personal pantry challenge

Personal Pantry Report

Because we were gone for 5 days, I didn’t make much progress this week on clearing out the pantry. When we got home on Wednesday, I made some scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast for dinner, so even though we ate at home, I didn’t use anything out of the pantry.

On Thanksgiving, I cooked a small ham, some rutabagas, some potato salad, and a home made pumpkin pie. The only things I used out of the pantry was a small can of evaporated milk, and the frozen pumpkin out of the freezer. A small bit of progress, but progress just the same. We ate leftovers on Friday, to which I added a can of baked beans. 1 can used up! Then yesterday, I made meatloaf and green beans. The only thing used up was a package of ground beef from the freezer.

Today, we are having leftover meatloaf with rice and gravy. I’ll use a can of chicken broth to make the gravy. I am also making a dessert using a gluten free lime dip mix from Mixes From The Heartland, two 8 oz packages of cream cheese, a small box of lime jello, a can of crushed pineapple, and a box of gluten free graham crackers. It will be a divinely lime confection, and will use up 6 things! I’ll let you know how it turns out, and will post a recipe if it is any good.

I am down to almost no veggies in the house: I have one package of frozen creamed corn, two carrots, half a bunch of celery and a package of frozen pumpkin in the freezer. We will definitely need to go grocery shopping this week, but I WILL shop the pantry first and only get what I need! Really, I will.

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Personal Pantry Report: Gluten Free Recipes: Enchiladas, Chicken Stew, and Fruit Cobbler

Karen · 6 Comments

In the last few days, I have been chipping away at that pantry! I have made good progress, too. On Monday, I made some enchiladas with some ground venison that the forest ranger brought us. That used up a can of enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans, a package of corn tortillas, and some cheese that was in the freezer. Not to mention that it was quite tasty!

Today, I decided to make a chicken stew.

I have never made a chicken stew before–I always make chicken and dumplings or chicken and rice, but I had some okra and a can of tomatoes that needed to be gone, so, here is the recipe I threw together:

1 whole chicken, cut in pieces

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

1 lb frozen sliced okra

1 can chicken broth

2 potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the olive oil in a dutch oven. When it is heated up, add the onions, celery and garlic, and saute’ until onions are clear. Add all the rest of the ingredients, along with enough water to cover the chicken pieces by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low and let simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I served this with some cornbread made with a Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Cornbread mix. The whole thing used up a can of tomatoes, a can of chicken broth, some frozen okra, and the bag of cornbread mix–5 things gone!

For dessert today, I made a gluten free cobbler ( those who are not gluten free can make this using a cup of self rising flour instead of the gluten free baking mix):

1 1/4 cups Pamelas’s Baking Mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups water or milk

3/4 of a stick of butter or margarine

1 32 oz can of gluten free pie filling

1 32 oz can pineapple chunks, drained

1 tsp cinnamon

Put the butter in an 8″X8″ casserole dish. Put the dish in the microwave and melt the butter. Mix together the baking mix, sugar, cinnamon, and water with a wisk. Pour into the casserole dish on top of the butter. Do not stir. Pour the pie filling and the pineapple chunks into a bowl, stir to mix well, then pour over the batter in the casserole dish. Do not stir. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

So, counting the dessert, I used up a total of 7 things today! That is a pretty good pantry cleaning day!

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More Stuff Out Of The Pantry: Meatless Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe

Karen · 12 Comments

Yesterday, I decided to make the Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna that my friend and co-worker, Nancy, gave me the recipe for a couple of months ago. This version of lasagna is so easy to make, and has a twist–a dash of cinnamon! The cinnamon makes all the difference in the world. And even though I made it with gluten free noodles, FabGrandpa kept saying, “Boy, this stuff is delicious, honey!”

Here is Nancy’s recipe:

Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna

In a large bowl, combine:

1 10 oz box thawed chopped spinach

1 lb cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

The rest of the ingredients:

1 lb grated mozzarella cheese

2 large cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 box gluten free lasagna noodles

Bring a large pot of water to boiling, and add 3 or 4 of the lasagna noodles. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

In a lasagna pan or large casserole dish, layer 1/3 of the tomato sauce, 3 or 4 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the spinach mixture, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat with another layer of tomato sauce, uncooked noodles, the rest of the spinach mixture, and 1/3 of the cheeses. Place the cooked noodles on top, then layer with the rest of the tomato sauce and cheeses.

Cover with foil, and cook in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes.

The lasagna used up a box of noodles, and two cans of tomato sauce that have been hiding in the pantry, plus a package of frozen spinach and a bag of cheese from the freezer. Today for dinner, I made some salmon patties, english peas, and mashed potatoes, using up another two cans of stuff. I think I am on my way!

How are you doing on your own Personal Pantry Challenge?

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My Personal Pantry Challenge: The Beginning

Karen · 4 Comments

The other day I wrote about some goals or things I want to accomplish over the winter. On the list of things I talked about was “eating down the pantry”. Just look at that pantry cupboard up there! It is ridiculous that we have that much stuff crammed in there for just two people! But wait! There’s more:

And more:

don’t stop–there is more:

I knew it was time to stop and get a plan to do something about it when I was putting potato chips in the cabinet under the television!

The plan now is to use up all this food before we leave Alabama in the spring. I am going to make myself get organized like I used to be in the winter of 2008. I will take an inventory before every grocery shopping trip, and make menus using things I already have. I KNOW I can do this.

Last night was the first night of the Personal Pantry Challenge. I dug around in the cupboard and found a packet of gluten free mushroom gravy mix, a can of mushrooms, a can of gluten free mushroom soup, and a can of sliced pears. I made some Mushroom Goulash and a pear salad to go with it. With some leftover rice from Sunday, it was an easy to prepare dinner. Here’s the recipe:

Gluten Free Mushroom Goulash

3/4 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup frozen chopped bell pepper

6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped or sliced

1 small can mushrooms

1 packet gluten free mushroom gravy mix

1 can gluten free mushroom soup

salt and pepper to taste

cooked rice

Sautee the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until the onions are clear. Add the ground beef, and cook until it is browned. Add the can of mushrooms, the mushroom soup, and the packet of gravy mix. Cook until thickened. Serve over rice.

This one meal used up three cans of stuff from the pantry, one mix packet, and some mushrooms that were on the way to spoiling. And it was quite tasty. No picture because I forgot.

Tonight, I made chicken corn chowder. I found a package of gluten free corn chowder mix, a can of evaporated milk, and a can of chicken in the pantry. In the fridge, I had a pint of milk, three ears of corn, some leftover roasted chicken, and a half of an onion. Using them all together was another quick, easy meal, with leftovers for tomorrow.

Gluten Free Chicken Corn Chowder

1 package Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Corn Chowder Mix

1 large can evaporated milk

2 cans water

3 ears corn

2 large potatoes

1 can cooked chicken

1 onion

1/2 stick of butter

1 pint of milk

Scrape the corn off the cob. Peel the potatoes and dice them up. Place in a small pot, cover with water, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Melt the butter in a dutch oven, add chopped onion, sautee until the onion is clear. Add corn, chicken, evaporated milk, water, potatoes, and regular milk. If you have any leftover chicken handy, toss that in too. Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

This was a very good, thick soup, with plenty left over for another day. It used up 2 cans of stuff and a packaged mix from the pantry. Whooo Hooo! I’m on a roll!

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