Pantry Challenge Update

Day 9

Waffled French Toast
(heavily soaked french toast cooked in the waffle iron - yumm)
Bacon
Eggs
$0.00


Day 10

Peanut Chicken Thighs
Broccoli
Penne Pasta
$0.00

All the ingredients for these meals were in the pantry or freezer.

Menu Plan Monday & Pantry Challenge

Day 7

Crockpot Veggie Chili
Toast

$0.00

All the ingredients for this meal were in the pantry or freezer.

Here's this week's plan of meals from the pantry/freezer:


12/7 Monday (puppet ministry) - Crockpot Veggie Chili
12/8 Tuesday (girl scouts/cookie training) - KFC (splurge due to schedule)
12/9 Wednesday - Breakfast for dinner in PJs - waffles, bacon, eggs
12/10 Thursday - Peanut chicken thighs, rice
12/11 Friday - Herb Crusted Pork Chops, baked potatoes
12/12 Saturday - Chalupas-filled Tacos, salad
12/13 Sunday - CP Cranberry Pork Roast, Cauliflower

Day 6 Pantry Challenge

Day 6

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms
Mandarin Oranges/Pineapple

$0.00

All the ingredients for this meal were in the pantry or freezer.

Day 5 Pantry Challenge

Day 5 - Baked Three Cheese Manicotti with Broccoli - $0.00

All the ingredients for this meal were in the pantry or freezer. I made a triple batch; two for ill families at church and one for us. Here's my secret recipe:

Ingredients for three:
3 boxes of manicotti noodles
6 lb. can of Marinara Sauce (will have extra)
3 lb. container of Cottage Cheese (6 cups)
3 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3 cups shredded Parmesan Cheese
5 eggs
2 tablespoons Basil paste (or substitute chopped fresh basil)
Salt & Pepper
Chopped olives (optional)

Directions:
Combine 2 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, 2 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, basil paste, eggs and a little salt and pepper. Stir gently and set aside.

Cook manicotti shells al dente. Drain. Loosely stuff (about 1/4 cup per shell). Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce into shallow 8x12 casserole dish, arrange stuffed shells in sauce. Then spread 2 cups sauce over top. Sprinkle remaining Mozzarella/Parmesan (and optional olives) over top. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Recap so far:
Day 1 - Teriyaki Chicken from freezer w/Green Beans - $0.00
Day 2 & 3 - Crockpot Navy Bean and Ham Soup - $0.00
Day 4 - homemade Pepperoni Pizza (homemade dough) and salad - $0.00

December 09 Pantry Challenge

Where has all the money gone??

You know, you hit a few Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales and all of a sudden the food budget is nill! Anyone with me on that one?

So, I propose a little challenge for December. A pantry challenge is using your existing food stores and resources, your pantry, to make all of your meals. It is a challenge to not buy anything new from the grocery store to complete dinner from now until December 15, other than milk and fresh produce.

You can use anything from your freezer or pantry, so let's get creative. AND, count your savings! Blog about your menu and recipes, too, and let's encourage one another. Please blog about joining the challenge with a link back here, and sign up under MckLinky. Then, leave a comment. Woo hoo!