Pantry/Freezer Challenge Time (1,170 views)
applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Nov 11, 2018 18:06:18 GMT -5
I haven't done a pantry/freezer challenge in awhile so I thought I would do one again. Everyone has a different goal, I'm not looking to eat only what I have on hand, use up only those items in rectangular foil packs or....
I just want to use up some odds and ends. You know those frozen chopped onions before it turns into a brick, use up that 1/2 bag of chopped spinach by making some tomato orzo soup, that can of tuna, maybe try some of those spice blends in a few recipes, use the barbecue sauce in the freezer and so on ....
I have a small kitchen so I don't have that much on hand, no deep freezer, no pantry so I always know what I have on hand. I do want to make some of individual servings of soup for the freezer and other things to help save time for a quick meal (soup, rice, chili). I think it is a great time for those that might do lots of holiday cooking --- clear up some room in the freezer so one doesn't have to play tetris to fit in the cookies that they just baked ..... Do you have any ingredients that you want to use up but you are not sure what to do with it?
I made some hummus today and used up the last of the tahini (that Soom brand was really good!).
If I spend less on groceries and/or have less things to carry home from the store --- Bonus! I'm also trying to use up some cleaning products, some beauty products (toss or donate if I don't think I'm going to use).
If anyone wants to join in.
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Post by soupandstew on Nov 12, 2018 21:50:18 GMT -5
I have a couple of odd items in the freezer that I need to use (preferably) or toss. The 1/4 lb of ground turkey is puzzling me, both as to why I have it and what I do with it-1/4 lb? Really? There's some elderly grains in my pantry, quinoa, farro etc. that I want to use up. I love your challenges because I'm inspired to clean out and have to get creative.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Nov 15, 2018 17:10:13 GMT -5
soupandstew -- I'm with you on having lots of grains on hands. Have fun using up some of your food items! I find it a great motivation to be creative (and sometimes for me it just means boil up that last of the pasta and add some sauce). I did a rough menu plan for the next few days and I'm trying to really focus on what I have on hand and incorporate some of that into meals. I tossed a few things that I received in gift baskets into my donate box. I doubt I'll use it, so not reason to take up limited cabinet space since someone else might enjoy. Tonight I'm trying Sizzling Chicken Fajitas SmittenKitchen. smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/sizzling-chicken-fajitas/ sans the tortillas and a few of the toppings. It will use up the chicken in the freezer and veggies in the fridge. I'm trying a recipe for Mexican rice that will use up the last of the brown rice, finish off the cumin, the chipotle in adobo from the freezer ... Then over the weekend, I will make some spinach tomato soup that is all pantry ingredients. It calls for a bit of onion but I'll just saute some carrots and the last of the oh not cheap red peppers. The soup calls for tortellini but I'm subbing orzo. I cook with farro quite a bit, I really like this one and it has only a handful of ingredients. smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/
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Post by PattiA on Nov 15, 2018 22:11:57 GMT -5
I've been doing a bit of pantry/freezer challenge work. On Sunday I made two things for friends returning from a trip. They got lemony chicken and rice soup and a potato, ham, and red pepper frittata from stuff in my fridge and freezer. On Tuesday I made eggroll bowls with some rice and ground beef from the freezer and a small head of cabbage that has been languishing in the fridge for weeks. Tonight I dug out some sausage and marinara from the freezer, and spaghetti from the pantry. My pantry closet is a wreck right now. (I also have many many grains). Thanks for starting the challenge.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Nov 18, 2018 14:31:15 GMT -5
I've been doing a bit of pantry/freezer challenge work. On Sunday I made two things for friends returning from a trip. They got lemony chicken and rice soup and a potato, ham, and red pepper frittata from stuff in my fridge and freezer. On Tuesday I made eggroll bowls with some rice and ground beef from the freezer and a small head of cabbage that has been languishing in the fridge for weeks. Tonight I dug out some sausage and marinara from the freezer, and spaghetti from the pantry. My pantry closet is a wreck right now. (I also have many many grains). Thanks for starting the challenge. Let me just say the food that you whip up with just whatever sounds terrific! That was so nice of you to make your friends some food -- they most have loved the homemade meals! You are doing great using up some food items. I made some granola so finally used up the last of the oats. Some black bean quesadillas went into the freezer for quick meals so cheese is used up (and well I wanted melty cheese/carbo dinner along with some guac on the side). And I might make some pasta sauce later on in the week and probably an old favorite, beyond easy, black bean corn soup recipe that I got off the old CLBB (a Pam Anderson recipe) that is basically just a bunch of cans.
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Post by PattiA on Nov 24, 2018 12:03:06 GMT -5
Thanks Applecrisp! The creative juices flow when there is no desire to go to the store. The soup was supposed to have orzo, which would have been so nice, but I didn't have any so I used rice. We saw our friends about 5 days after they got back and they were delighted to find their meals. At the beginning of the week I found some taco pies in the freezer and we had those on a night I didn't feel like cooking (taco meat with onion, red peppers, and corn, with rice underneath and topped with cheese). I freed up a big space in the freezer this week by pulling out half a turkey on Wednesday and cooking it yesterday. We had Thanksgiving with my family on Thursday and there are never enough leftovers for everyone so when I found the turkey parts a few weeks ago, I decided that I could forgo taking leftovers and use my turkey. The turkey half was broken down into 4 pieces and each was vac sealed individually. They cooked quickly with just a spice rub and some hard cider in the pan. Made lots of tasty pan dripping for gravy. I used Rachael Ray's recipe for Onion Apple Stuffing Muffins but cooked it in 12 inch cast iron skillet instead of as muffins. Tomorrow some ground chicken in the freezer will become Bang Bang chicken lettuce wraps. I need to make some appetizers (brie kisses or ). I found 6!!!!! boxes of 15-count filo cups on the lowest (and hardest to see) shelf of the freezer. Have no idea why I hoarded them.
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Varaile
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Post by Varaile on Nov 24, 2018 20:13:27 GMT -5
Thank you for starting this thread! I've been thinking it's time to knuckle down and tackle lingering "stuff" in the freezer and panty.
I also have a variety of grains languishing in the freezer, several freezer bags of raspberries and blueberries that are looking a bit freezer burnt, and I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing.
This week I have Shrimp and Grits on the meal plan - using up the cornmeal/polenta. Or hope to use up. And I should cook a batch of wheat berries and toss them into my oatmeal...
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Post by applecrisp1 on Dec 7, 2018 11:31:05 GMT -5
PattiA -- you are doing great plugging away! That taco pie sounds great -- I'm going to give that a try and freeze the leftovers for quick meals. I love filo with anything!
Varaile -- Ah, another person with lots of grains on hand. I just bought some cornmeal since I baked some cornbread and so add that to my list. You mentioned shrimp and grits --- I don't think I've ever had grits before.
I'm using up some odds and ends but I haven't been very good with menu planning. I haven't been in the mood to cook many nights and I just want something easy with little clean up and good for you. Although many times I would rather just pick up 2 slices of pizza on the way home but I've been pretty good about just walking past that pizza place.
I've have lots of .....add to a bowl some quinoa or couscous, whatever veggies on hand, perhaps add some roasted veggies, beans etc.
I have a two bags of an ancient grain blend that I want to try again. I forgot all about it until you mentioned wheat berries. This blend has wheat berries (farro, freekeh, grano, red wheat), red rice & rye berries. I cooked with it once and it was kind of gloppy. The product had great reviews so I'll try again and make sure I follow the directions. I'm not sure what I'll do with it this time.
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Post by Varaile on Dec 9, 2018 11:07:03 GMT -5
Slowly making some progress, but sometimes it feels like one step forward (used up that bag of polenta!), two steps back (now I just tossed 2lbs of country pork ribs into the freezer).
I got an instant pot for an early Christmas present from my folk - cooking a batch of wheat berries might be the first thing I try.
Okay, pork ribs are thawed and are in the slow cooker for supper. Two lbs of summer squash were made into soup. One chicken thawing for chicken and black bean soup (will also go into the instant pot!).
While rummaging around in the freezer I realized I have waaaaayyy more than "a couple" quart bags of frozen berries...oh dear.
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Post by applecrisp1 on Feb 9, 2019 22:23:21 GMT -5
I'm tweaking things a bit. I've been trying to go food shopping just once a week and at the same time try to use up some items in the fridge/cabinets but nothing super strict. I would often go food shopping more than once a week since I thought, well I'm right near say Trader Joes I should just pop in before heading home (I don't have a car so try to consolidate things and less to carry all at once). On the flip side, sometimes I wouldn't even go food shopping for the week .... nothing like consistency. Of course shopping takes time, and going in for just greek yogurt would often turn into buying and spending more..... And in the cold weather we've been having, I had no interest waiting for the train and/or carrying my groceries. So a win all around. I have lots of pantry basics like canned beans. tomatoes on hand so I'm trying to just pick up fruits/veggies/yogurt etc when shopping. I made Baked Chicken Taquitos from TwoPeasandTheirPod. So quick to pull together and used up the cheese and rotisserie chicken. www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/baked-chicken-taquitos/ I'd like to make a black bean/veggie taquito next time. And one pan farro with tomatoes to use some farro. I just needed to get grape tomatoes for dinner. smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/Tomorrow I'm trying a new recipe for Lemon Chicken Orzo soup. And I need to finish off my spinach. It will be interesting to see how much I end up spending on groceries, might even save some money by less shopping. Anyone trying to use up some items on hand? I saw a video of someone doing a low spend for February challenge and she showed what was in her refrigerator, deep freeze, pantry etc. The women most have had packages and packages of meat/chicken, so much bread, cereal, convenience meals, canned goods etc. Lots! And she was all freaked on how she would manage. Uh, not for the month, but for next week. Yowza.
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Post by soupandstew on Feb 10, 2019 17:10:51 GMT -5
I'm in fairly good shape right now with only 2 containers of turkey chili in the freezer, plus a turkey breast to roast, and dabs of frozen veggies I'll use up with some pasta. Plus the requisite frozen ravioli and a spare loaf of bread. The pantry has a bit of farro and some quinoa plus egg noodles. I have one can of soup from last year's hurricane stash that I'll serve tomorrow night with a sandwich b/c I have a meeting at 6:30.
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Post by applecrisp1 on Feb 19, 2019 15:18:28 GMT -5
I'm in fairly good shape right now with only 2 containers of turkey chili in the freezer, plus a turkey breast to roast, and dabs of frozen veggies I'll use up with some pasta. Plus the requisite frozen ravioli and a spare loaf of bread. The pantry has a bit of farro and some quinoa plus egg noodles. I have one can of soup from last year's hurricane stash that I'll serve tomorrow night with a sandwich b/c I have a meeting at 6:30. Soupandstew --- You are doing great using up some of your items. When I read your post quickly, I read it as pig noodles, and thought, huh, that's a new one. Ha. If you are looking for a farro salad, this is one of my absolute favorites www.budgetbytes.com/mediterranean-farro-salad-with-spiced-chickpeas/Tonight I might make Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas since I have all the ingredients on hand. It will finish up the opened jar of salsa, the grated cheese in the freezer etc. I've made her Black Bean quesadillas so many times so I thought I would try something new. And uses just a few ingredients, takes minutes to pull together --- sounds great since not in the mood to cook or clean up. www.budgetbytes.com/creamy-chicken-and-spinach-quesadillas/
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Post by applecrisp1 on Feb 21, 2019 14:22:46 GMT -5
I think this is one of the first recipes I made from the old CLBB. It finishes off the tomato sauce, the last of the corn, some cheese, and the last of the brown rice.
Total comfort type food. I sub brown rice (but I have to say, I think I prefer the white rice for this a bit more). I always halve recipe, skip the parm, use a cheddar/monterey jack shredded cheese, and a few other changes.
I haven't made this in a long time. I've been making something similar that has fewer ingredients, no cheese (I sometimes add a bit to my plate) and often top with some guac.
Easy Layered Beans and Rice
from "The Meatless Gourmet: Easy Lowfat Favorites"
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked 4 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil), cut into small pieces 1 (8-oz) can corn, drained 1 1/4 cups boiling vegetable broth 2 cups reduced-fat, meatless spaghetti sauce 1 (1-lb) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups of cooked beans) 1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (4 oz) 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375F.
Lightly oil a deep 2-quart casserole or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.
Spread rice in the casserole. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes. Spread corn evenly over rice. Gently pour broth over corn.
Spoon half of the spaghetti sauce evenly over the corn. Spoon beans over the sauce, followed by remaining sauce.
Cover tightly and bake 45 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle with both cheeses, and return to oven until cheese is melted and begins to brown, 5-10 minutes.
Serve-again hint: Here's everything you need for a bean and rice burrito, including the cheese. Just roll leftovers in flour tortillas, heat in an oven or microwave, then top with salsa.
Makes 4 servings.
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Varaile
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Post by Varaile on Mar 2, 2019 7:32:11 GMT -5
I'm continuing to slowly whittle down items in the freezer and pantry and I'm starting to feel like I'm making some progress. Used up two packages of cornmeal. Used up four gallon bags of somewhat freezer burned butternut squash (note to self, vacuum seal next time). I did toss (well...fed to to the chickens) a partial bag of dried chilies of unknown origin. Down to two whole chickens (from like 15), which will be made into stock in the next week or so. Whittled down the pasta to a half box of chickpea pasta. Which I really don't like so I may cook and feed to the chickens.
I still have a handful of partial grains that I'm working on. I'm making a Taste of Home Vegetarian chili that will use part of a bag of bulger this weekend. Yay!
My biggest conundrum is the bags of frozen (and now somewhat freezer burned) raspberries. I'm thinking of making jam...does anyone know if I can make jam out of frozen berries? I've only ever done fresh.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Apr 19, 2019 16:49:54 GMT -5
varaile --- Sorry can't help you with the jam question. I wanted to use up some farro so made this CL recipe that I had on my laptop. www.myrecipes.com/recipe/farro-avocado-cucumber-cherry-tomato-salad#add-your-reviews. Pretty basic list of ingredients... farro (says you can sub spelt, but IMO can sub with couscous etc), lime juice/zest, cuc, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and.... I didn't really measure, used grape tomatoes, and added some red peppers. I might make this tomorrow since it will use up some salsa, cheese, tortillas etc. The recipe was posted by Canice on the old CLBB. I cut back the recipe amounts and have changed it up depending on what I have on hand. Black Bean and Red Pepper Casserole 1Tbsp. olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large red bell pepper, chopped 1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes 7 oz. salsa 1 tsp. ground cumin 1- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 1- 7 oz. can corn, drained and rinsed 6-8 corn tortillas 8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Preheat oven to 350F. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Add peppers and sauté until just tender. Add tomatoes, salsa, cumin, beans, and corn and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until half of liquid is absorbed. Spread a thin layer of bean mixture in an 11" x 7" casserole. Top with a layer of overlapping tortillas and half of the cheese. Spread a thicker layer of bean mixture and top with tortillas. Spread with remaining bean mixture and cover with foil. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cover with remaining cheese. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly (can be finished under broiler for browning). Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Can be made a day ahead – remember to reserve second half of cheese. Canice posted 2002/CL
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Post by soupandstew on Apr 20, 2019 14:37:24 GMT -5
Apple, I've done that casserole with the addition of browned/drained ground turkey/beef/chicken and it's really good. I was going to do it for my investment club Monday night, but was reminded that we have a member allergic to corn. That's more challenging than I realized initially because no cornstarch, corn oil, corn flakes, corn chips, etc. much less corn kernels or corn tortillas. I tried subbing whole wheat tortillas once and that was not good at all.
I did my part to reduce food waste this morning by using up the last couple of handfuls of spinach and a tomato approaching old age to make a frittata for breakfast (along with diced onion and bacon). I consider eggs as fodder for using up the dregs of the week so Saturday mornings are fair game for anything in the fridge.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Apr 22, 2019 18:16:47 GMT -5
Apple, I've done that casserole with the addition of browned/drained ground turkey/beef/chicken and it's really good. I was going to do it for my investment club Monday night, but was reminded that we have a member allergic to corn. That's more challenging than I realized initially because no cornstarch, corn oil, corn flakes, corn chips, etc. much less corn kernels or corn tortillas. I tried subbing whole wheat tortillas once and that was not good at all. I did my part to reduce food waste this morning by using up the last couple of handfuls of spinach and a tomato approaching old age to make a frittata for breakfast (along with diced onion and bacon). I consider eggs as fodder for using up the dregs of the week so Saturday mornings are fair game for anything in the fridge. soupandstew --- Thanks for the great idea! I will try that next time. Thx for the reminder --- I do have some eggs in the fridge and just added an omelet to the weeks meal plan. I have some vegetables, cheddar etc on hand. And some sourdough in the freezer. I'm with you, eggs are a great way to use up ingredients and/or when you need a quick meal. I wanted to use up some old -fashioned oats so I might make some more granola . And I just baked a recipe that I saw online for Apple Oatmeal Muffins (just oats, apple, banana, an egg, milk ...) and the muffins will be good to have on hand for a quick breakfast. yummiestfood.com/apple-cinnamon-baked-oatmeal/ I just found the recipe in a search, and thought I would give it a go. I did cook up some quinoa so that will be great for a few meals during the week -- the rest went into the freezer. And then there is some some barley, frozen corn and .....
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Post by erin elizabeth on Apr 24, 2019 13:42:10 GMT -5
I've been doing pretty good at this, actually. I used up two of those containers of BBQ thighs. I ate a container of ragu. I used two containers of tomato products to make enchilada sauce and some leftover frozen spinach to make the filling for said enchiladas. I ate all the wedding soup. I used a mason jar of OJ to make a sour orange pie--that failed, but, hey, it's out of the freezer! I made the two casseroles from the cancelled BBQ chicken dinner for Easter so those ingredients are out of there. I had a friend over for dinner and used 3 packs of stuffed peppers and a pack of corn.
I gotta really buckle down though to get the hard stuff out of there: pickle brine, seafood stock, more OJ, half and half, lots of roasted poblanos, lots of corn.
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Post by erin elizabeth on Apr 29, 2019 6:34:15 GMT -5
Found this recipe to use up some of the roasted peppers: Skillet Chicken Fajitas. Very yummy. I did use what I had on hand: thighs, lemon juice, and half and half. I also didn't realize the oven was supposed to be on 200 so I had it on broil. The chicken was done quickly!
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Post by soupandstew on May 4, 2019 19:56:40 GMT -5
We've been really creative in using up freezer and fridge stuff this week. Yesterday morning was our new favorite breakfast, a stovetop frittata which used up the last two slices of bacon, double handful of spinach, 8 grape tomatoes, and a couple stalks of asparagus. Last night was a basic chicken salad sandwich that took care of a lonely chicken breast and made a tiny dent in the fresh celery. Tonight I improvised a pasta dish wish some frozen shrimp and the last of a head of fresh cauliflower plus 4 aging mushrooms and 1/2 a bell pepper. Sad to say, but the 1/2 bag of frozen okra from last year's gumbo will meet the trash can this coming week. It wasn't that good last year, but fresh okra isn't available here in November. All in all, we're close to cleared out for the year.
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