I’ve decided to give myself a challenge, and if you are game, I’d love for you to join me. I am going to make every effort possible to eat from the pantry, freezer, refrigerator, and garden for the next two weeks. I will only go shopping if I can get something free or make money off of it, otherwise, I’m staying out of the stores. If I really need something, I might barter with friends for it. I know that I have 1 previously scheduled lunch with a friend, and I have already bought the gift certificate that I plan to use. Other than that, I will try and avoid restaurants unless I have a coupon for something completely free.
What prompted this challenge? The last two months, we increased our food budget to $450. We did this for two reasons. 1. My father was living with us for much of this summer while he was renovating his home. 2. Since I preserve/can a lot of our foods, I added $100/month to better allow me to buy an abundance of local produce while it was in season and fresh. I hope this challenge will help me to make up for that extra $200 and help with our family budget. I did a challenge similar to this last year, and it helped me to better learn what foods we might want to store for emergency preparedness.
I’ll try and update you all on how we are doing along the way. Here is the meal plan:
| BREAKFASTS | |
| Monday | Cereal and milk with frozen blueberries |
| Tuesday | Pancakes from the freezer |
| Wednesday | Cereal and milk |
| Thursday | Egg toast with any leftover Italian sausage from last night’s supper |
| Friday | Cereal with milk and frozen strawberries |
| Saturday | Dipping eggs (eggs over easy) with homemade biscuits and watermelon from the garden (if ripe by then). |
| Sunday | Omelet with veggies from the garden and any leftover biscuits |
| Monday | Boiled eggs and fruit |
| Tuesday | Cereal and milk/any leftover sausage and biscuits from last night |
| Wednesday | Soaked Oatmeal |
| Thursday | Leftover baked oatmeal |
| Friday | Cereal and milk |
| Saturday | Strata and fruit |
| Sunday | Leftover strata |
Hubby tends to eat breakfast on the go during the work week. I’ll try and make up a few batches of muffins during this time, and he also has pop tarts in the pantry. Muffins might substitute for some of the breakfasts listed above for daughter and me, too.
| LUNCHES | |
| Monday | Turkey sandwiches, chips and salsa, raisins |
| Tuesday | Potluck luncheon at church. We’ll bring a cobbler. |
| Wednesday | Leftover pasta and sauce from Monday’s supper and any steak leftover from last night’s supper. |
| Thursday | Pre-planned luncheon with a friend. Will use gift certificate. |
| Friday | Any leftovers from yesterday’s lunch supplemented with veggies from the garden and fruit from the freezer. |
| Saturday | Sandwiches, chips, homemade peach ice cream |
| Sunday | Leftover One Skillet Dinner from last night’s supper |
| Monday | Any leftover pasta bake from last night’s supper |
| Tuesday | Soup from the freezer |
| Wednesday | PBJ (probably by that time made on homemade bread), organic yogurt and granola, mandarin oranges |
| Thursday | Annie’s Mac and Cheese with any leftovers that need using |
| Friday | Either peanut butter and honey sandwiches or any leftovers, organic yogurt and granola, raisins |
| Saturday | Soup from the freezer |
| Sunday | Sandwiches, chips or popcorn, frozen fruit |
| SUPPERS | |
| Monday | Pasta and sauce |
| Tuesday | Venison steak on the grill with my easy marinade, green beans, and couscous salad |
| Wednesday | Italian sausages made by a local farmer, leftover couscous salad, sautéed squash, pickled beets |
| Thursday | Potluck supper with church committee. I’ll bring a cobbler. Hubby and daughter will have pancakes. |
| Friday | Frozen pizza (Tombstone) |
| Saturday | One Skillet Dinner |
| Sunday | Vegetable pasta bake with veggies from the garden |
| Monday | Sausage biscuits (local sausage, homemade biscuits), fried green tomatoes, canned corn, any cucumbers and tomatoes fresh from the garden |
| Tuesday | Either baked potatoes with all of the fixings or salmon patties, squash, and sautéed pears that I canned last year |
| Wednesday | Burgers, Green Giant Steamers with broccoli and rice (bought at Mega Event at Kroger), baked beans |
| Thursday | Tuna noodle casserole |
| Friday | Pizza (Tombstone) |
| Saturday | Veggie meal—pinto beans, rice and whatever vegetables there are in the garden |
| Sunday | Venison tenderloin, red lentils, pickled beets, rice |
I remember from the last time I participated in a similar challenge that I craved sweets. I’ll most likely make some cookies or other goodies during these two weeks to add to the snack list.
| SNACKS | |
| Monday | Mandarin oranges |
| Tuesday | Probably won’t need one, but if we do, we’ll munch on a cucumber from the garden |
| Wednesday | Homemade pickles thanks to my sister-in-law |
| Thursday | Frozen blueberries |
| Friday | Homemade popcorn |
| Saturday | Leftover popcorn |
| Sunday | If we have enough milk, I’ll make pudding |
| Monday | Frozen fruit and yogurt |
| Tuesday | Black bean hummus and either homemade pita bread or veggies |
| Wednesday | Nuts and raisins |
| Thursday | Mandarin oranges |
| Friday | Pretzels with peanut butter or yogurt to dip |
| Saturday | Peach ice cream |
| Sunday | Chips and salsa |
I’ll probably switch around some days based on work schedules, fatigue, and what is fresh in the garden or needs using. So, are you in? Will you join me in this challenge? I’ll start tomorrow, and I’ll keep you updated with my progress.
Phew! You are so organized. I just spent about 3 weeks only buying essentials like Milk, Bread, Juice and what vegetables that I don't have growing in my garden. Good luck with your challenge!
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