Meal Plan Monday....December 14th Edition....Eating Down the Freezer/Stockpile

Last Week's Menu Postmortem...

Well I don't have one this week because I never got around to doing a Meal Plan.  Ssshhhh....don't turn me in to the Meal Plan Police, ok?
In fact, I looked at past posts and I haven't done a Meal Plan Monday since Nov. 30rd, due to having the flu and just the general craziness around our home lately.
And if you refer to your calendar, today is Wednesday......so I'm more than a bit late this week!lol


Here's what I will be serving our family of 4 this Week.....

MONDAY--Kielbasa on rolls(freezer), Brussel Sprouts(freezer)
TUESDAY--Manicotti with Sauce(OAMC in freezer), Tossed Salad
WEDNESDAY--Apricot glazed Pork Chops, Rice(stockpile), Green Beans(freezer)
THURSDAY--Clam Chowder(homemade from scratch/stockpile), Biscuits(stockpile/fridge)
FRIDAY--Asparagus Quiche(stockpile/fridge), Tossed Salad
SATURDAY--homemade Pizza(stockpile/freezer)
SUNDAY--Not sure but probably Bacon wrapped Meatloaf as #1 son returns from college and it's one of his favorites(freezer/stockpile), Carrots(freezer), Mashed Potatoes(root cellar)
SNACKS/DESSERTS--Bread Outlet purchases(donuts/danish/pie), apples, grapes

Last week I spent $39.89 on food/toiletries.  All of that was at Rite-Aid(except for 1 receipt)....seems I've been going there alot lately and nowhere else. Of that amount spent, I'll be getting $18.99 back in Rebates at Rite-Aid, so after rebates I spent $20.90....and $10 of my OOP spending last week was at the Bakery Outlet on breads and snacks.  We've been splurging lately on ALOT of snacks.  It's the holidays ya know.....lol
I did not set foot in a grocery store last week!  I've been on an "Eating Down the Freezer/Stockpile Mission" this month.  After 2 weeks of limiting food purchases to immediate needs for the week's meals, I am really noticing space opening up in the freezer.  Not so much the stockpile though.
The next 2 weeks will see me getting more and more "creative" with meals as the freezer/stockpile gets lower.  I'm going to attempt to use up more older items that have been hanging around here a bit longer so I can start the new year next month with a fresh 'food slate'.

The only items I need to buy this week for the menu are celery(chowder) and cream(chowder & quiche), as well as the weekly milk purchase.  $10 should cover it.  That leaves me extra cash this week for some more Rite-Aid deals. ;-)

Food Waste Report....some bread that didn't get eaten went moldy.  I wanted to make a bread pudding with it before it turned but being sick, it just didn't get done.  Other than that, we've been successful at giving the dogs most any leftover we can't finish, mixed in their kibble for dinner, so no waste otherwise.

Check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE to see what other Home Cooks are serving this week.

Sluggy

Cleaning Out the Freezer Challenge-June 25th & Recipe

June 25th, Thursday, I was rooting around in the deep dark recesses of my Freezer and came up with a DOUBLE PLAY in the Cleaning Out the Freezer Challenge.

First I found these 2 forlorn breaded chicken cutlets. They are the long lost survivors from a rather large pack of cutlets that was consumed many months ago.
Just the perfect size package of chicken for tonight, as Hubby is the only one eating solid food today in this house.

But what to do with breaded chicken cutlets, what to do....
Oh, here's an opened bag of shredded mozzarella cheese!
That gives me an idea.....

And then I found & thawed out 2 large bags of spinach. I was going to prepare something grand with this until I opened it and saw that the spinach was itsy bitsy chopped pieces, really only good for adding to a creamed soup or such.
Note to self.....do NOT buy this brand of frozen spinach again.

So what to do with stringy, watery, itsy bitsy pieces of green mush???
...And make it pseudo-healthy & a side dish for the chicken that hubby will eat?

So I grabbed an egg, garlic powder, milk and parmesan cheese.

I had printed out a recipe eons ago for an 'Easy Spinach Souffle'. Now is as good a time as any to give it a whirl, right? You can find the recipe on the Allrecipes site HERE.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees(unless you want to make this in the microwave if you are short on time).

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1/3 c. milk, 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic and salt & pepper to taste. Fold in 2(10 ounces)packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained.
Put in casserole dish.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until lightly set.

Alternate baking method:If you are in a hurry, use a microwave safe casserole dish, cover with palstic wrap and cook on high for 3 minutes. Release the steam, recover and cook on high for another 3 mintues.



And here is what it looks like after baking.

I have to say that mine took 30-35 minutes to set up, not 20 mins. But then again, maybe I overbaked mine. At 20 min. it was still very loose.
Hubby said it could have used more cheese. Next time, I'm going to add some mozzarella too.

The chicken cutlets got a quick saute in some EVOO in a skillet and then some spaghetti sauce(from an opened jar in the fridge)and a handful of mozzarella on top. Cover with the lid and let melt for 5-10 mins.
Spoon up the spinach and mange!
Ok, so my food photography skills are somewhat lacking. I'll put it on my master list of things to conquer right after curing AIDS and disarming North Korea. 8-P

If you are a beginner or one of those cooks who is scared of souffle preparations, this recipe is a good one to try.
It's not a true souffle but it gives you the taste/feel of one without the work.

I've still got some of that bag of spinach left to use up in the next couple of days. I'll have to dig into the fridge and see what is lurking in there that I can possibly combine to make something fabulous to use this EX-Freezer item up.

Freezer-0
Sluggy-2

sluggy

Cleaning Out the Freezer Challenge

I've been taking part in a "Cleaning Out the Freezer/Pantry" Challenge on the Compact List for the month of June.

I took some pictures on June 1(or thereabouts)of my freezer spaces and my pantry. I'm finally getting around to posting them here. It's a little embarrassing showing them to the world, as things are not nice and neatly placed and stacked. I have more of a 'cram-it-in-until-the-door-closes' method.lolol
I hope to revisit the same photos at the end of June to see if there is a visible, discernible reduction in the sheer VOLUME of Food in these spaces.
Here is the little freezer compartment over the fridge.
Notice the blocks of cheese in the door and the leftover containers of vegetable stock. What you can't see are the cardboard boxes of vegetables lining the back wall of the space. Lots of little boxes with a big green man on it.

Here's the standing Freezer in the garage.
Many packages of bacon, hidden behind a ham or two, packages of chicken parts, hot dogs & corn on the cob & zukes I put up last fall. The drawer in the bottom has a tukey under all those bags of veggies.

And here is the door of the Standing Freezer.
Here's the Kingdom of Butter, some sausage rolls, walnuts, pepper strips put up last fall and more little boxes of Ho-Ho-Ho veggies. The frozen veggies need to be eaten since the fresh stuff in season will be here shortly.

Now for the Pantry in the Kitchen....Top shelves, then Bottom shelves.

Top to bottom.....Condiments, dressings, marinades, sauces. Then the grain, noodles, cracker shelf.

Tomato sauce, meats, soups, peanut butter, fruits on one shelf.
Baking supplies, oils, oatmeals, snacks, dog treats and the **gasp**dreaded paper napkins.

I figure there are two components to this Challenge.

First, to use up what you have, especially items that are dwelling in the deep dark recesses of the back of the freezer or pantry. You know, those forgotten cuts of meat or partial bags of veggies that aren't large enough to make a meal out of for everyone you need to feed, or the getting ready to head to 'freezer burn heaven' baggy of bell pepper strips you froze last fall, or the unidentifiable-until -you-thaw-it, 'whatever-it-is'. And how about that tortilla soup that sounded so yummy in the store but makes your lower jaw retract now, or the strange hoity-toity English lemon curd you got in that gift basket from Aunt Tooty last Holiday Season you can't seem to try. Let's repurpose those unloved canned goods or rice mixes into some fine fare for the family. It's time to dig all those unrecognizable chilled foods out and disguise them or turn them into culinary masterpieces for all at your table to enjoy.

Secondly, while you are using up what is already in your arsenal, you need to refrain from adding more foodstuff OR avoiding the Challenge altogether by dining out instead.


The 1st Week of June I did very well using goodies from the freezer & pantry. I also did well by only spending $1.79 on additional groceries for the entire week!

Then life happened. Meaning, then #1 son graduated and the relatives showed up. I was forced to spend money on Cook-Out ingredients. Then there was some dining out too. I still was able to use up some food from freezer & pantry that week despite the money I spent on new foods brought into the house.

Week 3 of June and I'm back on track with the Eating from the Freezer/Pantry Challenge. Only 3 people this week to feed but we are using up some items that have just hung around here too long. Tomorrow I'll be getting rid of a huge bag of PIZZA ROLLS. See them?....up there in the 2nd pic, standing upside down on the 2nd shelf in the big freezer.
Daughter insisted I buy these back in Feb.....it's a Huge Bag! I think she ate 4 pieces. UGH
#2 son's friends will be here for lunch and will make them ALL disappear in short order. ;-)
If they like them I have a 2nd bag they can take home with them.

So how about joining in on our venture to Use Up the Stuff that's Been Hanging Around Too Long!
Post some pics and send us the link.

Sluggy