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 4 Update

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 Coming into Week 4 I can see the end in sight!

This week we ended up with quite a few leftovers from a lasagna that I made on Saturday, plus some lunch items left from Friday. This probably means that we won't manage to finish up everything this week, but I will try to sneak as many in as possible!

Week 4

Getting Organized

In the photo above you can see we've developed quite a bit of space, no where near bare, but not packed. Unfortunately, this is where I get to disclose that that space only lasted about three days, as I got a bunch of frozen vegetables on a great sale, which filled that space right back in. It's not packed, like it was before, but I won't be able to get a sheet pan in there like I hoped. Oops!

Well, we will continue to eat down our chest freezer after we are done with the items below, and that will allow me to shift some things like meat to the chest freezer where it belongs. That should help immensely with the space factor, as I prefer to only keep frozen vegetable, cooked meats, and small miscellaneous items (like pesto, pizza dough, tomato paste) where they are easily accessible in the small freezer.

The Contenders

Since this list has gotten pretty short, I've removed all but the remaining items. Check out Weeks 1-3 to see the complete list that we started with!

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

  • 1 Bag Diced Bell Peppers
  • 1 Bag French Style Green Beans - we've used about 1/4 of this
Red Meat & Sausage

  • 1 Package Chile & Roasted Garlic Sausage
Cooked Meat
  • 3 Packages Cooked Cubed Chicken - 2 packages left
Cooked Meals & Miscellaneous
  • Turkey Pot Pie Filling (about 2 cups worth)
  • About 12 Lemons & Limes - One Lime and four Lemons Down!
  • 1/3 Container Sherbet Ice Cream
Miscellaneous Basket (small items)
  • Pepperoni
  • 1 Popsicle
  • Tortilla Scraps

The Plan for Week 3

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

  • Chile & Roasted Garlic Sausage Meatballs w/ Seasoned Vegetable Rice & Broccoli
    • Sausage
    • Peppers
    • Tortilla Scraps (as breadcrumbs)
  • Chicken Taquitos - I keep pushing these off, maybe this week will be the week
    • Cooked Chicken
    • Lime
  • I plan to serve the green beans with dinner one night this week
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. At some point I've got to tackle the sherbet, which I purchased back over the summer when I had a particular craving for it. Unfortunately that craving didn't last the whole container and the rest of it has lingered, taking up precious space.

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