Here is my update on what we have been eating this week for our pantry challenge. So far this whole pantry challenge thing has been easy and we have been enjoying ourselves. It feels great to just get in the kitchen and try and put things together to make a healthy, filling and nutritious dish. My husband also makes it even more of a challenge because if it were just me I’d eat rice and beans with steamed veggies or veggie chili but he just isn’t in to that all the time so I am forced to come up with new ideas. I am thinking that next week will be challenging once the supply of frozen veggies starts to deplete but we are still going to go strong!
Day 1- Sunday:
- Breakfast: Cornmeal Pancakes with berry sauce (made from frozen berries)
- Lunch: Leftovers from our dinner party- chickpea romanesco, saffron-garlic rice and roasted asparagus
- Snacks: Hubby and I split a Lucy’s Cinnamon Cookies Sample and a package of Daneille Crispy Fruit Chips- Pineapple; I also had a Texas BBQ Primal Strip Sample
- Dinner: Homemade WW bread with sauteed cabbage, Italian Field Roast sausage, onions, mushrooms and 1 heaping tablespoon of Tofutti cream cheese and hubby and I split and orange for dessert
Day 2- Monday:
- Breakfast: 2 slices of WW Homemade Bread with Tofutti cream cheese and a cup of decaf coffee for me and some maple brown sugar instant oatmeal for the hubby
- Lunch: Hubby’s lunch was homemade WW bread with a huge salad of romaine, carrot, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds and raisins with a homemade balsamic raspberry dressing
- Snacks: Danielle Mango Crispy Fruit Chips
- Dinner: Beans and cabbage with mexi spices in a big chili wrap with some reduced fat salt and pepper chips and a glass…or 2 of red wine
Day 3- Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Coach’s Oats with chia seeds, stevia, banana, cinnamon, coconut PB and a few mini chocolate chips for me and instant maple brown sugar oats for the hubz
- Lunch: neil had leftovers from dinner last night and I had a big wrap with romaine, BBQ sauce and Gardin Buffalo Chicken
- Snacks: Baked Salt and Pepper Lentil Chips, orange
- Dinner: BBQ Dinner- Veggie Dogs with mushrooms and onions and BBQ potatoes
Day 4- Wednesday:
- Breakfast: refried black beans and tortillas and a coffee
- Lunch: Leftover BBQ potatoes and hot dogs
- Snacks: Nugo Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bar, Trader Joes Fruit Strips
- Dinner: Homemade refried black beans, sauteed cabbage and southwest corn in GF tortillas that weren’t great so we each only ate one and we had some beers
Day 5- Thursday:
- Breakfast: leftover black beans with cabbage and corn for me and oatmeal for hubby
- Lunch: low carb tortillas with black beans, romaine, hot sauce and scallions for me and leftover black beans with cabbage and corn for hubby
- Snack: Baked BBQ chips, teriyaki primal strip, Sensible Foods Dried Corn Snack, Coconut Water
- Dinner: Field Roast Italian Sausage, Sauteed Cabbage and Potatoes (we ended up eating a like 3 bites of potatoes and were done.)
- Dessert: Blueberry Crisp Pie
Note today I picked up 3lbs more of cabbage at $0.25/lb so that makes my weekly total: $19.44
You have been getting quite creative – I’m not sure black beans and cabbage would fly for me, but I do love this idea and really need to follow suit.. you must be saving a lot!
I have been doing really well actually! The black beans are great, even my hubby is loving them. I forgot how much better dried beans are versus canned and how much further they can go. I am actually surprised that we have been doing so well with the challenge and I actually didn’t end up making everything that I had planned so I have lots of resources for the next week. I am hopping that I can continue on this challenge for a few more weeks. It’s great to be saving the money, eating well and eating new dishes.
I love this challenge you’re doing, it’s inspired me to do my own! I’m going to work to clean out the pantry/freezer and only shopping for things I really need!
I love the chia seeds in the oatmeal idea. I’m gonna half to try that!