Time for the "From the Pantry" Challenge!

I've decided to not wait for January to get here. It is time to empty that pantry by making our meals. Hopefully, it will take less than the 5 weeks it took me to empty it when I started in January.


The original goal was to make our meals out of what was in our pantry and freezer, and to only purchase the items we use on a daily basis (i.e. milk, vegetables, fruit, and spices when needed). At the end of the process, I came up with a list of things that I wanted to make part of a daily/weekly routine:

1. to look at what is in the refrigerator, freezers and pantry before selecting the main course.

2. only choose recipes that will use some, most, or all ingredients that I have in my house.

3. stick to my grocery list while at the store.

4. place the menu on the refrigerator and check it each morning to see what I'm making that night for dinner.

5. stick to the menu plan so that food doesn't sit around, or go bad.

I feel much better about my food spending habits now than I did back in January. I've become much better at buying food for our meals, and using the 'extra' for another meal in the same week. I've even become pretty good at doubling a recipe, and freezing half for another dinner down the road.

Many thanks goes to www.orgjunkie.com! Including this week, I only have 5 weeks left to complete the year of weekly menus that I had printed. I have to pat myself on the back for sticking with it!

Now, I just need to come up with my next challenge!