Hello. Leah here. Anyone else feel like summer is here and already a little crazy? May is looking like an expensive month, too. A fun month. But between the birthdays, weddings, trips, get-togethers, happy hours, and other celebrations I'm watching my budget closely. Sometimes the easiest way to do that, especially when you want to trim the grocery bill, is by shopping your pantry and refrigerator first. Hence the clever title--pantry raid. Heehee.
Here's what last week looked like. Yes, that was shot in my bathroom. I had to dinner plan while my kid was in the bathtub. Multitasking. I'm an ace at it.
So how do you pantry raid?
1) Survey the kitchen cabinets. Ask, "What do I already have? What could these things become?" I always have dried pasta. Bread crumbs. Seasonings. The usual suspects. But I challenge you to think outside your norm. Could cracker, cookie or cereal crumbs become a crunchy coating for chicken or pork chops? Could any of those bits and pieces of veggies or leftovers be stirred into a pasta? Make a note of your contenders.
2) Look in the fridge and freezer. Toss what's bad. Make a note of what's left that could become another dinner. Luckily, we had a gathering that weekend and had some eclectic leftovers because of it. I totally ruined some taco meat that night but I had all the taco fixings from the abandoned tacos. Had to keep those in mind. And I had two whole leeks left from this soup recipe. Leek tacos? Nope. But I wrote leeks down on the contender list along with the taco fixings.
3) Look at your local grocery ads. Anything on sale and look tasty? Swiss chard was on some crazy special last week, $1.29 for a huge bunch. I made of note of it....with no real idea of what I'd do. Russet potatoes were also crazy cheap. A loaded baked potato night? I had shredded cheese and sour cream that never made it on those tacos plus a plate of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers my brother brought to the gathering. Sounded like good potato toppings to me.
1) Survey the kitchen cabinets. Ask, "What do I already have? What could these things become?" I always have dried pasta. Bread crumbs. Seasonings. The usual suspects. But I challenge you to think outside your norm. Could cracker, cookie or cereal crumbs become a crunchy coating for chicken or pork chops? Could any of those bits and pieces of veggies or leftovers be stirred into a pasta? Make a note of your contenders.
2) Look in the fridge and freezer. Toss what's bad. Make a note of what's left that could become another dinner. Luckily, we had a gathering that weekend and had some eclectic leftovers because of it. I totally ruined some taco meat that night but I had all the taco fixings from the abandoned tacos. Had to keep those in mind. And I had two whole leeks left from this soup recipe. Leek tacos? Nope. But I wrote leeks down on the contender list along with the taco fixings.
3) Look at your local grocery ads. Anything on sale and look tasty? Swiss chard was on some crazy special last week, $1.29 for a huge bunch. I made of note of it....with no real idea of what I'd do. Russet potatoes were also crazy cheap. A loaded baked potato night? I had shredded cheese and sour cream that never made it on those tacos plus a plate of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers my brother brought to the gathering. Sounded like good potato toppings to me.
4) Hit Google, your favorite cookbooks, the stack of recipes you've ripped out, blogs you've bookmarked or Pinterest feed. Anything remind you of the list you found during your raid? It might be fun to try something new! Or even come up with something new. It could suck--and that's why I always keep peanut butter and jelly on hand. On the other hand, your next family fave could be just a try away.
I spent just $45* at the grocery store because of my pantry and fridge raid finds. Here's what I came up with for dinners Sunday through Thursday--I try to keep Friday and Saturday a bit more spontaneous but planning the other five days helps me stay organized, on budget and sane.
Sunday: blackened fish tacos.
Using those leftover taco items (tortillas, avocado, cheese, sour cream), I bought some tilapia (cheap, clean flavored white fish) and followed this recipe for a healthier pan fried version. It has a blackened type spice rub--all things I had in my pantry. I've made it a few times and the family always says good things.
Sunday: blackened fish tacos.
Using those leftover taco items (tortillas, avocado, cheese, sour cream), I bought some tilapia (cheap, clean flavored white fish) and followed this recipe for a healthier pan fried version. It has a blackened type spice rub--all things I had in my pantry. I've made it a few times and the family always says good things.
Monday: pasta with swiss chard, goat cheese and onions
Remember that Swiss chard on sale? Bought that. Plus, a sweet friend brought my new farmers market addiction--locally made herbed goat cheese--to the gathering which we had on crackers. I put the leftovers to use in this pasta I found after a quick Google search of "Swiss chard and goat cheese recipe." Clever, right? I used dried pasta I had on hand and omitted the onions. It came together easily and melted into a creamy sauce. The hubs had seconds and the kiddo gave it a good try. We'll make this again.
Remember that Swiss chard on sale? Bought that. Plus, a sweet friend brought my new farmers market addiction--locally made herbed goat cheese--to the gathering which we had on crackers. I put the leftovers to use in this pasta I found after a quick Google search of "Swiss chard and goat cheese recipe." Clever, right? I used dried pasta I had on hand and omitted the onions. It came together easily and melted into a creamy sauce. The hubs had seconds and the kiddo gave it a good try. We'll make this again.
Tuesday: loaded baked potatoes
I bought some of those cheapo taters on sale with full intention of us topping them with goodies from the fridge. An easy dinner since I had an after work meeting plus a fitness class I wanted to hit. It ended up I didn't make it home until very late so hubs reheated some of the pasta from Monday. No complaints since he enjoyed it the first time. The potatoes waited until the weekend topped with melted cheese, butter and sour cream. Only out a few cents here.
Wednesday: Jamie Oliver chicken and leek stew over rice
I had those leeks....and seriously no idea what to do with them. This time I types "leeks" into the Pinterest search bar and this was one of the top returns. If it's good enough for Jamie Oliver it's good enough for me! Plus, other than the chicken and package of mushrooms, I had all the ingredients for this creamy sauce. Simple items like Dijon mustard, sour cream and a little thyme (I used dried) went perfectly with sauteed leeks (like a mellow mix between garlic and green onion). There wasn't broth here but a nice sauce that soaked into the fluffy jasmine rice I had on hand. It's not much to look at, but you'll have to trust me on the taste. I may have licked my plate (shhh!).
Thursday: strawberry muffins
I like to sneak a breakfast as dinner in once in a while and had wanted to try these muffins I saw on Pinterest. I missed the farmers market that week so I splurged on organic strawberries at the grocery store. Luckily, they're in season and weren't outrageously priced. These muffins used oatmeal instead of flour, no butter and two eggs--weird. Delicious weird! I did use about 1/4 cup real sugar, though this blogger suggests a sugar substitute. I don't know how to describe the texture---not fluffy or cakey, but great! Low calorie and versatile. I'd like to try them with blueberries. Best part---they came together in about 25 minutes. I rushed home from work, mixed these up, and baked them while I got ready for a fundraiser I had to attend.
Is my grocery bill typically $45? NOPE. But at least one weekend a month I do this pantry raid to give my budget a break and to try new recipes I may have otherwise never considered. Do you have any tricks to reduce your grocery bill?
*Immediately upon returning home, I realized my daughter was out of diapers--another $25. Can't wait until she's potty trained!
I bought some of those cheapo taters on sale with full intention of us topping them with goodies from the fridge. An easy dinner since I had an after work meeting plus a fitness class I wanted to hit. It ended up I didn't make it home until very late so hubs reheated some of the pasta from Monday. No complaints since he enjoyed it the first time. The potatoes waited until the weekend topped with melted cheese, butter and sour cream. Only out a few cents here.
Wednesday: Jamie Oliver chicken and leek stew over rice
I had those leeks....and seriously no idea what to do with them. This time I types "leeks" into the Pinterest search bar and this was one of the top returns. If it's good enough for Jamie Oliver it's good enough for me! Plus, other than the chicken and package of mushrooms, I had all the ingredients for this creamy sauce. Simple items like Dijon mustard, sour cream and a little thyme (I used dried) went perfectly with sauteed leeks (like a mellow mix between garlic and green onion). There wasn't broth here but a nice sauce that soaked into the fluffy jasmine rice I had on hand. It's not much to look at, but you'll have to trust me on the taste. I may have licked my plate (shhh!).
Thursday: strawberry muffins
I like to sneak a breakfast as dinner in once in a while and had wanted to try these muffins I saw on Pinterest. I missed the farmers market that week so I splurged on organic strawberries at the grocery store. Luckily, they're in season and weren't outrageously priced. These muffins used oatmeal instead of flour, no butter and two eggs--weird. Delicious weird! I did use about 1/4 cup real sugar, though this blogger suggests a sugar substitute. I don't know how to describe the texture---not fluffy or cakey, but great! Low calorie and versatile. I'd like to try them with blueberries. Best part---they came together in about 25 minutes. I rushed home from work, mixed these up, and baked them while I got ready for a fundraiser I had to attend.
Is my grocery bill typically $45? NOPE. But at least one weekend a month I do this pantry raid to give my budget a break and to try new recipes I may have otherwise never considered. Do you have any tricks to reduce your grocery bill?
*Immediately upon returning home, I realized my daughter was out of diapers--another $25. Can't wait until she's potty trained!
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