A 2nd Fridge and Freezer

I am blessed to live in a home with a huge walk-in pantry. Pantry Living would be nearly impossible without the extra space it provides me. I am doubly blessed to have a second fridge and freezer.

These are many of the items I keep in the basement freezer:

1. Meat of all varieties. 
2. When I buy a pack of chicken breasts I freeze each separately in ziploc bags and write their description and date on it.
3.  I also love to buy giant pork loins. I cut it up into several pork roasts, and lots of pork chops. Each pork chop is bagged separately in a small bag and I combine enough chops in a big ziplock bag for one meal for our fam. 
4. With ground beef, I prep a bunch of burgers and bag them the same way I do the chops. Also I prepare several meatloaves and bag them.  I cook the rest of the ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic and onions. Once cooled I bag it in smaller quantities for either tacos, for pasta or whatever.
5. Whole chickens are a fav around here. I cook them in the crockpot and they are delish! The best deal on those are $0.99 lb at Sam's. For about $10 you get 2 whole Perdue chickens. Great for Sunday dinners.
6. Kid pleasers: hot dogs, fish sticks, chicken nuggets
7. Lump Imitation Crab Meat- Real crab is a bit too pricey for us. And I have a killer recipe for crab cakes. I'll need to add that recipe to my list of things to share with y'all.
8. Ice Cream and Popsicles - no explanation needed. I just buy whatever is on sale and I frequently have a coupon for yummy novelties. We never buy from the ice cream truck cause I have ones just as awesome hidden away downstairs. I also keep a large box of cones in the pantry for the regular ice cream we buy.
9. Butter. No need to call a neighbor and borrow butter when I have at least 6 packs frozen.
10. Breakfast meats- sausage and turkey bacon. Sunday night is brinner at our house. (breakfast for dinner) And the best part is that Daddy cooks it!
11. Fries and frozen potatoes. 
12. Frozen veggies
13. BREAD! This is one of my fav reasons for the freezer and fridge. I buy up about 4 loaves at a time. One goes in the cupboard, two go in the fridge and one in the freezer. Its also great to store hot dog and hamburger buns, and bagels too.
14. Lunch cheats- My hubby takes a lunch to work everyday of the school year. Frozen burritos, pot pies and occasionally hot pockets make their way into our freezer to make those lunches a little easier for me.
15. Ravioli- another fast favorite here

Fridge favorites:

1. Extra 3 gallons of milk. Yup, we drink about 4 a week.
2. Bread
3. Extra dairy products: sour cream, cream cheese, shredded/block cheese, cheese singles. All of these items last a really long time as long as you haven't opened them, sour cream especially. 
4. Eggs- these are great to keep on hand, they last a long time and they are a cheap meal. Now I need to add quiche to my list of recipes to share.
5. OJ is our juice of choice. Most juices I treat like a specialty drink. They are full of sugar and if I'm gonna serve up sugar I'd rather it be in cookie or ice cream form.
6. Extra fresh veggies, just don't forget they're there!
7. Whipped cream- the basement fridge is a great place to store items you don't want your kids asking for on a daily basis.

Pantry Living is a time we can follow the Lord's counsel to eat food that's in season and meat sparingly. We are so blessed to have a beautiful home, clean water and fresh food. If you want to give Pantry Living a try I would love to hear about your experience, even if you only do it for a few weeks. Thanks for following my adventures! Happy Summer!

Pantry Living Week 3

Another week has come and gone.

Pantry after week 3

Here is the update

1. Cereal count after week 2: 39
2. Cereal count after week 3: 35
3. Purchases made: milk, eggs, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, peanuts (I used cash)
4. Non food purchases: eye make-up remover, kid vitamins, command strips (adhesive things to hold pics on the wall), and flat batteries
5. Truthfully, my goal is to not purchase any non food items either. These items I had to "cheat" and purchase. Before pantry living began I accidentally bought waterproof mascara instead of the regular stuff. Trust me, it was a needed purchase. The vitamins are my kids' incentive to brush their teeth and after church we returned home to find our large frame holding all 3 kids' 8x10 pics had crashed to the floor, so new command strips were a must. The batteries were for my hubby's alarm clock, so of course that is a must (and I used cash).
6. My hubby learned a great new recipe at the summer enrichment program he is working at the school. Cheesy Garlic Cheddar Biscuits. I will post it soon. I love it when he cooks :) 
7. Amazon purchase of new air conditioning filters cause our AC is acting up and that is the possible culprit. Unfortunately, they have yet to arrive so we're a bit toasty in here. No, Home Depot doesn't carry our size filter. We tried several times. 
8. We opened a pack of cookies, a bottle of automatic dish soap,  a bottle of hand dish soap, and a jar of spaghetti sauce.
9. Boardwalk treats, paid for with cash: ice cream and cotton candy
10. Our garden is growing like crazy with our recent rainfall. We have lots of tomatoes, peppers, green beans and zucchini growing. We've harvested green beans several times already, but today we picked our first zucchini! It is 14 inches long and will make some yummy bread.

Happy Summer!

*note: in my pantry the cereals are organized for space efficiency. If you see the front of the box it is because there are more than 3 boxes of that same kind. I can fit more on the shelf that way. Once there are 3 or fewer the boxes are turned sideways. 

Pantry Living Week 2

Week 2 has come and gone and we are still filling our tummies.

Pantry after week 2

Basic Rundown of the week

• Cereal at the start: 44
• Cereal after week 1: 39
• Cereal after week 2: 39  How can that be? Well, we ate pancakes and eggs a few times but we actually ate 3 boxes of cereal as well. A sweet angel in our ward(church congregation) gave us three boxes of cereal this week cause she is so kind. So many angels, so many blessings!
• We also inherited several bags of potato chips after a family bbq. 
• This week we opened a new jar of pickles, peanut butter, a pack of napkins, a cake mix, a bottle of Italian dressing, a bag of granola, and a bag of marshmallows.
• Purchases made: strawberries, apples, eggs, lettuce, cucumbers
• Mad money purchases: donuts, Burger King, glow sticks, birthday presents from my kids to my dad (chips, slim jim, and a soda cozy)
• Pantry Living discovery: made homemade cream of celery soup and loved it!
• Confession: my kids and I went to buy donuts as a surprise reward for their good behavior in Home Depot. I bought nothing besides the donuts, but I felt like a recovering alcoholic in a bar. My eyes strayed longingly at the bargain deals when I entered the store. But I held strong and used my cash to buy five donuts. I was very proud of myself!
• Confession #2: I browsed this week's ShopRite circular while at my parent's house for dinner. I was pointing out the best deals and tried to convince my hubby that he wasn't committed to Pantry Living so he could run to the store and buy the $0.44 a can green beans and corn. He wouldn't take the bait. 
• Confession #3: I guess in an effort to use my large stores of pasta I've served it too frequently this week. My kids said "not pasta again?!" more than once this week. 

Happy Summer!

*note: I do not actually compare myself to someone who has successfully overcome an addiction, such as alcoholism. They are to be applauded for their strength and courage!

Year to date savings...WOW!

I took all three kiddos to Home Depot on Monday. They were awesome in the store and I surprised them with a trip to ShopRite (our grocery store) for donuts. For me it felt like a recovering alcoholic entering a bar. I had to stay focused on our walk to the bakery and then to check out with cash in hand. My eyes kept straying to the sale signs and the weekly specials. But I was strong and we made it out of the store with only our 5 donuts and the receipt. (I used my cash, so it isn't cheating. ) 

I am a huge fan of ShopRite. At the end of each shopping trip my kids and I park our cart near the exit as I review my receipt to check for possible errors on their part or mine. If they overcharge me for an item they refund my money for it entirely on the first item, and if I bought several of the same item they refund me the difference on all additional overcharges. I am the type of person if they didn't charge me enough I will go back and make sure to pay them what I owe. Its not worth losing sleep over a can of corn. Honesty always! Or if I misread a sale sign and wasn't pleased with the real price they will accept the return with no problem.

Anyway, one of my favorite parts of the receipt shows me my Current Savings, how much I saved today with coupons, sales and discounts. I love to compare that number with my Purchase Total, for example on April 23 I spent $46.63 and saved $76.24. It makes you feel good!

Well, after we bought our donuts I glanced at the bottom of the receipt. Today, I didn't save anything so that section didn't appear on the receipt. The donuts were the same price as always (meaning cheaper than Dunkin' Donuts). Instead I got my shopping high from the Year to Date Savings which is printed at the bottom of every receipt calculated with my Price Plus Card customer number. That awesome number is $1,341.84. That's right! My deal watching, coupon clipping, reusable bag using self has kept over thirteen hundred dollars in the bank. It feels good :)

My point is it will be worth your while to carry in those reusable bags you get $.05 for each time you use one. It will be worth your time to browse those coupons you get in the mail and clip the 3 random things you might buy. It will be worth your time to look over your local store's weekly ad to see what good sales are featured each week and make your list beforehand. It will be worth your while to buy three tubs of that oatmeal your kids like when its on sale instead of just one. $1,341.84 is worth it to you and me!

Happy Summer and Happy Savings!

Forgot to buy it, so I made it myself!

Occasionally I make a tuna casserole. I'm not a huge fan of cream of _______ soups. I find them all to taste a bit salty. I keep a few cream of mushroom soups on hand for green bean casserole, and sometimes cream of celery for my tuna casserole. Well, I discovered I had no cream of celery for a tuna casserole. Thanks to modern technology I jumped on Google and researched some recipes. I think I've found a winner and WAY better than any from a can.

Here it is. I found it (and adapted it) from allrecipes.com.

• 2-1/4 cups chicken stock ( I used broth)
• 9 ounces celery, chopped
• 1-1/2 ounces carrots,chopped
• 1-1/2 ounces onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper 
• 2-1/4 cups hot milk 
• 3 tablespoons butter
• scoop of minced garlic 

 

Melt butter in pot. Add veggies and saute slightly. Add stock or broth and bring to a boil. Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Boil for 10 minutes stirring regularly.  The original recipe suggested you remove the cooked veggies or use a stick blender to puree them. I like the soft veggie chunks so I left them as is. This was delicious on noodles with a can of tuna fish mixed in and crumbled potato chips on top. Or this would be great for soup. As a soup I would add come chopped cooked chicken and maybe add a sprinkle of cheese. But I don't think I'll be buying those cans of creamed anything anymore.
Happy Summer!
*note: they measured it in ounces but I just chopped the veggies according to how much I like of each one. Don't stress about the specific amounts for those.

Beach Burritos

We are beach lovers if you couldn't tell by the blog's title. A few years ago a friend of mine introduced us to a dish her family call "River Burritos". They make them while out on adventures in a boat because it requires no refrigeration. We love them and renamed them Beach Burritos. So simple to prepare and enjoy!

Beach Burrito featured on a tortilla chip. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 3 cans of any flavor beans (I always use black beans, and mix it up with either pinto, small white, kidney or whatever)
• Italian dressing

Optional ingredients:

• green chiles
• corn
• tomatoes
• olives
• onions
• seriously, whatever you want in your bean salad 

Other items needed for eating at the beach:

• sturdy paper plate or plastic plate
• slotted spoon
• a bunch of paper towels
• tortillas and/or tortilla chips

Prepare:

1. Open cans of beans, drain and rinse in cold water.  
2. Place beans in plastic bowl with lid that seals well. Add any additional ingredients you choose.
3. Dump a bunch of Italian dressing on it. Enough to coat but not have them swimming.
4. Place lid on bowl. Shake, rotate and do a dance in your kitchen while holding the bowl; this ensures the dressing gets spread throughout (much more fun than a traditional spoon).
5. Place in your beach bag along with a slotted spoon, one sturdy paper or plastic plate, and a handful of paper towels. (last items place in a large ziplock baggie together. You won't want them to get sandy or get your bag greasy with dressing when you're at the beach.

How to eat at the beach:

1.  Place one tortilla on the plate. Spoon some of your bean salad onto it, roll it up and pass it out to your family. Repeat until everyone is served. 
2. Immediately put all items away in plastic bag to avoid the sand.
3. If your tortilla is rolled tight enough you shouldn't drip too much. Do not hold over your lap in case of drips, but that is why you bring paper towels, just in case.
4. Or open that bag of tortilla chips and get dippin'. 
5. When you get home throw your extra in the fridge until your next beach adventure. Feel free to add more beans and/or dressing to it before you head out again. 

The end. See I told you it was easy and super good! My kids pick this over pb&j at the beach. It is way more filling too.

*note: the bean salad itself with just beans and dressing is fine out of the fridge for your full day. If you have extra refrigerate it until your next adventure. If you add any of the optional ingredients you are compromising the life of the bean salad somewhat. None of the ones I listed will get you in trouble that day. But you will want to finish your beach burritos within a week. 

Happy Summer!

Pantry Living Week 1

Week 1 is over and life is good.

Pantry after week 1

1. Cereal at start was 44 boxes of unopened cereal.
2. After week 1 is 39 boxes of unopened cereal
3. I've already opened new jars of jam, mayo, and a new bag of flour. 
4. The only purchases made this week were fresh blueberries, 4 gallons of milk and bananas. 
5. We celebrated our daughter's dance recital and went out for ice cream, but its ok cause I used cash. 
6. My cash stash for the summer is about $400. But the Lord continues to bless me and I've had some recent sewing projects that will add to that. *note: No ATM trips allowed.
7.  The "Pasta Fairy" came to our house and left us about 15 boxes of pasta on our porch. Thank you, "Pasta Fairy"! 
8. Only concerns, not sure if we have sufficient peanut butter for the summer and I never bought pepperoni. Oh well. We'll make it work! 

Happy Summer!