Hey y’all!
How is everyone coming with their pantry meals? We’re doing great so far, and I have tons of menu ideas outlined, using items from my pantry and freezer. In fact, I think I am so well-stocked, that I won’t get all of these meals worked into the month of January, so I’m hoping to keep going on into February 🙂
I knew it was going to be a bit hard to balance our healthy eating recipe collab (New Year, Healthy New You 2019) with cooking items from my pantry and freezer. I think it’s easier to make fattening and quick meals from the pantry than it is healthy meals, LOL!
We did pretty well in our first week. We had cheesy turkey Joe’s (our regular sloppy joe recipe, using ground turkey, but leaving out a couple of ingredients and then adding cheese at the end) and sweet potato fries one day. On New Years Day, we stuck with the traditional southern fare (ham, black eyed peas, turnip greens, cabbage and cornbread). I made a White Chicken Chili using ingredients solely from my pantry, fridge and freezer, and it was a wee bit healthy using plain non-fat Greek yogurt. I made one very healthy recipe using items from the pantry (quinoa, canned black beans and frozen corn), and also roasted some fresh vegetables in the oven. I am counting that as a double win – pantry meal plus Healthy New You recipe 🙂
I rounded out the week with another pantry meal using frozen mini cheese ravioli from the freezer. I have a couple of cans of whole tomatoes that I don’t seem to think to use, and I cooked them down all afternoon with some sauted garlic and onion and a lot of seasonings and made a nice red sauce to serve over the ravioli.
We’ve got a lot of pantry meals coming up from our very well stocked freezer and pantry in the week ahead!
What are some meals you have had already from your pantry, or ones you are planning to have in the week ahead? Post and let us know! Also, if you have ingredients on hand and are not sure how to use them, leave us a comment – we’d love to help with some ideas!
Have a wonderful and blessed day, y’all!
Stacy
I did pretty good this past week! I didn’t shop at all but used what was here, oh wait, I did get an extra can of black eyed peas at the store since it was more than 2 of us. Did quail one night using the birds they hunted along with corn on the cob and salad. Then had leftover ham on New Years with black eyed peas, sautéed shredded cabbage and cornbread. I also used the ham bone to make a ham and bean soup in the Instant pot another night with the rest of the cornbread. Turkey sausages with roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli and once everyone had gone Don and I had seasoned salmon, riced cauliflower and roasted broccoli; all of those were from my freezer and I would consider fairly healthy also! I’m drawing a blank on another night so maybe we had leftovers or sandwiches. I do need to grocery shop now for this upcoming week since I haven’t been in over a week! So I did use some stuff up from my pantry and freezer, now if I don’t overbuy I’ll be making some progress. 🙂
Hey Gail! It sounds like you had a great week (everything but the quail, ick!). I’ve still got a hambone left in my freezer, along with a turkey carcass, so I need to get those out in the next few weeks and make soups with both. Your turkey sausages sounds good, that is my kind of meal! I love salmon, but you know Tim is not a fan. I also left a comment on the Youtube channel, let me know how you seasoned the riced cauliflower. I have a bag of that in my freezer to use, and have only done it for a fake-out for Mexican rice on a Taco Tuesday, so looking for ideas on that. I think almost all of your meals count as both Pantry Challenge meals, as well as New Year, Healthy New You recipe meals, so great job!!! Hope you get a chance to “shop your pantry” before you head to the grocery store! —Stacy
I didn’t season the cauliflower and have only used it this time and maybe once a long time ago so I don’t have ideas yet on what to do with it! This past week will probably be the best week I have! I sort of shopped my pantry before going to the store but it had been a while since I have shopped plus I had to get some eye drops and other toiletry items we were out of so I didn’t do quite as good with those factored in. Tonight’s meal and one other this week will be using what was already on hand so maybe 2 out of this upcoming week won’t be too bad!
Also by the way, quail is white meat! It tastes like chicken! Or it might taste even better with bacon wrapped around it but I didn’t do it that way!