Meal Plan Monday – Pantry Challenge Week 6

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Nope, you read that right, we are on Pantry Challenge Week 6. I know the posts from weeks 4 and 5 are missing. The flu hit our family hard, and we were down for the count. For the first time in years, I was knocked on my ass and in bed for over a week. Last week, I attempted to be “back to normal,” and overdid it. I spent the weekend back in bed, exhausted and feeling like garbage. When your body says to rest, you need to listen. I learned that the hard way.

But here we are doing Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday afternoon because things are still slow going, but at least now they are going again.

At the start of February, I did my usual Costco haul and a trip to Walmart for pet supplies and random, smaller quantity items. We also received our Azure Standard order for the month, but I focused mostly on cleaning supplies since I’m trying to use up the pantry items.

Use It Up! The Goal of the Pantry Challenge

We’ve used up the Kind bars and granola bars, which is a huge accomplishment. It seems that when the kids like something, I will buy a Costco-sized package of it, and suddenly they aren’t interested in it anymore. We are down to a handful of Fig Bars, and then all of the “bars” will be used up!

I also focused on using up the fresh vegetables before they spoil. Unfortunately, no one feels like cooking fresh veggies or eating salads when they have the flu. Luckily, we have backyard laying hens, so nothing went to waste, and they have been given a lot of the greens that went from perfect to wilted way too quickly.

The last of the popsicles that were purchased over the summer are now in the freezer to have as snacks. These were perfect for all of us while our throats were sore and we just wanted something soothing.

I ran out of tea bags, which is fine since I prefer loose-leaf tea.

I’ve also run out of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, and the garlic olive oil I like to have on hand. These items have been added to my shopping list for March, but I’m not running out to get them right now because I still have plenty of coconut oil, grape seed oil, and even vegetable oil on hand.

There were quite a few bags of frozen veggies that were starting to show signs of freezer burn, so I turned them into vegetable soup that was then pressure-canned for the pantry.

With starting to feel better, I made some items for the Cub Scout bake sale. This allowed me to use up coconut, coconut cream, and the freeze-dried apples powder that were in the pantry.

Still In the Freezer

This morning, I ventured out to the garage freezer to “grocery shop” for the week. We have plenty of beef still out there and a few packages of chicken.

I also realized that what I thought was puffed pastry is actually 3 large packages of phyllo pastry. Other than using phyllo to make spanakopita and Baklava, what do I do with it? I need some ideas on how to use this phyllo up. I’d love your suggestions!

Upcoming Canning Projects

At the start of January, I did a huge citrus stock up. The plan was to can the grapefruit and orange segments. This is all still in the garage fridge, so I need to work on canning the citrus in the coming week.

There are also still quite a few bags of frozen tomatoes from last year’s harvest in the freezer. I am completely out of marinara sauce and only have 2 jars of pizza sauce remaining. Once I’m done with the citrus, this is the next priority to restock the pantry.

Meal Plan for Monday 2/9 through Sunday 2/15

Breakfasts for the week: yogurt & granola, oatmeal “packets”, toast & jam, cereal

Lunches for the week: ramen, nibble trays, apple butter sandwiches, PB&J, quesadillas, stromboli

Monday – leftovers
Tuesday – Shirley’s Chicken & Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday – Breakfast for Dinner (probably pancakes & sausage)
Thursday – Pepper Steak & Rice
Friday – Homemade Pizza Night
Saturday – Valentine’s Day
Sunday – Roast Dinner (beef roast & risotto)

What are you making this week?

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram or Facebook and see what meals we make and what shopping needs to be done during the pantry challenge.