WEEK 2 Pantry Challenge Update

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Week two came and went in a flash it seems. This week we leaned heavily on planned leftovers for lunches, and quick, partially prepped dinners to accommodate a busy schedule. I did a poor job of remembering to grab photos this week, so I have inserted some from past meals. What We Ate Breakfasts Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Walnuts, and Dried Cranberries w/ Yogurt Protein Granola Bars Coffee Cake Muffin from Dunkin' Lunches Pulled Pork Sandwich BBQ Pulled Pork w/ Mac & Cheese & Green Beans Steak, Mac & Cheese, & Green Beans Steak, Potato, Salad Misc Leftovers from a Volunteer Gig of Pasta, Chicken, and Broccoli Sides: Grapes & Blackberries Sheet Pan Mac & Cheese! Dinners Dinner Out: Texas Roadhouse (lunch leftovers!) Steak & Shrimp w/ Mac & Cheese and Green Beans Lemon Chicken Cutlets w/ Rice & Green Beans  Lemon Chicken Cutlets w/ Pasta & Broccoli Shrimp & Steak Leftovers with Rice and Salad Grayson waiting to see the vet for his ann...
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Freezer Challenge - Week 2

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Week 2 for the Freezer Challenge has arrived! Week 1 was very successful, and I can already see a little more room in the freezer. 

Here is how we are looking to start out Week 2. I have added a few things that didn't fit in the chest freezer, but overall an improvement!

Freezer Progress - Beginning of Week 2


Getting Organized

Coming into Week 2 my strategy is to start looking at what flavor profiles, or recipe applications, these remaining items have in common. The more items you can group into a single meal, the quicker you can use them up! 

This week I am seeing the possibility of Asian flavors (pork, ginger, peppers) and Tex-Mex (chile garlic sausage, chile lime chicken), so I am using them as an inspiration to start building my meal plan for the coming week.

One of the biggest challenges in cooking for two, is not being repetitive with meals. I try not to serve the same completed meal more than 2-3 times. This means that extra portions or ingredients are often frozen, so as items are removed from the freezer, others are added. 

This is a challenge I've been dealing with when trying to come up with recipes for this freezer challenge, as I am trying to make room, not churn the available space (replacing one item with another). To combat the freezer churn, I've also been digging into my pantry and chest freezer to see what items I can use to compliment those from the small freezer, without adding back to the freezer(s) - like that odd can of baked beans, verses making baked beans from scratch, of which even a halved recipe may yield more servings than we may care to eat.

Hopefully this approach, and the using up of these odd ball items, will allow us to get the small freezer back to it's role as a tool for enabling meal

The Contenders

Here's the updates list for week two. I've crossed off items used, and made a comment next to those that were partially used.

Red Meat & Sausage

  • 1 Package of Chorizo
  • 1 Package Chile & Roasted Garlic Sausage
  • 6 Breakfast Sausages

Poultry

  • 1 lb. Ground Chicken
  • 1 lb. Ground Pork
  • 1 lb. Ground Turkey
  • 1 Package Italian Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
  • 1 Package Pesto Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
  • 1 Package Chile Lime Garlic Marinated Chicken Tenderloins
Cooked Meat
  • 3 Packages Cooked Cubed Chicken
  • 1 Package Ground Turkey
  • 1 Package Ground Beef
  • 1 Package BBQ Pork
Cooked Meals & Miscellaneous
  • Turkey Pot Pie Filling (about 2 cups worth)
  • 2 Breakfast Burritos
  • Fiesta Rice Bowl (2 servings)
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 Ciabatta Rolls  - I made these into breadcrumbs for use in the meatball recipes
  • 2 cups of... Milk? It's dairy, but I don't recall what kind!
  • About 12 Lemons & Limes - One Lime and One Lemon Down!
  • 1 Jar w/ tsp. of Fresh Ground Ginger
  • 1/3 Container Sherbet Ice Cream
Miscellaneous Basket (small items)
  • Pepperoni - I had planned to use this, then completely forgot to add them to the pizza rolls!
  • 1 Popsicle
  • 1 Biscuit - we had this with dinner one night
  • 2 Open Bags of Blueberries
  • Tortilla Scraps

The Plan for Week 2

This week I'm planning on the following recipes to continue knocking out some of these items:

I'm sure I'll add a few other things as I finalize my meal plan for the week, but for now, this is a good start!

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