It's here again; that 'hovering' period before a military transfer. Our movers usually come towards the end of May, so I'm calculating that we have a total of 6 1/2 months of hanging out and waiting. At this point we don't even know where we're headed yet, so it's tricky to begin preparing too in-depth. However, one thing that doesn't change is the need to eat up as much of our food as possible between now and then! It is truly amazing, and humbling, to see how much food a family can unintentionally squirrel away in a 3 year period. (This is not counting our long-term food storage that we keep on hand for emergencies. Our poor household-goods movers will have a lot of fun with those #10 cans and 50lb super pails, I'm sure! Good thing we always buy our movers donuts and burgers. ;)
Inspired by our family's current reading selection, "Farmer Boy" (Laura Ingalls Wilder), I have begun to wonder if we could truly live off what we have on hand instead of always running to the store. Now, granted we don't have a dairy farm complete with vegetable and grain fields outside, but I do have 2 small chest freezers filled to almost-overflowing, and a shelving unit in the garage that I have claimed as my pantry. That's not even to mention all the miscellaneous ingredients and staple items that are floating around in my kitchen cabinets...
After I did an inventory of all the food items in my freezers and pantry (see below) I began to mentally formulate menu plans in my head. At first I was thinking one or two months worth of meals, but then I decided to really challenge myself; three full months?! Could I do it? Could I commit to not going grocery shopping until the end of January? It was a risky commitment, but the pay-off would be invigorating. I could hear strings of a great anthem begin to play in my head, and a manly, deep voice-over began to spout messages of inspiration akin to a political stump. With tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat I pledged the affirmative. Yes, I could do it. I must, for the sake of my country and military families with packed pantries all over the world! Then the music came to an abrupt halt with a terrible twang, and my momentary lunacy ended. Huh? Where was I? Oh, the barely-shutting freezer doors. Okay, yeah, it sounds like a fun idea. I'll give it a shot.
The first step was to type out my inventory in a spreadsheet so that I could allocate ingredients to meals. Mine looks like this after I copied/pasted it here:
| Fruits/Veggies |
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| Grains/Pasta/Starches |
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|
|
| #10 can tomato sauce |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
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|
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| #10 can tomato sauce |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| #10 can tomato sauce |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| #10 can crushed tomatoes |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| #10 can crushed tomatoes |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| 15 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| 15 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| 1 qt home canned peaches in light syrup |
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| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| 1 qt home canned peaches in light syrup |
|
| 1 qt home canned potato chunks |
|
|
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| 1 pt spiced peach syrup |
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| 1 lipton packet broccoli cheese rice mix |
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|
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| 1 qt home canned pears in light syrup |
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| 7 boxes/bags of cold cereal (mainly flakes and mini-wheats) |
|
|
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| 1 qt home canned pears in light syrup |
|
| 25 lbs white rice |
|
|
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| #10 can peaches in heavy syrup |
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| 1# dried pasta-various smaller shapes |
|
|
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| #10 can peaches in heavy syrup |
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| 1# dried pasta-various smaller shapes |
|
|
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| #10 can peaches in heavy syrup |
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| 1# dried pasta-various smaller shapes |
|
|
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| #10 can peaches in heavy syrup |
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| 1# dried pasta-various smaller shapes |
|
|
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| #10 can peaches in heavy syrup |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
|
|
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| 15 oz can fruit cocktail |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
|
|
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| 15 oz can fruit cocktail |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
|
|
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| 15 oz can fruit cocktail |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
|
|
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| 15 oz can fruit cocktail |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
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|
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| 15 oz can fruit cocktail |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
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|
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| 1 qt applesauce |
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| 1# dried spaghetti |
|
|
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| #10 can applesauce |
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| tuna helper |
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|
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| #10 can applesauce |
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| tuna helper |
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|
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| 2 lbs raisin |
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| tuna helper |
|
|
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| 1.5lbs craisins |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| 19 cans assorted veggies |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| 1 can chopped green chilis |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| 1 can chopped jalapenos |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| gallon bag frozen broccoli florets |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| gallon bag frozen broccoli florets |
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| Chix stovetop |
|
|
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| 1lb frozen mixed veggies |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| gallon bag frozen snow pea pods |
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| Chix stovetop |
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|
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| 2 c frozen baby carrots |
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| 9 wheat hoagie buns |
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|
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| 8c frozen pumpkin puree |
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| cinn raisin english muffin pkg |
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|
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| tons frozen apple slices, berries, rhubarb |
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| cinn raisin english muffin pkg |
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|
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| 1 lb fresh brussel sprouts |
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| 1 pkg wheat bagels |
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|
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| 2# fresh carrots |
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| 1 lone hamburger bun |
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|
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| 1 bunch fresh celery |
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| 1 lb frozen french fries |
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|
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| 4 onions |
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| 4# uncooked tortillas |
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| 2 heads garlic |
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| 1 pkg crunchy taco shells |
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| basil from plant |
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| 2# wheat berries |
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| garlic chives from plant |
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| 3.5# quick oats |
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|
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| 2 cases of assorted berry jellies/jams |
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| 4# old fashioned oats |
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|
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| 1 gallon apple juice |
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| 1 c dried popcorn |
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| ½ gallon pomgranite/ruby juice |
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| 6 oz panko bread crumbs (little over one pkg) |
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|
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| ½ gallon pomgranite/ruby juice |
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| 5# bag Masa |
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| 3# fingerling potatoes |
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| 2 bags of mini bagels |
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|
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| 5 romaine hearts |
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| loaf sourdough french bread |
|
|
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| Yep, there's more. Keep scrolling... |
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|
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| Beans |
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| Other Proteins |
|
|
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| 1 lb dry pinto |
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| qt canned salmon |
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|
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| 1 lb dry pinto |
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| qt canned salmon |
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|
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| 1 lb dry pinto |
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| qt canned salmon |
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|
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| 1 lb dry white beans |
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| qt canned salmon |
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|
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| 1 lb dry white beans |
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| qt canned salmon |
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|
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| 1 lb dry white beans |
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| qt canned salmon |
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| 2 small cans refried beans |
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| qt canned salmon |
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| 1 # dry red lentils |
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| can chix breast |
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| 1 c barley |
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| can chix breast |
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| 1 c barley |
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| can chix breast |
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| can tuna |
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| Dairy |
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| 4 large jars creamy peanut butter) |
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|
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| canned cheddar |
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| frozen chix breasts divided (9lbs total) |
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| canned cheddar |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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| canned cheddar |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| canned cheddar |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| canned cheddar |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| frozen chix breasts divided |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| 1-6oz pkg frozen grilled chix strips |
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|
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| pint canned butter |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
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|
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| cheese sauce |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
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|
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| cheese sauce |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
|
|
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| cheese sauce |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
|
|
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| cheese sauce |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
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|
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| cheese sauce |
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| package kosher knockwurst |
|
|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| .75 lb frozen stir fry beef strips |
|
|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| .75 lb frozen stir fry beef strips |
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|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
|
|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
|
|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
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|
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| 3ct sweetened whole eggs |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
|
|
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| 1# unsalted butter |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
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|
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| 1# unsalted butter |
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| 1 lb ground beef |
|
|
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| 1# unsalted butter |
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| 4# bone-in pork chops |
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|
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| 1# unsalted butter |
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| 5# pork country ribs |
|
|
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| 1 qt heavy whipping cream |
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| turkey lunchmeat |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| turkey lunchmeat |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| 7# family pack of bone-in Chix breasts |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| 2# chix wings |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| 2# chix wings |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| 5# boneless pork loin |
|
|
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| qt shredded mozarella |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
|
|
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| qt parmesan shredded |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
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|
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| qt parmesan shredded |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
|
|
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| qt parmesan shredded |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
|
|
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| qt parmesan shredded |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
|
|
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| 3# sliced american cheese |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
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|
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| 2# cheddar |
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| 1# ground turkey/pork sausage |
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|
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| 1/2# sliced provolone |
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| 1-3# london broil |
|
|
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| 2-5 gal Super Pail Morning Moo |
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| 1 corned beef brisket |
|
|
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| 1 qt almond milk |
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| 12 veggie patties |
|
|
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| can sweetened condensed milk |
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| 1 pkg little smokies sausages |
|
|
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| can sweetened condensed milk |
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| can sweetened condensed milk |
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| Soups/ Sauces |
|
|
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| 2# velveeta |
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| can cream mushroom |
|
|
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| 3.5 doz fresh eggs |
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| can cream mushroom |
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|
|
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| 4c frozen turkey broth |
|
|
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| Baking |
|
| 12 oz jar maple syrup |
|
|
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| 20# white sugar |
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| 1 packet lipton chix noodle soup mix |
|
|
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| 15# flour |
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| 1 teriyaki sauce |
|
|
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| 4# powder sugar |
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| 1 sweet chili sauce |
|
|
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| 5 oz pkg non-instant vanilla pudding |
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| 1 large can green enchilada sauce |
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| 5 oz pkg non-instant vanilla pudding |
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| Misc |
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| Snack foods |
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|
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| 30 froz potstickers |
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| fruit leather |
|
|
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| pkg frozen orange glazed chix |
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| apple chips |
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| pkg frozen orange glazed chix |
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| raisins/craisins |
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| annie's bunnies |
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| 1 lb beef jerky |
|
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| 1 box triscuits |
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| 1 box ritz |
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(As you might notice, I decided to type out each ingredient separately, regardless of repeats, to make it easier to track. For example, instead of writing "7 lbs ground sausage", I listed each pound individually.) Now I didn't include my spices, oils, and leavening agents. I did a quick run-through of my upstairs cabinets to make sure I had plenty on-hand for the coming months, and noted any that I needed.
Next, I needed to make my menues. This was pretty fun; almost like a treasure hunt of sorts, or a great riddle to solve. Well, it's great if you're a home economics freak like I tend to be! Anyway, I went over to one of my all-time, favorite websites for printable planner sheets and calendars, donnayoung.org , and printed off monthly calendars for Nov, Dec, and January. Then I got out my favorite recipe books to begin working.
I realized that part of the challenge with this time of year is the approaching holiday season. I immediately knew that I was going to have to purchase at least a few things for these meals, if nothing but the ham and turkey! I decided to fill in these specific menues first to see if my challenge was going to be over before it even began. It is a little tricky to try to predict where we'll be or who will be cooking for on Christmas and New Year's (my family is flying here for Thanksgiving), so I decided to plan as if I'm cooking the whole meal just in case we have another quiet season at home like last year. You'll see my menues aren't anything shocking or nouveau, but I'm a traditionalist at heart, so are you really surprised that my plan is so basic? I thought not.
THANKSGIVING DAY
Vanilla caramel rolls
Sausage/Egg Frittata *need/make crusty bread
turkey-*need apple
stuffing
green bean casserole *need fried onions
homemade cranberry sauce
dinner rolls
apple pie
pumpkin pie *need half-and-half
pecan pie
*vanilla ice cream
cider
CHRISTMAS EVE FIESTA
Tamales-*corn husks
Enchiladas
Rice
Beans
Chips/Salsa
Birthday Cake
CHRISTMAS DAY
cinnamon rolls, eggs, fruit
*ham
spiced peaches
hash brown casserole *2lbs frozen, shredded hashbrowns
cranberry sauce
7 layer salad
rolls
cookies/candy
MY BIRTHDAY-EATING OUT!!
NEW YEAR'S EVE-
Finger food buffet
popcorn and left-over Christmas candy
NEW YEAR'S DAY
Red beans and rice with ham bone and smoked sausage
Corn bread
I began a list of the items that needed purchasing. Then I added in a few miscellaneous ingredients that I knew I would need for general holiday baking, ie marshmallows and evaporated milk. After making this basic list, I returned to my calendars and began to fill them in with meals consisting of my remaining stores. (For more information on my menu planning, go to my Centsible Home Management Handout #2 and scroll down to 'Saving Dough in the Kitchen'.) Could I come up with 3 months worth of meals?
The first break I had was that, as I was filling out my columns, I realized Wednesdays are a freebie day of sorts. That's Bible study night at the church, complete with a light dinner, so aside from the weeks I'm called on to contribute a crock pot or condiment, we eat free anyway. Now, some may call that cheating. As I said above, I call that a 'break'. Tomato, Tomahto... With those calendars completed, I double checked for overlooked ingredients, when I realized one more thing that Ma Wilder had access to, that I do not: chickens. Sadly I do not have a coop out my back door. Now, I did plan on purchasing a big flat of eggs from Costco (5 dozen), and I had 3 dozen on hand, but I admitted I may need to darken the dairy aisle for eggs on occasion. Then I began to think about fruit. Man, my kids are some fruit lovin' kids. We easily go through 15-20 apples a week. My intent was to try to use up as much of our canned and frozen fruit as possible, but how can I deny 3 children who beg for satsuma oranges and granny smith apples as much as they would for candy? There just seems to be somethng blasphemous in that. Besides, the point of all this was to clean out my pantry and freezer, right? And for those of you who are wondering about milk, I happen to have 2, 5 gallon super pails of Morning Moo to use up before we leave. This equates to roughly 100 gallons worth of Moo. My kids love it, and my hubby and I only use it for cereal or cooking, so I didn't see the need to buy actual milk. (I'll just have to hold off on any yogurt making for a while. Sigh. )
So with that, I set my guidelines for the remainder of the challenge. I was going to go shopping for the following items right away. After that, I am not allowing myself to go to a grocery store except for eggs and fruit as needed. Here is the list of what I needed to purchase:
turkey (will get that closer to Thxgiving when on sale)
ham (closer to Christmas)
corn husks
smoked sausage
marshmallows
costco eggs
popcorn seeds
costco pretzels
costco tortilla chips
green bell pepper (will dehydrate for later use)
1 can fried onions (I can just taste the green bean casserole now. Yum! :)
half and half
kids' toothpaste
*vanilla ice cream
As to 'snacky food', aside from the pretzels, tortilla chips, and fruit, I have purposed that we will munch on just those nibbles that I have left in the cupboard, and then we'll have to rely on home-made cookies, muffins, granola bars, etc. We can do this! It will be fun! I sure hope so!At this point, dear patient Reader, I have decided that to keep this entry from being any more overwhelming, I will post my menu for each week, along with the recipes I will be using, and a recap of how the previous week really went. (We all know what is said about “The best laid plans of mice and men...”)
Being that I'm the social butterfly that I am, I would LOVE to not travel this journey alone. Whether you're nomadic or not, we all have those bottles of sauce and packets of powder that we bought for one meal. Then the remainder has lived a lonely life shoved to the bottom of the fridge door or behind the soup cans in the cupboard. C'mon, 'fess up and face the soy sauce. (Here comes the music again.) It's time to join me and see what you can put to good use. Let's link arms and march into our pantries bravely and boldy. We will not be daunted by drippy molasses jars that are stuck to the shelf, or that sweet chili sauce we don't even remember buying. This is a new day, a new menu, and an empowered chef! (Anthem fades out.)
Seriously now, do you have ideas and tips? Please let me know! Do you want to try this, but need help getting started with plugging your ingredients into actual meals? Check out the ingredient search at allrecipes.com . Have you come up with an impromptu crowd-pleaser or taste-bud tragedy? Please share. Let's laugh, learn, and experiment together!
Tomorrow, my menu for week 1 (yes, I should post it tonight, but it's 10:30 pm and my fingers are getting numb.) Until then...
Blessings,
Hillary At Home
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