Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

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jgomez1002
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:41 pm

Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by jgomez1002 »

I'm starting Personal Challenge for me, but all are welcome to join in. Let me explain. Maybe I am a food hoarder, but I don't think so. We have three freezers. We have a fridge with large top freezer and a small upright freezer in the basement. The kitchen freezer has a very large bottom freezer. I have four pantry shelves in the basement and kitchen cupboards full of baking supplies, snacks and dried grains, legumes, spices and more. I also can and dehydrate veggies from my garden. We are always well stocked!

I do really well rotating and using the pantry supplies. We don't do so well with the frozen food. All freezers are very full. I don't think I could find room to freeze a chicken if I tried.

My challenge is to use food from the freezer each day. I do not need to purchase more food to freeze. I need to empty at least one freezer and reorganize what we have so that items can be found. I need to create an inventory list for each freezer.

This will be a work in progress. I'm on it.

JGomez
jgomez1002
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:41 pm

Re: Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by jgomez1002 »

I'm doing well today.

Lunch was homemade pizza. The whole wheat dough came from the freezer and so did the pizza sauce. I had previously made each and frozen them. I freeze the sauce in ice cube trays and then store in a freezer bag. Three cubes are needed for a large pizza. I have frozen sauce cubes for one more pizza.

I have a chicken breast defrosting. Tomorrow's dinner will be Thai Spicy Peanut Noodles w/Broccoli and Chicken. I save the peanut butter jar when it gets so that we're ready to scrape the sides and store the jar in the pantry. The dregs of peanut butter are the beginning of spicy peanut sauce.

Regards,
JGomez
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Jackielou
Posts: 13425
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by Jackielou »

You are off to a good start on your challenge. Keep it up!!
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
jgomez1002
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:41 pm

Re: Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by jgomez1002 »

DH and I are headed to our daughters for the weekend. We'll be back home Sunday afternoon. No cooking here until Monday. I'll need to think of meals for next week. I haven't been making weekly menus. I probably should. Menus would help me plan to use the food in my freezers in a creative, tasty way. I need to get started on this. The Thai Peanut Noodles are delicious. I used a chicken breast from the freezer and the dregs of three peanut butter jars in the sauce.

Regards,
JGomez
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by HappyDaze »

I think this is a great challenge. I absolutely need to start using things from my freezer (I only have an up-top frige freezer but it is stuffed) and my pantry cupboard in at least one meal a day.

I'm going to see if I can use up some frozen blueberries this weekend - maybe in homemade muffins or pancakes. Pantry wise, I have way too many canned tomato products (I don't know, can you have too many?) and 16 bags of 7 oz. pasta. I went a little crazy on Amazon with a gift card I got from doing surveys. I see some homemade pizzas in my future too.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
jgomez1002
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:41 pm

Re: Challenge- Use the Pantry and Freezer First!

Post by jgomez1002 »

I'm back home after a weekend get away. I just took a package of chicken thighs out of the freezer. They will be baked with kosher salt, cracked pepper, and fresh Rosemary. I also took out some frozen leftover rice. I'll use it in a rice pilaf recipe with some frozen mixed vegetables. I'll also saute some frozen Portugese Pole Beans from my garden that I froze. I think I'll make some blueberry muffins with frozen blueberries. I have a LOT of frozen blueberries. I grow them and probably 1/4 of this years crop went to the birds after I canned 6 pints, made 12 jars of sugar free blueberry spread and froze 20 quarts.

Regards,
JGomez
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