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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Plan & Prep | February 13th - 19th & Freezer Challenge Retrospective

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Welcome to another week of prepping and meal planning! This week we had quite a few items lingering in the fridge that were getting close to their date, so I let them drive the majority of my prep and meal plan. Cooking for two can be challenging in this respect, it is easy to become tired of an ingredient or get swamped with leftovers when recipes make more than you expect.

This past Sunday was also Valentines Day, so I whipped up some heart shaped pancakes using a mix from Hilltop Boilers. Hilltop Boilers is a local sap house that produces award winning maple syrup, delicious fudge, and indulgent maple whoopie pies (Maine's official dessert!), plus many other goodies. I encourage you to check them out either at their store in Newfield, Maine or online (yes, they ship)! Valentines Dinner was pretty simple - bacon chicken tenderloins, broccoli, and roasted potatoes, the leftovers were then meal prepped for work lunches.

Valentines Day Breakfast & Dinner

Other notable meal prep included cooking four pounds of bacon in the oven, which is the easiest way to cook large quantities of bacon with minimal mess. We like to keep cooked bacon on hand in the freezer for topping eggs, potatoes, pasta, etc. Just microwave for 15 seconds and it's ready to go! I also cooked dried white beans in the Instant Pot, keeping out 2 cups for Pasta e Fagioli and freezing the rest. Finally, I cooked up some sausage that had been lingering in the fridge, setting aside half for the Pasta e Fagioli, and adding mushrooms, onions, and peppers to the other half which I used to make breakfast quesadillas and top pizza.

Freezer Challenge Retrospective

Last week I successfully finished off the rest of the items from the Freezer Challenge.... except about one serving of the sherbet ice cream. We've been trying to reduce the number of treats we consume, so I wasn't feeling up to finishing it all off at once. Overall I really enjoyed this challenge, it helped me focus on using up items I had been neglecting for too long and sparked some creative meal planning mojo to start off the new year.

What didn't go quite so well is I did not manage to free up the space I intended! Well, I did for a few weeks, but I managed to fill it up again with frozen spinach that I got on a great sale. Sale shopping and item-cycling is important for maintaining a healthy pantry, but I think we may need to pare down some of our current stores to ensure that we are not overfilling the freezer and are prepared for future garden produce, sales, etc. 

In total I managed to use up 35 items from my freezer! That is a major success in my books!

So what's next? Perhaps a pantry meals challenge? Stay tuned!

Meal Plan & Prep for the 2nd Week of February 2021

Ingredients

From the Fridge, Chest Freezer & Pantry
  • Bacon
  • Applesauce
  • Whipping Cream (soured)
  • Buttermilk
  • Fresh Green Beans
  • Fresh Broccoli
  • Fresh Parsley
  • Grapes
  • [Very Sad] Mushrooms
  • Fresh Mozzarella
  • Monterey Jack Cheese
  • Pepperoni
  • Dried Beans
  • Canned Tomato Sauce [from last Summer's garden]

Meal Prep 

  • Four Pounds of Bacon, Cooked, Portioned, & Frozen
  • Dried Beans, Cooked & Portioned
  • Italian Sausage, Cooked & Divided
    • This pound of sausage made it into three different meals - pizza, breakfast quesadillas & burritos, and pasta e fagioli
  • Freezer Breakfast Quesadillas w/ Sausage, Mushrooms, Peppers, & Onions 
  • Egg & Sausage Pre-Cooked for Breakfast Burritos
  • Copy Cat Pasta e Fagioli (approximately halved) - crock pot recipe for mid-week prep
  • Baked Bacon Chicken Tenderloins, Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli Lunches
  • Baking Powder Biscuits w/ the Buttermilk & Sour Heavy Cream
  • Fresh Peeled Garlic, diced and frozen in oil
  • 12 ounces of Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded for Use Throughout the Week
Breakfast Quesadillas, Sausage w/ Mushrooms, Peppers, & Onions, Eggs, & Cheese

Meal Plan

Breakfasts for the Week
  • Instant Oatmeal Packets w/ Apple Butter
  • Granola Bars & Peanut Butter
  • Misc Leftovers - when I work from home I often eat my lunch for a late breakfast, and make a snack plate for a light lunch
  • Breakfast Burritos - Using the Leftover Sausage & Eggs from the Freezer Breakfast Quesidillas
Lunches for the Week
  • Chipotle Chicken Chili Leftovers
  • Baked Bacon Chicken Tenderloins, Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli
  • Pasta e Fagioli
  • Annie's Mac & Cheese
  • "Pickity Bits" (cheese, crackers, nuts, etc) and Misc. Leftovers
Dinners for the Week 
  • Saturday - Lemon Chicken & Rice
  • Sunday - Bacon Chicken Tenderloins, Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli, & Bakery Rolls
  • Monday - Homemade Thin Crust Pizza, Crudité, & Chips
  • Tuesday - Lemon Garlic Chicken w/ Rice, Green Beans, & Bakery Rolls
  • Wednesday - Pork Tenderloin w/ Beets, Spinach, & Rice
  • Thursday - Instant Pot Spaghetti w/ Veggie Side
  • Friday - Leftovers

Oatmeal, Sausage, Pizza, and a Chocolate Cake Bomb

Snacks for the Week
  • Chocolate "Cake Bomb" from the Hannaford Bakery
  • Yogurt Cups w/ Strawberry Puree & Strawberry Jam
  • Applesauce, Grapes, & Smart Pop Popcorn
  • Also Available: carrots, popcorn, cheese sticks, nuts, pretzels, etc

What's on your menu for the week?

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