Grocery Hiatus

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As we have begun the new year, I started cleaning out my freezer. About that time, I realized just how much food I have in my house. My fiance opened the pantry the other day and said, "We have so much food, but nothing to eat."

And he's right. Because I am always shopping so healthy, all of our food is tied up in beautiful little packages that need work cooking, seasoning, planning, and packaging. So much of the time, I pick up all the ingredients for dinner at the store, completely neglecting my cabinets.

Instead, this January, I am on a mission to use up all of my pantry staple items in order to create space for new ones. Please note this does not include going out, social gatherings, etc. I'm not changing my lifestyle, just emptying my stock.

My ingredients include a variety of frozen fruits (honeydew melon, peaches, blueberries, bananas, raspberries), frozen veggies (green beans, corn, mixed veggies, green peppers), pierogies, frozen chicken, some miscellaneous meats, and a fresh ham from holiday shopping. In my pantry there is rice, almonds, cereal, kidney beans, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, some soups, stuffing mix, cake mix, cheesy rice mix, jello, pasta, pasta sauce, dried cranberries, dried cherries, oats, and some other typical things. I also have the typical seasonings and baking goods on hand. I'm sure I've missed some things, but this is the majority.

I am proud to note that most of my frozen items were personally frozen from fresh fruit I'd collected over the year. When I have too much of a veggie or when a type of fruit is in season, I like to freeze it in order to have plenty for later.

I started out by meal planning using only the ingredients in our house. My typical meal planning begins with shopping so this is a little reversed for me. Then I cook what I can. I will admit, I mix up my plan most of the time. It is mostly a guideline. Disclaimer: I will be picking up milk when we run out, but I will buy it at the gas station to avoid temptation.

Week 1:

Tuesday, January 1st - Beef & veggie stir fry.
*I mixed a pound of beef with a can of kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and half a bag of frozen mixed veggies. It was deliciously filling. Plus, the recipe made tons of food. We ate leftovers for lunch for most of the week.

Wednesday, January 2nd -  Leftover beef & veggie stir fry.
*I put the beef stir fry on a tortilla and seasoned with Siracha for my fiance and salsa for me. It served as a delicious and veggie filled burrito.

Thursday, January 3rd - Sausage & peppers frozen from a crock pot meal a month ago.

Friday, January 4th - Angel hair pasta and sauce.

Saturday, January 5th - Family member's party. I brought a boxed cake with chocolate icing.

Sunday, January 6th - Out to eat.

Monday, January 7th - Ham, frozen green beans, and short grain brown rice.
*Also, I made my favorite oatmeal muffins with frozen bananas, dried fruit in the cabinet, and holiday chocolate chopped. I'll eat these for lunches. https://brendid.com/healthy-oatmeal-muffins-no-flour-no-sugar-no-oil/#wprm-recipe-container-7698



I've got many more resourceful meals planned for this next week!

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