My Wednesday Pantry-Use it Up

      The week before last, I mentioned after our discount store and Trader Joe haul that I need to eat down the refrigerator and freezer, but also needed is to use opened boxes, bags, and partial containers in the pantry. That was the goal that week. I actually snapped a picture or two. I also tried with lunches and snacks. Covid threw a wrench in our life, but that motivated me more to stay put and not do more shopping. This is examples over a week and a half. I don't really have much plan other than to not waste.

 Here's a brief use it up tally and how I incorporated bits.

• Blueberry Muffins: last of a box of baking mix, old almond milk, last of a very old bag of frozen blueberries, plus two eggs from an older carton. I know they look anemic, but the sides were getting brown and I didn't want to over bake. These came along on move out day too.

• Small egg bake: Last three eggs, same carton, bit of cheddar cheese, several slices of lingering deli ham, bit of sour cream from carton used previously, handful of mushrooms, and a handful of frozen spinach. This was brunch Sunday and plenty of leftover muffins which the college girl was happy to find
• Apple Crisp: I had those old apples that were prepped a while back. They made an appearance Sunday and were used up, along with the last 3/4 cups of quick oats to make this apple crisp. I've got tons of oatmeal packets we need to get through now before restocking. The only down side is I do use plain oats for other cooking. The bad- came out way too sweet, despite not using much sugar.

• Roasted vegetables tray: Three of last five small potatoes, about 3/4 pound of baby carrots, 1/2 last onion, last of a punit of mushrooms bought two Fridays earlier

• Tika masala: last two potatoes, last of the carrots, other have of the onion, 1/2 tomato and onions that had been for burgers, another handful of frozen spinach 
• Lunch tuna salad: Doubled up two cans and used two celery stalks, for  snack crackers ( open boxes needing to be eaten) and last two hamburger buns 
• Chicken noodle, soup for a couple days lunches: All leftovers from roasted veg and chicken, remainder of a carton of vegetable broth, two celery stalks (used up), last of a bag of egg noodles.
• Pasta sauce: last of spinach, last of a bag of parmesan, rest of a jar of artichokes hearts.
  
  
  

     We also had  total leftover nights a few nights.  I feel pretty good about the amount of potential waste I avoided. Plus, it pushed me to think creatively on how to use things. Not having pantry, freezer, and fridge clutter is a good bonus. The freezer is still packed though I know what's there,  but the refrigerator is looking lean in a good way. We all have different lingering items, but give this a try and tell us in the comments how it went.

No Spend and Empty the Cupboard-Two Strategies

There are lots of posts on folks doing no spend months for January.  I've also seen challenges for limiting spending to a certain amount, usually $10-$20 for the week. Sluggy over at Don't Read This, It's Boring posted a thoughtful reflection Why I Don't Do Spending Fasts. I equate her philosophy to a crash diet-all or nothing, usually resulting in no long term change of behavior. I've watched Penny Golightly empty her pantry, eliminating a lot of waste, her challenge to herself. She recapped her experience in a post from October, Empty the Store Cupboard Challenge-The Roundup, and links to the starting spot.

As in most things, I find balance works for me, with no absolutes or rules.I couldn't deny myself from spending for a certain amount of time, whether that is a week, a month, or as some are trying to do, a year, without feeling stressed and off kilter. My life just is not that orderly. Even if as Sluggy suggests people with no spend months often do, I just stockpile and spend the month preceding, resulting in no real savings, I would run out of some essential that I didn't plan well enough for, or misplace it in a long forgotten storage space. What could work for me, at least I feel determined in 2016 to make it work for me, is to modify little by little how I shop, spend, and consume, eliminating as much waste in food, clothing, utilities as I can.

I'll buy two new pairs of tights that are needed, second pair at half price so I can look presentable at work, and stay warm, but I won't buy six pairs. I'll take better care of the two new pairs, hand washing with the other items I hand wash, rather than lazily throwing in the washing machine. I'll more intentionally plan leftovers as part of the next night or two's meal, rather than treat them as an afterthought that may or may not get eaten.This is my biggest angst in the money and consumerism area-food waste is still too high in my house. I'll concentrate on the little things, the short game, in both reducing my spending on things of little to no value, and  use up and take better care of what I already have. I'll intentionally leave my money safely tucked in my wallet or better yet, at home when I go somewhere with no need to purchase anything, discouraging impulse spending, resulting in no spend days naturally. When I do spend, I'll work to stick to an overall budget over time, not passing up a good buy for a need, or to stock up reasonably. At least, this is my strategy in 2016. Where do you land on the no spend-stock-up strategies?

Waste Not

This desert was the best thing we ate all weekend.  It was not actually this one, as made memorial day weekend, but the same recipe made by DD#2 this afternoon. On Thursday, National Public Radio was doing a story on how the average household in the United States is wasting as much as 1/4 of the food they purchase.  I knew it was a lot, and that I am guilty as charged, but hearing that high amount, made me almost sick.  I decided it would not happen in my household.  

DH had made fajitas on Thursday, and on Friday, I pulled together a mac and cheese and chicken chunks meal on the fly before we settled into evening activities.  There was a good portion and a half of mac and cheese left. Saturday I came across a few cherry tomatoes and peppers that needed something done with quick, so I threw the in the crock pot with some broth.  Great base to a soup I thought.  I went to my nephews football game, and when I came home, through some  angel hair pasta in.  It did not turn out as expected.  instead of a tomato-pepper noodle soup, it was a sticky mess.  We ate it for lunch anyway.  There were also leftovers. DD#2 had a sandwich and popcorn for supper and DH and I went to a corporate event, so not a real meal for supper had to be cooked. 

After church today, as much as I would have loved to cook up a nice brunch, I started pulling things from the fridge and we cleaned up all the odds and end leftovers from the week. The leftover mac and cheese, one serving of tortellini soup, the fajitas,  a smidge of salsa and another smidge of queso dip, along with a couple ore tortillas, and I even ate the sticky mess from Saturday.  Guess what?  There is more for my lunch tomorrow.  I may give in and toss, but really want to just suck it up and eat it, knowing full well, another 1/2 of the worlds population is packing nothing for a lunch tomorrow. For supper, I used the half bag of meatballs from the freezer, rinsed out the last of the BBQ sauce for two different bottles to cook them in.  We ate these with broiled egg plant, a couple bananas, and for desert, the delicious dump cake-strawberry and rhubarb, with produce from the freezer. I feel pretty accomplished.  

While the meals might have been weird, I saved food that might have easily gone in the trash without a thought.  I have a lot of meat in the freezer, but the pantry is starting to get low, and I am OK with that.  I think we need a good dose of planning, and organizing to figure out how to make good nutritious meals, and plan for not wasting leftovers. To do this, I am planning to only buy ingredients we need for meals, as oppose to a full on grocery shop until at least Thursday. Until then, I will improvise, as we needed to do with my daughters cake.  We are completely out of pantry staples like flour and sugar. I learned you can substitute  powdered sugar for granular sugar in this recipe with similar results.  She probably added an extra 1/4 cup to be on the safe side, but her cake was every bit as good as any other I've tasted-maybe better because she was so proud of it. If you have tips for avoiding food waste, please share the in the comments.  Wish me luck for the rest of the week. 

Culinary Awareness

After several posts by others summarizing their grocery bills, their eating out bills, and their food waste logs, I was feeling pretty down trodden about my efforts in all three areas.  Not only do I estimate that we spent more than $175 on meals out and take out, our grocery bill for a family of three, including household supplies, exceeded $500 (of what I could track), and I did a very guilty fridge and freezer toss. Last month was 1)not thrifty, 2) not minimalist, and 3) not healthy. Why this realization over a week into August? First, our credit card goes from the 7th of the month to the 7th the following, and I also wanted to get the 4th of July spending off because I didn't want to be able to justify the out of whack spending with the holiday thrown in. 

My plan this week is to stay completely away from  restaurants, deli counters, and drive through windows. I'm going to do a good look and see that I find any perishables that are lurking in the back of refrigerator or freezer, and cross my fingers that they do not need to find the trash bin. So here is the plan.

Sunday:
I was very under the weather yesterday and sent DH and DD#2 off to the lake for the day.  I was alert enough to send a cooler with hot dogs from the freezer and buns, a cantaloupe, can of beans, chips and salsa, and two mini loaves of banana bread that were in the freezer as contributions to the communal meals. I drank loads of water, ibuprofen, and had toast.
Monday:
Feeling more myself, I used up 5 good noodles and a bunch of broken ones to put a small lasagne together using canned tomatoes and nearing the sell by date cheese. Today is DH's birthday, so I did stop for three slices of $1.00 pie, as he is not much of a cake eater.  We are celebrating his and  other birthdays on Sunday, so this will be about as much attention as he wants. 
Tuesday:
I used a large onion hiding in the bin, two large and three small zucchini that needed to be cooked, and the last of the plain yogurt from last weeks masala dish to make a zucchini curry.  Made tonight, I'll just reheat tomorrow. 
Wednesday:
Spinach, cucumber, and tomato salad with chicken cutlets.  
Thursday:
DH is usually the one that makes the meals, so I will leave him to his own devices, but make him promise to use what is in the house. I'm going to take a wild guess and say he will make spaghetti. That would be fine as have a few egg plant I can bread and fry up, and I'll make an extra chicken cutlet or two to make chicken and eggplant Parmesan. 
Friday:
Comfort food by weeks end is in order, so think a tuna hot dish, with peas and cheese might fit the mood. 
Saturday:
Use up any leftovers, and if needed some grilled cheese sandwiches or omelets.

I'm not much of a menu planner, but I am fed up with the waste. These are all foods my family enjoys, so shouldn't fee like we are giving up anything.  Lunches will be any leftovers form the night before, yogurt, cheese and crackers, and sandwiches. No fast food.  No take out. I have a lonely ear of corn-would that taste well in the curry? What's on your table this week?

The Forgotten Bottle of Red

How it happened, I do not know, but I am a bit ticked at myself for it.  A week or so back, after finishing off a bottle of wine from the night before, I was in the mood for another glass. I opened a nice bottle of red, had one more glass, and plucked the cork back on the bottle.  DH is not a fan of red wine, but I often will have a glass or two over a couple nights, or a neighbor might wander on over and share glass, so opening a bottle for one glass isn't usually a problem. Last night I made a stop for some fruit, bread, some hard cider ale for DH, and some vodka to do a lemonade drink for me. It was a gorgeous Minnesota night, and we were going to settle on the deck for a pasta dinner (thank you DH), and a few cocktails, and just enjoy the night-no reservations required. DH gave me a hard time about all the bottles sitting around, and then I saw the old bottle of opened wine, untouched since that night, sitting in a corner nook on my counter. I know my post might sound like alcohol flows freely and daily, but the bottle was left and forgotten since it was that long since I imbibed in a drink. The bottle was more than 3/4 full, and it was one of our wine club bottles, a very nice selection, and at a $30 price tag if bought retail. The thought of pouring it down the drain made me a little queasy, but no doubt it would not be drinkable.

I turned to the trusted Google and typed in "what to do with leftover red wine." If it was white, I would know how to make a risotto or a good alfredo sauce, but I've never done anything with red.  Here I found the article 27 Ways to Use Leftover Wine by Anisha Jhaveri at greatist.com.. A few ideas were out of the question. Red wine Popsicles? No thank you. Others sounded amazing. Red wine chocolate truffles? Yes, please, but not the right ingredients on hand. I decided to try the Red Onion Marmalade.  I do not have any red onions, but I have a vegetable bin loaded with  yellow since both DH and I bought a bag without the other knowing. I doubled the batch as I figured once made, it should last at least a week, and we can use tomorrow when we head to the lake for the day, and next weekend as well.  Paired with the goat cheese and a nice slice of crusty bread, I can't imagine that it wouldn't be delicious. Directions below is the actual recipe is from the a nutiritonist eats-the title is the link to the page.

My final version.

 As I usually do, I made modifications along the way.  I didn't have quite enough soy, so added more wine. I had a little more brown sugar left in the bag than thee recipe called for, so I used it all. I also added a healthy dose of black pepper. I should have used at least one more onion as mine were on the small size, but it just meant my marmalade was more jelly like-so not really a problem. It was zippy with a nice taste. I didn't have any goat cheese which would greatly enhance the flavor, but did have some french bread. I think I would like some salty olives to eat along as well, so will pick up a jar of kalmata at the store. This marmalade would be incredible with mozarella in a grilled cheese. Even with doubling the recipe, I have wine left, but I think I will pop the rest in the freezer and make it again later in the summer when local onions will be in abundance. I could use the tip that called for pouring the wine in the bath tub for a refreshing  moisturizing spa treatment.  But then I would want to open another bottle and the cycle would start all over again. It is fun to try new food and recipes.  My process is captured in a few poor quality photos after the recipe.

 Red Onion Marmalade Crostini

For the Marmalade

• 1 large red onion
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine

For the Crostini

• 1 baguette (6 servings)
• 8 oz log of goat cheese

Instructions

For the Marmalade

Slice onion in half length-wise and then thinly slice.

Add butter to medium-sized saute pan and heat over medium heat.

When pan is hot and butter has melted, add onions.

Cook onions, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until they are mostly browned.

Sprinkle brown sugar over onions and stir until sugar dissolves (just a minute or two).

Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir together. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.

Taste and season with salt & pepper if necessary.

For the Crostini

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Thinly slice baguette and spray with olive oil if desired.

Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping

Top crostini with goat cheese and marmalade.

 

A whole lot of onions.

Add a whole cup of wine.

Bubbling and evaporating wine.



Final yield-about 1 cup.