We are a family of five, with my staff nurse position in ICU as the means of income. I support a family of five, one kid who works part time, two teens in high school, a husband, two cats and two dogs. I work Fri, Sat, and Sun night shift for weekend and night shift differential.
Pantry:
oatmeal
1 box hot chocolate
cream of wheat2 bread stick mix
1 container of olive oil
salt
baking powder
brown sugar
powdered sugar
bread crumbs
pancake syrup
salt
baking powder
brown sugar
powdered sugar
bread crumbs
pancake syrup
tea bags
some sugar
1 lone can of tomato soup
some sugar
1 lone can of tomato soup
yeast
a lb of pasta
Left overs:
2 cans of cream of chicken
flour
raspberry jam
peanut butter
a lb of pasta
some sugar
3 lb rice
tea bags
crushed tomato
1 1/2 lb pinto beans
several cans of mushrooms
grape jelly
spag sauce
flour
1 1/2 lb pinto beans
several cans of mushrooms
grape jelly
spag sauce
flour
pork chop and mushroom gravy
Fruit Bowl:
potatoes
lettuce
tomato
onions
garlic
tomato
onions
garlic
Open Condiments:
mustard
mayo
Fridge Items:
1 lbs of cheese
20 eggs
1 salad dressing
sugar cookies
butter
milk
bread end slices
1 lb of 85% ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
two packages of chicken thighs
two packages of chicken thighs
corn
lb peas
green beans
mixed veggies
squash
Hidden Surprises:
3 quart mason jar of ham stock
four containers of chicken stock
roast/carrots/potatoes
7 cups of turkey broth
Spices:
lots!!
Do you keep this as a monthly running post of what is on hand or are you looking for suggestions on how to use these on hand ingredients?
ReplyDeleteCarol in CT
I try and keep a running post of what's available. Most of the above are 3/4 empty and I will need a restock soon. I've been blogging for almost two years. I've read yours for a while now, and when you posted on the Frugal Kitchen message boards. Any suggestions would be helpful. I get tired of eating my own cooking. I just got home from work, so I'm a little late in getting to the replies.
DeleteHere are some ideas, not sure what your constraints, if any, are:
ReplyDeleteBfst:
-choice of cocoa/hot tea
-cream of wheat cereal served w/ br sugar, cinnamon
-take bread stick mixes and bake as usual, brush with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. can also dip in pancake syrup, Hard boiled eggs on the side
-use baking ingredients and mix up your own pancake mix. Serve w/ pancake syrup
-make your own Bisquick (can use for aforementioned pancakes-see Internet for recipes, I have at least one on my blog). Use bisquick to make biscuits, serve w/ jam or butter; make "egg mcmuffin" type sandwiches using scrambled/fried eggs+ some grated cheese to stretch it; impossible pies aka crustless quiche: kind of like a fritatta, and very forgiving. Mushroom-onion, potato, tomatoe-you have several options on hand
Lunch-leftovers, especially soups made for dinner (see below), PB & J (got bread?), egg salad, sliced egg with mustard sandwiches, meatloaf etc
Dinner-
1-cook up the pintos and store in 2 cup increments in the freezer
2-cook up the 2 pkgs of chicken, debone the meat and chop it. Also store in 2 cup increments in the freezer. Take the pan drippings, bones, skin and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer one hour. Strain, decant to store. Free stock.
-toast those bread ends and then whirl them in a food processor for bread crumbs. Add seasonings if desired
Ideas:
-use homemade broth and make a "cream sauce" using a basic white sauce recipe, substituting the broth for the milk. Season as desired and add some chicken to it. Serve over rice as Creamed chicken. Peas on the side
-Chicken Divan-do as above OR use one of the cr chicken soups plus milk to make a sauce. Layer cooked rice,green beans to sub for broccoli, chicken and cover with the sauce. Add some toasted bread crumbs, if desired.
-chicken tettrazini using canned mushrooms, 1/2 lb pasta in a homemade cream sauce/the second can of cr ck soup plus milk. Corn on side
-use 1/2 lb of the ground turkey, season is heavily (garlic, worcestershire, onion powder, black pepper etc), add egg, bread crumbs, chopped onion. Mix up mini meatballs (I use a melon baller) and drop RAW meatballs into simmering broth that already has rice, vegetables added. once meatballs rise to the top,they are done. Serve with bisquick biscuits and butter.
-take the remaining 1/2 lb of grnd turkey plus the 1 lb grnd beef and some bred crumbs and make a meatloaf. Top with ketchup. Mashed potatoes, mixed veg are sides
-meatloaf stew. Cut up leftover meatloaf into meatball sized cubes. In a Dutch oven, place the contents of the can of tomato soup plus a can of water. Add spices. Bring to a gentle simmer, add "meatballs" cubed potatoes, any additional veg on hand. Great with Italian spices, bay leaf, black pepper. Biscuits on side
-pot roast dinner in freezer with potatoes and carrots
-2 cups pintos seasoned with Chilli powder and served over rice. Add some shredded cheese as you serve for a complete protein
-spaghetti (you need to buy) w/ jarred sauce with added mushrooms, onions, garlic. Serve side salad of lettuce/tomato/onion and choice of dressing.
-ham stock + pintos + potato cubes = soup
-cream of wheat can be used to make Italian farina cheese meatballs. Use crushed tomatoes, onion/garlic and spices to make your own marinara. Serve on rolls (make/buy) or simply on a plate by themselves or over rice. Peas on the side. I have the recipe in an old Family Circle cooking on a budget cookbook. Trick is to use good Parmesan.
HTH!
Carol in CT
I do have have some constraints. I haven't been to the store yet for March. Some of the pantry items I have are almost gone. I do cook a lot from scratch, My husband does not cook much, all though sometimes, he goes a great job. I all ready do most of the things you posted.
DeleteThe chicken Divan sounds pretty good. I have never made this before. I have never thought to use Cream of Wheat for Italian meatballs. I will definitely be trying both the Chicken Divan and Italian meatballs.
I pretty much do most every thing else you posted about. I've learned over the past two or so years how to cook mostly from trial and error. I didn't learn to cook from scratch until about 7 or 9 years ago, when we had some hard times.
I appreciate the time and ideas.
Are you working on a grocery list for the new month? have you thought of any dinner plans? Can you share where you usually shop, and how much you have for the month towards food groceries?
ReplyDeleteI also remembered a couple of other things:
sweetened rice can be used (think rice pudding) as a bfst cereal, many Latin and Asian countries do this
fried rice with or w/o scraps of meat, use a scrambled egg or 2 for protein. Any veggies you need to use up HTH
Am I working on a grocery list? Yes, I get paid every two weeks, and haven't been to the store since mid February. I have a general idea, and will be going through the kitchen and making the list tomorrow. I have a total of 300 dollars a month for groceries, HBA, household, pet needs.
DeleteDinner plans: I usually work on them either the night before or first thing in the AM. I never run to the store for "just one thing". I end up using what we have, or make substitutions. My kids will eat a few veggies, basic fruit like apples, bananas, and I work hard to stay away from a lot of red meat.
Where I shop: We have an outlet store I visit called Sharp Shopper (kind of hit or miss), and Aldi (about 15 miles away, but so worth it). Aldi is new to our area, within the past two years.
Some months are easier than others. We have had a terrible winter in Virginia. Living on one income is challenging at times, but it has taught me to be strong. I take a lot of pride in providing for my family.
Agree, Aldi's is a real friend to the grocery budget. The bulk of my shopping takes place there. That said, know your prices, sometimes alternative stores are better, but factor in your time as well. You're doing great with $300/5 people-awesome! Not including pet costs, I budget $400/month for the 4 of us, with a 5th here P/T. Right now, I have unpaid leave starting next week, so it's been $200/month since Jan to help soften the blow. Luckily, I have a stockpile/pantry and a freezer that we are eating down.
ReplyDeleteI may be moving this Spring, so it's all good. : )