Eat From The Pantry Report #3 And Menu Plan

We've been eating from the pantry for 2 weeks now. We still have plenty to eat in the house. I went out for a small amount of fresh produce, sour cream, a box of spaghetti and a few cans of diced tomatoes. (I'm making a couple of freezer meals for a friend who's going through a very stressful time right now. I needed the pasta and tomatoes for one of the meals.)

Grocery costs for the week: $14.43.
Grocery spending for month so far: $29.31.
My goal is to spend only $50 on groceries this month, so I have $20.69 left. We'll see if we can make it!

What I bought: green peppers, bananas, tangerines, spinach, grape tomatoes, spaghetti, 4 cans diced tomatoes, and sour cream. I got a free bag of frozen blueberries at Earth Fare.

I didn't keep any detailed notes from last week. I fought a headache all week and really didn't have the energy to think of one more thing! It turned out that my very simple menu plan was just perfect for the week. We stuck to it almost to the letter with very few changes.

Breakfasts have been very simple. I'm still not eating eggs due to a rash I've been wanting to clear up. Not sure if eggs were the culprit or not, but the rash is pretty much gone! I've eaten a few things that I'm pretty sure included egg ingredients(it's difficult to know exactly especially with processed foods)  while we've been with other people but have stayed away from all eggs or any recipe with eggs in it at home. Breakfasts have been the most difficult because not only can I not have a simple meal of eggs and toast but all muffins, pancakes and baked goods include eggs. In the future, I will try making some things with an egg substitute if I continue to avoid eggs, but for now I've been trying to clear out the breakfast items I already had in the freezer. Anyways, all that to say, I've been eating a lot of oatmeal, millet, or toast for breakfast along with some fruit. I've been giving Andy his choice of pancakes and muffins for a little variety for him and some days he eats the same breakfast as me.

Lunches have been mostly leftovers. Last week we had peanut butter sandwiches and salmon salad sandwiches when there were no leftovers. I made the salmon salad based on a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. It had an oil dressing rather than mayo (eggs) so I thought I would try it. I changed a few things that I didn't have and it was very good! I know I'll be making this again. I cooked a large pot of bean soup on Thursday. Normally, I wouldn't serve a bean recipe  for too many days in a row, so I had planned to freeze some. But since I wasn't feeling well, it just worked so well to heat it for lunches instead of trying to scrounge up something else! We'll eat the last of the soup for lunch today, getting 4 meals out of it. I also gave a container of the soup to some friends. Just sharing the love! LOL!!!!

For more pantry challenge updates, visit Life as Mom.


This week's menu plan will be short since we'll be visiting friends and family over the weekend. But here's what our suppers will be...

Sunday- leftover beef stroganoff  from lunch, peas, bread and butter

Monday- church meeting. I'm baking some bread to take.

Tuesday- Rotisserie-style chicken, baked sweet potatoes, mixed veggies

Wednesday- chicken and gravy over toast, salad

Thursday- chicken, veggie and rice soup, bread

Friday- Picnic lunch while traveling; eat out for supper or I'll bring some food along.

 For more menu planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie!