Friday, September 2, 2016

September Pantry Inventory


Since I did a freezer inventory last weekend, I did a pantry inventory, today.  I haven't done a stock up since before I started my chemo treatments and I wanted to know what I had on hand so I know what I need to stock up when various items go on sale.  My pantry does double-duty as emergency supplies in case of an earthquake.  We are supposed to have at least a 3-day supply of food and water on hand.

My pantry is housed in various kitchen cabinets.  The lower three shelves of a double width upper cabinet (the topmost shelf holds china):

Pantry Cabinet 1

I store the majority of my canned, boxed, and jarred foods in this cabinet.  Being just under 5 ft. in height, I can reach what's on the lowest shelf without any problems and most of what's on the 2nd shelf.  But I need to stand on the step stool to reach the items on the 3rd shelf.  :D


And the single width cabinet to the left of Pantry Cabinet 1:

Pantry Cabinet 2

This cabinet is immediately to the right of the stove, so I keep items like oil, cooking sauces, salt, etc. on the lower two shelves.  The topmost shelf is where I store my jars of homemade jams (just 3 jars left - 1 apple/pomegranate and 2 lemon marmalade), the shelf below that has my homemade chutney (11 jars of tomato chutney).

The cabinet to the left of the stove is where I keep all the tea/coffee/sugar/hot cocoa:

Pantry Cabinet 3

I have two bottles of instant coffee and 1 box of my favorite tea bags in stock.  It's time to start checking with the Sri Lankan store to see if they have my favorite tea in stock and buy some.  The topmost shelf is where I'd store my new bags of sugar.  I just opened my last 10-lb. bag of sugar the other day, so I have plenty of sugar on hand for now.  However, I'll be stocking up on sugar when it goes on sale, next.  Especially since I want to make jam for holiday gift giving.

And finally:

Pantry Cabinet 4

This is a deep floor-to-ceiling cabinet, where I store things like mixing bowls and my Pyrex baking pans, food storage containers, empty canning jars, items like the punch bowl, etc.  I also use two of the shelves as pantry shelves to store boxed cereals, cookies, crackers, oil, snacks, etc.

According to my pantry inventory, I have plenty of rice, pasta, and soup on hand, but not enough of canned meats and fish.


Rice:
Approx. 10 lbs. of long grain white rice (1/2 of a 25 lb. bag)
Approx. 5 lbs. of basmati rice (1/4 of a 20 lb. bag)
Approx. 2 lbs. of red rice (lightly polished)

Red Rice (Uncooked)

Plus, 1 box rice/wild rice mix

Pasta:
9 x 1 lb. boxes of spaghetti (I stocked up when it went on sale for $.49/box)


But I only have 1 can of spaghetti sauce (and 1 can of Manwich sauce which could be used as pasta sauce if needed) for all that pasta!

Flour/Pancake Mix/Cornmeal:
5 lb. bag of all-purpose flour
1 box pancake mix
1 box cornmeal


Meat/Fish:
1 can corned beef
1 can mackerel
1 jar fried dry fish (Sri Lankan food; there's an opened jar in the fridge, as well)
1 chicken salad & crackers snack pack


Milk:
5 cans condensed milk (3 of which were bought by daughter for a dessert for that barbecue with her friends but wasn't needed, after all)
1 can table cream
 
Soup:
7 cans cream of chicken (bought on sale at $.50/can; I thought I might find them useful when I was undergoing treatments and didn't feel up to cooking; I had it once, only)
2 cans cream of mushroom (same as above)
1 can cream of celery
9 packets of soup noodles
1 can vegetable bouillon powder (opened)

Fruits:
3 cans sliced pears
2 cans sliced peaches
2 cans mandarin orange segments
1 can fruit cocktail
4 pack diced peaches fruit cups
6 pack applesauce cups

Juice/Drinks:
1 64 oz. bottle apple juice
4 8-oz. bottles apple juice
1 bottle mango drink3 cans coconut water

Vegetables:
2 cans breadfruit
5 cans garbanzo beans
2 cans pumpkin
2 cans red kidney beans
dried mung beans and red lentils

Peanut Butter/Jam:
2 jars peanut butter with strawberry jam
1 jar of homemade apple/pomegranate jam
2 jars of homemade lemon marmalade

Sugar:
Almost 10 lbs. white sugar
1/2 box powdered sugar (open)
1 lb. juggery (palm sugar)
open jar molasses
open jar honey
open bottle pancake syrup

Desserts:
2 cake mixes (chocolate)
1 cake mix (yellow)
2 cookie mixes (snickerdoodle and gingerbread)
1 box Kheer mix (Indian rice pudding)
1 box chocolate pudding mix
1 box flan mix
3 boxes flavored gelatin

Misc:
2 packets pectin
2 envelopes yeast
1 bottle canola oil
1 bottle coconut oil
Open bottles of condiments, cooking sauces, etc.

What do you stock up in your pantry?

15 comments:

  1. Since you didn't do much cooking for the last year did you check your expiration dates on everything?

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    1. I checked, Marylynn. I usually write the exp. dates on the bottom of the cans, etc., with a permanent marker when I put them in the cabinets, and I have the dates written on the paper inventory form. Everything seemed fine. :)

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  2. You do have a lot of stuff in your cabinets and since you'll mostly be cooking for yourself this month, I'll bet all you'll need to buy is fresh fruit and veggies!

    I have a large pantry, although it's not a walk-in pantry, and it's crammed since I like to have several back-ups of things like pasta sauce, salsa, ketchup, BBQ sauce, coffee, baking products, canned vegetables, pasta, rice, couscous, dry beans, snacks, etc.

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    1. Sounds like you have a well-stocked pantry, Nathalie. At one time, I was trying to have a 3-6 months emergency supply on hand, but that turned out to be way too much canned and boxed food for me! I ended up giving most of it away!

      My next step is to make some menu plans based on using up what I have!

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  3. Hello there Bless. I've just caught up with all your posts.. again. So glad that the radiation has now ended and thankfully with few side effects. You're an inspiration the way you have remained so positive throughout your treatment. As they say, onwards and upwards now :)

    Smiled at the response of your daughter to my virtual hug - that's exactly what I mean, what she does is just so natural to her and comes straight from the heart.

    Interesting that you have to keep 3 days work of supplies. I have recently started an emergency supply shelf of my own, just in case. I wonder if it's a sign of age or a sign of the times, I can't quite decide but for some reason I feel the need to do it. Of course, Thomas wouldn't survive because I'd never be able to store the amount of sausages he gets through!

    There are no more trips on the horizon now until October and Thomas is back at school on Monday so hopefully I will be a regular visitor again to your blog. Keep well and look after yourself. xx


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    1. Thank you, Suzanne. I have tried to be positive; not sure if I was always successful, but I tried. :)

      Yes, a minimum of 3-days worth of supplies because they estimate that will be the least time it will take for help to arrive. More supplies, if possible, because with electricity out and roads damaged, grocery stores might not have any goods for sale for a long time to come. We are required to keep a 3-day supply of emergency food and drink at the office, too. Each one of us at my office has been issued emergency supplies, including a lightweight thermal blanket.

      Hope Thomas' ankle is well again and he is looking forward to returning to school on Monday. Have a lovely weekend.

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  4. Great idea on taking inventory so you know what you need. I was wondering, you mentioned stocking up on certain items and I can see from this post and the one right after this that you have lots of wonderful ingredients to make curries and such. May I ask what you family heritage is? I'm always curious because people tend to make comfort foods that they grew up with. Of course if you looked at my comfort food list, you would be totally confused since I draw from so many different cultures having grown up in Hawaii. ;)

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    1. Debbie, I am originally from Sri Lanka (used to be known as Ceylon, before 1972). So, Sri Lankan heritage. I was 17 when I left my country of birth, but tend to make a lot of Sri Lankan food, still.

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    2. Such a small world...I ave a couple of dear friends that I grew up with who's mother was from Sri Lanka also. :)

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    3. It is indeed a small world, isn't it? :)

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  5. I had never heard of red rice! I don't even want to think what's in mine. I'm really impressed you have this inventory, it's bound to be a help. x

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    1. Well, at least I know I don't need to buy any more canned condensed soups or pasta! :D

      Red rice is the Sri Lankan equivalent of brown rice. What I haven't tried yet is black rice.

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  7. Terrific inventory and I'm delighted you have an emergency kit at work. I've concerns about emergency supply placement at home. I guess you weren't seriously affected by the '94 Northridge, 6.7 quake. I've family in Simi Valley and we watched it all Live on TV [in W Canada] as my family luckily escaped flames two blocks away.

    Having been frightened nearly witless twice under ordered evacuation, I plead that you prepare the simplest kit - perhaps an old backpack/suitcase - with bottled water, can opener, crackers/biscuits/breakfast bars, cereal, peanut butter, jam, canned chicken & celery soup all already in your inventory. Add flashlight, 1st aid kit, a few of your meds, extra batteries, cutlery, towel, large plastic bags, plastic gloves, warm socks, hand sanitizer & at least $ 20. as CC don't work without power. I hope you have a portable power pack for your phone and laptop. In an emergency, truly... there isn't time to fetch items from various shelves.

    Our kit is in the car's trunk, and we change-out water and food items on 'fall back, spring forward' days as we change clocks and all the batteries.

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    1. I rode out the Northridge earthquake with my 10 months old daughter in my arms, listening to the sound of things falling and breaking around me. But fortunately, my house wasn't damaged. These days, I sleep with a hard hat next to my bed and a flash light under my pillow!

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