Anne at New Happenings at the Table had mentioned Shelftember in a recent post; it is intended to encourage meal planning based on what we have in the freezer and pantry while keeping additional grocery shopping to a minimum. Since I had overspent my August grocery budget by almost $71 and want to try and make up some of that by saving on September grocery spending, I decided to join her in observing Shelftember.
I want to limit my September grocery shopping to fresh produce (vegetables and fruit), dairy (milk and yogurt), and bread. I started September with a pretty full freezer, fridge, and pantry, partly because I live in earthquake country and I try to have more than the recommended three-days' worth of food and water on hand and partly because I did a big stock up in August. With my daughter home for the Labor Day weekend and going out to eat quite a bit more than usual, there was a lot of leftovers in the fridge, as well. On the last day of August, I had bought a roast chicken and a box of salad mix for our dinner, as well as half a gallon of milk and some bananas (before I had read about Shelftember), so I started out September with quite a bit of food on hand.
So, here's how the first week of September went, although I didn't learn about Shelftember until September 5:
Sept. 1 - we went out to lunch; dinner was leftovers from lunch; I still have a chicken breast (in the freezer) leftover from that lunch!
Sept. 2 - we went to my friend's house to lunch and my friend sent me home with a plate of food; daughter went out to dinner with two friends and she brought home the leftovers, and I had some of that for my dinner.
Sept. 3 - we went out to lunch with my sister and her husband; daughter and I both brought our leftovers home. Dinner was leftovers.
Sept. 4 - Labor Day - leftover Thai food for lunch; daughter had a frozen turkey pot pie for dinner; I had a leftover roast chicken sandwich with some of the leftover salad.
Sept. 5 - I made waffles for brunch as daughter was going back to Berkeley and she had requested them. I can't remember what I had for dinner - I think I cooked some rice and had it with some of the leftover Thai beef and vegetables or I had another roast chicken sandwich.
Sept. 6 - lunch was the leftover Thai red chicken with rice; dinner was ... more leftovers! I think I finished the babyback ribs from lunch out on Friday and had another roast chicken sandwich
Sept. 7 - lunch was the last of the Thai red chicken curry with rice. Dinner was some roast chicken and, later, French toast.
Snacks have been apples, grapes, bananas, pomegranate, cereal bars, murukku mix, fried bread fruit chips, pound cake, cashews, cookies, etc.
Today, I did a freezer inventory. I have:
6 king fish steaks
3 pieces of salted dried fish
2 packages (approx. 1/2 lb. each) of cooked ground beef
1 package bacon
1 package mini sausages ("Lil Smokies")
3 packages of marinated beef steak (uncooked)
1 package sausage meat
1 package sausages
1 chicken breast
2 quart bags, each with 1/4 roast chicken
5 turkey pot pies
5 packages of frozen puff pastry squares
1 package of something called "ulundu vadai" which is an Indian/Sri Lankan savory snack
3 1/2 lb. butter
1 bag (5 lbs.) flour
1 package (2 lb) red rice
1 package grated coconut
1 banana bread
3 1/2 packages of sliced strawberries (for eventual jam making)
3 large bags of cooked cashews (for making curry)
1/2 bag of frozen green peas
- several baggies of frozen tomato, sliced onions, some green chilies, etc.
In the fridge, I have:
1 dozen (+2) eggs
cheese
the last bit of a half-gallon of milk
1 loaf zucchini bread thawing
3 ears if corn
4 pomegranates
1 kiwi
some carrots
1 cucumber
garlic
condiments such as mayonnaise, ketchup, chutney, mustard, etc.
I didn't do a pantry inventory, but there are cans of fruits, vegetables, tuna, milk, soup, etc., and pasta, rice, and lentils.
Tomorrow, I want to go grocery shopping for a few more fresh fruits and vegetables and another loaf of bread. I ate the last two slices of bread tonight, with a scrambled egg for dinner. Next week will be the real start of Shelftember for me. I think I will cook some of the marinated beef and maybe a fish curry, for next week.
Is anyone else eating from the pantry and freezer?
You seem well stocked and you should be eating well during Shelftember. While I'm not participating this time, I find the challenge of these kind of exercises fun. Do you?
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy these challenges, Live and Learn. The timing works out well, too, since I want to spend less on groceries, this month. Next month, I will be hosting the monthly prayer gathering, so I will be buying more groceries and will probably end up with a lot of leftovers, as well!
DeleteYou have a good variety of protein on hand. I chuckled when I saw that you had scrambled egg and the last two pieces of bread for Friday dinner. I didn't feel like cooking so hubby had the left over pasta and meatballs and I had a fried egg on a round of toast.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would do different to what you plan to purchase is if there is a really good sale loss item that you use to take advantage. My grocery store has Del Monte canned fruit all varieties for $1 which is a very good price. Hubby likes canned fruit on his shredded wheat.
Fried or scrambled eggs are about the easiest things to make for a quick meal, aren't they?
DeleteYou bring up a good point with the sale items. I thought about it, but I really am rather well stocked right now and any stocking up will have to be done with the money I have budgeted.
I am rather low on the canned fruit (down to 1 can of pears) but I am waiting for them to go on sale. I don't eat a lot of canned fruit, so the 1 can I have is for an emergency. :)
I'm not doing the challenge but I'm trying to be more conscious of what I buy this month and I'm actually looking in the cupboards/fridge/freezer before I go shopping. All that seems to fall by the wayside when Amy and Thomas are off school. Plus we run 2 households foodwise for 3 weeks while we're at the caravan and Amy/whoever are here. It's good to get back in a routine again.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of zucchini bread. Did you make it yourself? Good luck with the challenge. I look forward to reading updates and finding out how much you didn't spend :) xx
It's a little more challenging when you have to plan meals around vacations, other members of the family, etc. I hope Amy and Thomas are enjoying their schools.
DeleteYes, I made the zucchini bread. It's very similar to banana bread. I think I did a post about how to make it, but, of course, you can find the recipe and directions on-line, as well. Maybe something to try?