Freezer Inventory: Use it Up

     We really only did one major shop for August, back on  the 12th when I spent close to $200 at Aldi. Before and since has been a series of overspending on the fly or topping off with just what we need when we need it. Regardless, for  Household and Groceries (H&G), and Take Out, we will be near $700 for August, with just three of us at home. While I was pretty clueless yesterday morning about meal planning besides knowing  we needed to make sure to not let fresh fruit and vegetables go bad, I figured I should at least know what is in the freezer for which to plan. I also found other items in the freezer or refrigerator to plan around. Here's what I found:

Meat
1 Pound Turkey Bacon
1 Pound hamburger
1 Pound Sloppy Joe meat
2 , 1 pound packs of Taco meat
1 small pork loin
1, 2 pound  package of boneless chicken tenderloins
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound roll of sausage

Other
Last of the  mega mozzarella bag, probably 8 -10 ounces
1 eight ounce package provolone cheese
1 8 oz brick cheddar cheese
1 two portion size spinach and ricotta ravioli
Two Turkey  cheddar brats
Multiple bags of  mixed frozen vegetables
Large amount left of a large bag of frozen cauliflower
Frozen strawberry filled bread dough
Assorted frozen fruit, strawberries, rhubarb, blueberries, and a tropical blend bought for smoothies.
2 Dozen eggs
 1 8 oz. packaged deli Turkey for DH's lunch
4 Egg rolls
Open jar of Bruschetta topping and a little olive tapenade

     Last night  I made one last Tika Masala and rice for my daughter and I, using up  some of the frozen vegetables, and a part of a head of broccoli and a zucchini that needed using up. I sliced up the last steak (my daughter and I had shared one) and a pork chop with some friend onions, topped with provolone, and served on some French rolls for DH, kind of like a  Philly Cheese steak sandwich. I was glad I improvised instead of getting take out since we'll get a take out lunch today. Obviously, at least to me, I will not be cooking much for supper when we pull in the driveway tonight, but we can cobble together something and supplement with a grilled cheese if needed. My plan is to get to September buying little more than fruit and fresh vegetables, as I should have more than enough bread for the rest of the month. We'll need something easy for Sunday to bring to the lake, perhaps save the pork loin and save a couple of the brat buns I bought to make garlic bread, along with  salad of some sort and fruit. 

     I think I have a soft apple aso might try the sausage, apple, and cheddar meatballs again. I can au gratin some of the vegetables and make with ground turkey meatloaf and DH loves the leftovers as sandwiches. I can use veggies and chicken in a stir fry, and have egg rolls on the side. I can make a rice crust  egg quiche with purposely planned leftover rice, eggs, cheese, and another handful of vegetables. I can make a garlic and parmesan sauce with the tapenade, bruschetta topping a little olive oil for the  ravioli and have 3-4 suppers that break me out of our recent rut, and may yield leftovers to skip a night or two of cooking completely and still give me some lunch leftovers. I feel like know what is available will make the monotonous, yet daunting task of meal planning a bit  less frustrating. Importantly I am more confident that I am done with the bulk of grocery spending for the month.