, my husband thinks we are running out of food!

our fridge broke, so it was ironic to me that i saw this challenge. but it showed me how to be more creative and use all the resources in my cupoard

The last week of every month, we get creative and make meals with whatever we have in the pantry or fridge. No cheating by going to the store except for milk, bread, or veggies(only if called for in recipe). www.allrecipes.com lets you type in different ingredients and then tries to find recipes that closely match.

i constantly let my pantry, freezer and fridge get to the bare minimum – that way i am not always eating the same thing all the time

I should check out the challenges more often. This one has been waiting for me. I have quite a stockpile which has served me well. This past weekend I decided that since I’m broke, it will serve me better by being used. I simply didn’t look at the ads or shop. Its an opportunity to save money and dive into some creative cooking.

i need to start working on this. i buy certain foods that i can easily get in healthier versions but when they are on sale i get them. whenever i go back for some of them i know that i will eat them quickly and need to start rethinking these things as i have been trying to do.

i try to buy staples to be able to cook home made….........when i have time…if i can freeze it i do…..no hamburger helper…......box mac and cheese we try to make our own…we can throw in crock pot and done when we all get home…

I agree- with this ecomony we need to stock up on as much items as we can for sale items. My husband does all the shopping and he’s dangerous when it comes to sale items… lol.. I’m trying to change his way of thinking on “junk food”- its getting there… He knows I love Kashi… and its rubbing off on my family… they are all changing the way they eat— Kashi’s Grandola bars are great and have many varieties to suit everyones taste buds…

Ooh! this one is a tuffy. I am the world’s worst about stocking up on sale items. I don’t think my pantry has ever been close to empty. I don’t buy junk, I buy healthy foods, just lots of them but it may be weeks before I cook them and in between i may buy foods that are not so good because we have cravings. Those will getcha every time! And don’t ever go grocery shopping when you are hungry!

I am always buying things that just look good…i need to stop that because I’ll just keep eating it…limiting myself to what can go in my pantry is a great way to get started on my weight lose.

It’s really easy to stock up… created over stock… on the types of foods that we enjoy, especially those that are shelf stable. I find myelf stock piling the foods that I view as indulgent, whether that be salty snacks or cookies. While I try to keep only one or two packages of this category open at a time, I also have lots of other packages just waiting to be opened. I am always tempted by the promotional price, but struggle with remembering the next time i am truly close to running out, there will always be something new or on sale to get excited about!