Every January, we do a Pantry Challenge, so here's where I will record what we eat every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Keeps me honest. :)
Sunday, Jan. 27
Breakfast: hubs went out, ds ate cheesy hashbrowns, and I had pancakes a la FishMama with blueberries.
Lunch: leftover hamburgers and hotdogs, with baked beans and twice baked potatoes
Dinner: snacky... leftovers from lunch, or tiropeta that I threw in the oven (from the freezer) and a salad
Saturday, Jan. 26
I am ready to be done.
My family is ready to be done.
We press on.
Breakfast: Cheese grits, sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheesy hashbrowns for all. We had a big day ahead of us.
Lunch: Thinking ds had bowling today, he & I headed off to the bowling alley, only to discover that youth bowling was canceled today because of a tournament. So we came back to the house and began working on THE HISTORY FAIR PROJECT. Hubs made a run to a local place we like and got all kind of healthy foods like chicken tenders, fries, onion rings, fried green tomatoes & fried mushrooms. Yes. And it was yummy.
Dinner: we really just snacked... the history fair project occupied all of us and we ate leftovers from lunch as we worked.
Friday, Jan. 25
Breakfast: usual for hubs, ds chose not to eat because his stomach was upset, I ate turkey on crackers.
Lunch: lunchboxes - hubs had a wrap, ds had tossed salad w/croutons & hm ranch dressing, crackers w/pepperoni and cheese, choc chip cookie
Dinner: two kinds of frozen pizza - pepperoni and 'white' pizza.
Thursday, Jan. 24
Breakfast: the usual for everyone
Lunch: lunchboxes - leftover pizza from the opera dinner last night. Easy peasy.
Dinner: breakfast for dinner. Yummy and easy. Eggs, sausage patties cooked in the oven, cheese grits, biscuits. Intended to add blueberries, but forgot.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
Breakfast: Hubs decided to take ds out to breakfast this morning, as a reward for some hard work he's been doing in Scouts. He actually went to get ds's requested breakfast, and brought it back to the house, and they chatted while they ate their man-food. :)
Lunch: lunchbox usuals! Same as yesterday.
Dinner: I took 25 girls to see the opera, and we had pizza at school. The guys went out for Chinese (which I don't like, so it was a special treat for them). The girls had a blast at "The Barber of Seville". Fun night!
Tuesday, Jan. 22
Back to work today.
I'm still out of my classroom, but hopeful we'll make progress toward new carpet this week.
Breakfast: everyone's usual, though I can tell ds is beginning to get bored with his breakfast. I'm gonna have to get to work on this.
Lunch: lunchboxes. Mac'n'cheese in ds#3's thermos, salami & cheese sandwich for hubs, and an apple for me - whenever I take lunch, I never get to eat it.
Dinner: Ds had an ortho appointment, so hubs took off early to take him. They came home and started the grill, and grilled burgers and hot dogs. We had curly fries and homemade onion rings to go with them before we headed out to Scouts.
Monday, Jan. 21
Breakfast: the usual for everyone
Lunch: just hubs & I at home for lunch, and we had all sorts of leftovers. Easy and Mom was happy. :)
Dinner: Ds was home for dinner, wiped out from Boy Scout camp, and ready for some food. We had Pasta Fagioli soup, in which I used roasted tomatoes from our summer garden that had been frozen. I should have pureed the tomatoes before adding them to the soup - the chunkiness was a bit much for my guys. I served it with whole wheat elbow macaroni, and the guys ate it. I have leftovers, which I may end up eating, but we were all fed for dinner.
Sunday, Jan. 20
Breakfast: Every Sunday at 6 am, Hubs has a standing appointment with a friend for breakfast. He's usually back before the household is moving. I had homemade whole wheat bread with cheese.
Lunch: Hubs suggested yesterday that we go out for lunch today after church. So we did. And it was disappointing. So when we got home, I suggested to hubs that we not go out to eat anymore unless it was a planned special event.
Dinner: I cooked stuffed peppers that were stuffed with chili earlier this week, and hubby's stomach was upset so I put them back in the fridge. Tonight, I scooped the filling out of the peppers, and made nachos. Big hit. Especially because hubs was lobbying for What-A-Burger instead. Any time I win over What-A-Burger, it's a success!!
Saturday, Jan. 19
Ds is gone all weekend on a Boy Scout campout (hope they stay warm!!!), so it's just dh & me. I'm hoping to use up some leftovers and get creative in my kitchen, but I also know that hubs will want to take advantage of going out to eat by ourselves. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to institute a weekly or bi-weekly date night now that ds is old enough to stay home by himself....
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| It was an absolutely gorgeous day today! |
Breakfast: Ds had cereal to go as he was hurrying to get to the departure for campout on time. Hubs ate when he got back - I made cheese grits, scrambled eggs, bacon, and english muffin. For myself, the usual yogurt topped with pecans & cranberries.
Lunch: I was holding my breath, hoping hubby would not suggest lunch out. I have to walk a fine line - if he's feeling deprived during such a challenge, he wants to eat out more.
It's a balancing act. Lucky for me, he just wanted a chicken salad sandwich. :) I snacked on crackers with turkey, then headed out to the store.
I went to our local organic co-op for some items not available anywhere else: wheat berries (to grind into flour). I also got organic puffed rice cereal as an experiment, and organic blueberries. We've got blossoms on our bushes, but they won't be ready until the summer.
Then I went to a 'regular' grocery store for a great price on chuck roast, and picked up some molasses, cheese, and a couple of other items at hubby's request. Gotta keep my man happy.
Later, I ran out again - taking advantage of an amazing sale, while picking up items I knew we'd need for the week. Balancing act.
Dinner: YEA for repurposing leftovers! I took the last of the leftover brisket, sauteed some mushrooms, and made a pan gravy to serve over whole wheat egg noodles for my darling husband. He loved it. Perfect! For myself, I sauteed some spinach, added in some cooked chicken, a little cheese, and poured it all over a baked potato. It was yummy.
Friday, Jan. 18
It has been a crazy week.
My classroom is the foyer of our school gym, because my classroom still smells of cat and extremely strong chemicals. (A cat got into my classroom before Christmas break, and the school district is STILL working to get the smell out. I see new carpet in my future.)
Breakfast: eggs, bacon & english muffin for hubs (his usual as of late), cereal for ds, and a couple crackers for me. I didn't plan well, and have to wait an hour after taking meds before I can eat anything, therefore, crackers as we ran out the door.
Lunch: lunchboxes. chicken salad sandwich for hubs, with cottage cheese & mixed berries. Tossed salad w/homemade croutons & homemade ranch with half a turkey & cheese sandwich, and Ellie Krieger's triple chocolate cookie for ds. A little chicken salad with some (more) crackers for me. That's all I had time for.
Dinner: I had planned pasta fagioli - had it thawed in the fridge - all that was needed was to reheat and add pasta. Ds had to load equipment for a Boy Scout campout this weekend, which turned into a late outing, which led my husband to say, "Let's eat at this place on the way home." I reminded him I had soup, but he was insistent, so we stopped. He regretted it. Sigh.....eating out is the bane of my pantry challenge.
Thursday, Jan. 17
What a day. I am so glad it's over - it was CRAZY at school today.
Breakfast: the usual for hubs & ds, but I only ate a couple of crackers as we ran out the door
Lunch: lunchboxes again - chicken salad sandwiches for hubs, tossed salad & half a sub sandwich for ds, and salad for me... but again, I did not get to eat. Sigh.
Dinner: leftovers, and yummy ones at that! Ham slices and potato gratins along with tossed salad. Yesssss. Making Ellie Krieger's triple chocolate cookies for a treat!
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Breakfast: the usual for everyone (cereal for ds)
Lunch: lunchboxes all around (I brought my lunchbox but forgot my salad, so I had no lunch again!)
Dinner: Ham slices frozen at Christmas when we had an enormous ham, 5 minute potato gratins from Melissa d'Arabian, collards (frozen from our garden), and tossed salads. Delish!
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Breakfast: we got a freebie from BzzAgent - Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal. So we all decided to try it! Hubs declared it was too sweet for him; ds loved it immediately, and I sprinkled it on top of my morning yogurt, which is a little tart anyway, so the little sweetness was fine. I prefer my standard nuts & berries. :)
Lunch: Lunchboxes for all - chili in a thermos for ds, lunchmeat & cheese for hubs, and I packed a salad for myself, although I did not get to eat it.
Dinner: We came home exhausted. Hubs decided we should go to our fave Mexican spot. So we did.
Monday, Jan. 14
Breakfast: cheese grits for hubs whose stomach was a little upset, hashbrown casserole for ds, yogurt w/pecans & cranberries for me
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| Greek yogurt w/pecans and dried cranberries. YUM! |
Lunch: lunchboxes - sandwiches, slice of cake from home, fruit
Dinner: Hubs still had a slightly upset stomach. Instead of the plan, he opted for leftover brisket from Sunday. Ds & I had chili, and ds requested the leftovers for his lunch
Sunday, Jan. 13
This morning, I put a brisket in the crockpot. I wasn't really in the mood for brisket, but it was the plan, and I couldn't come up with anything else. So in it went.
Then I turned the bread machine on to make dough for a loaf of bread. Mmmmm.
Breakfast: Hubs went out w/a friend (they meet about 6am...and I am fine with not making breakfast at 6 AM!!!!). I had yogurt w/cranberries & pecans, and ds had hashbrown casserole.
Lunch: Hubs had an upset stomach, so he ate an apple and that was it. Ds decided he wanted peanut butter on the fresh loaf of bread, and I had about a cup of leftover chili. Which was plenty.
Dinner: The brisket. Hubs ate it with the veggies & jus, and ds & I had a baked potato topped with the meat & veg and a sprinkling of cheese. It was filling and yummy. And we have leftovers for another night this week.
Dessert: I had a cake mix in the pantry from a BOGO sale (I do not usually buy those things) but I wanted to make it a little healthier... so I did some hunting and found a Sneaky Chef recipe for a Quick Fix for Boxed Cake Mix. I added in a puree of blueberries & spinach, sprinkled in a handful of chocolate chips, and baked it up - cannot taste any difference and I don't feel so bad about giving it to my guys! (Sans icing)
Saturday, Jan. 12
There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. WOO HOO!!!!
Breakfast: I made a big breakfast for hubs. Grapefruit sections (from our tree), scrambled eggs & bacon, cheese grits. We were out of yogurt, so I had some homemade oatmeal with craisins & dried apricot. Ds opted not to eat.
Lunch: The guys were bowling, so they had lunch out. I had the last slice of pizza from last night, and an apple with peanut butter.
Dinner: in the crockpot, making the house smell yummy (so good to be cooking in my own kitchen!!!). Sticky chicken (chicken breasts on sale for .99/lb), mashed potatoes, maybe some sauteed spinach, and we're tried 'fried' green beans (the beans are from our crazy bumper harvest).
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Homemade mac'n'cheese instead of spinach.
Chicken, green bean 'fries' and homemade cornbread. |
Friday, Jan. 11
Day Three on the road, and I'm ready to get home. I've decided to drive home after my last workshop today.
Breakfast: I really wanted a healthier option than what I found yesterday, so I hunted and found a vending machine that had granola bars. I spent $.85 on a crunchy granola bar - not the kind dipped in chocolate. Much better choice. By the way, I brought plenty of water from home, so that's been a money-saver. Guys had a biscuit out.
Lunch: bought a turkey & cheese wrap before a late-afternoon session. Guys had their lunchboxes.
Dinner: I did not eat until I got home, because I really wanted to get there!!! My guys at leftovers at the house (the last of the spaghetti for hubs and frozen pizza for ds), and I had some pizza when I got home too.
Thursday, Jan. 10
Out of my element. Staying at my sweet ds#2's apartment (also known as Airman Son) and he has one mirror.
It's the size of a piece of notebook paper.
And the outlet for my hairdryer is too far away to style my hair in front of the mirror.
It's gonna be interesting.
Breakfast: yogurt w/cranberries & pecans for me. I also bought a chocolate muffin at the conference - bad decision that I regretted. Guys ate breakfast as usual at home.
Lunch: bought a sub sandwich, chips, and drink at the grocery store by the convention. More than I wanted to spend, but a decent option when it came to choosing something healthy. Guys had their lunchboxes.
Dinner: ate tortilla chips & hummus at son's apt, with a salad I made & brought from home. I'm so proud of my guys - they ate leftovers from the fridge & didn't go out!
Wednesday, Jan. 9
Mom's traveling today. I made a salad, a wrap, and yogurt to bring with me on the trip, to limit spending on food. Also brought lots of water!
Breakfast: grapefruit, eggs, bacon & rye toast for hubs; hashbrown casserole for ds; on the road yogurt for me.
Lunch: lunchboxes - salami & cheese sandwich, peanut butter cookies, apple for hubs; mac'n'cheese in a thermos, homemade 'larabars' & milk for ds; on the road for me
Dinner: ate at my son's apt which is where I'm staying while I'm out of town. My guys went out to dinner :)
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Students are back at school today!
Breakfast: standard breakfast for everybody :)
Lunch: Lunchboxes - sub sandwich, homemade cheesy crackers, mini-pumpkin muffin, and "larabar" balls for ds; salami & cheese sandwich, peanut butter cookies & apple for hubs; no lunch for me (no time!)
Dinner: Leftover chili. YUM!
Monday, Jan. 7
Back to work today. Learned a few things I need to tweak in order to make my new habits stick.
Breakfast: eggs & sausage for dh, yogurt w/craisins & pecans for me (after my morning treadmill), and hashbrown casserole for ds
Lunch: hubs & I went out to lunch for one last hurrah before students are back at school and we have 20 minutes to inhale something. Ds picked at various food items at home.
Dinner: Had planned to do leftovers w/ chili, but just didn't feel like it. Had breakfast for dinner instead~ eggs, sausage, biscuits, grits, grapefruit. Not so great on fruits & veg for dinner but hubs & I both had large salads for lunch, so it evens out.
In preparation to go out of town, I had to get some prescriptions filled...which, of course, took forever. Then I ran to the grocery store for milk and bread for hubs' lunchtime sandwich. I resisted the urge to grab something sweet at the grocery store, so I came home and made peanut butter cookies for lunches - cheaper and a little healthier.
Sunday, Jan. 6
Breakfast: Everyone had their usual, with the addition of a few apple pie donut holes for ds on the way to church
Lunch: Pioneer Woman's chili. A family fave with tons of veg hidden in there. In the crockpot, ready to eat when we came home from church. Before we were out of the church parking lot, hubs said, "Do we want to go out for lunch?" I quickly responded, "I have chili in the crockpot." See what I'm up against?? :)
Dinner: Hubs requested pizza, and I grinned and said, "From the freezer??" He replied, "Whaddaya got in there?" YEA! I win! :) Supreme pizza bought for $3. Much cheaper than Pizza Hut!
Saturday, Jan. 5
Breakfast: miscellaneous - eggs, hashbrown casserole, etc. Because there are just 3 of us, it's easy for each to eat his own. When the big boys were at home, everybody ate the same thing!
Lunch: various. I heated up 3 tiropeta from the freezer, and hubs & ds ate them. Then hubs had 2 slices of pumpernickel bread fresh from the oven, with cream cheese on top, and called it lunch. I made myself a great salad with diced green apple, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds on a bed of romaine and spinach. YUM! Ds had the last piece of potato torte from Wednesday.
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| what's left of those steaks |
Dinner: The infamous steaks that hubs had to buy on Wednesday. We had baked potatoes and caesar salad to go alongside.
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| perfect for a treat or those nights when we have breakfast for dinner |
Snack: An experiment in my new cake pop maker - apple pie donut holes! Just a simple batter with shredded apple, tossed in cinnamon sugar when they're warm. A hit with everyone, and a way to get some fruit into my picky boy.
Friday, Jan. 4
Breakfast: hubs went out w/our pastor, I had yogurt w/cranberries & pecans, ds did not have anything because he slept so late!!
Lunch: miscellaneous leftovers for everyone - ds had leftover mac'n'cheese, I had leftover taco salad, dh had a sandwich
Dinner: I had teriyaki chicken planned, but hubs asked me if we could do spaghetti instead. So... we did. I actually had it planned for later this month, so not too much damage.
Thursday, Jan. 3
Breakfast: for hubs - omelet w/bell pepper, mushrooms, ham & cheese, cheese grits; for me - yogurt w/dried cranberries & pecans; for ds - cheesy hashbrown casserole (homemade)
Lunch: We were going to work in my classroom moving some furniture (L-O-N-G story...) but when we got there, we could not, so hubs took us to lunch at our fave Mexican restaurant.
Dinner: Leftovers from lunch for ds (quesadilla, Mexican rice), for dh & me, taco salads w/ leftover refried beans from lunch.
Disappointed about our lunch out, but overall, a good day for the challenge. Also made Pasta Fagioli soup to freeze (sans pasta) along with peanut butter cookies and Ellie Krieger's triple chocolate cookies for snacks, all ingredients on hand.
Wednesday, Jan. 2
Well, I had to go to the grocery store today, which I knew would happen, because ds#3 drank the last of the milk last night.
Hubs wanted to come with me.
Which is always a bad idea.
I went for a few items, and came home with STEAKS.
Not exactly 'Pantry Challenge' food....
Oh well.
Breakfast: out for hubs, out for ds, cheese toast for me
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| Two zucchini, one carrot, one potato. YUMMINESS! |
Lunch: I tried something new - I had some zucchini that was giving up the ghost, so I had to use it or lose it. I tried these
veggie pancakes and they were a hit! Ds#3 and I had a bbq chicken sandwich (using chicken from last week) and hubs had ham, collards and cornbread. Hubs and I both had blackeyed peas from yesterday as well.
Dinner: Melissa D'Arabian's potato torte. YUM! Big tossed salads to go with.
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| I did not put a top crust on it, subbed ham from yesterday instead of bacon, and used sharp cheddar instead of gruyere. Delish! |
Tuesday, Jan. 1
Breakfast: omelet w/ham, mushrooms & cheese for hubs, grilled cheese sandwich for me, cheese & crackers for ds#3 (an hour before lunch!!!)
Lunch: our big meal today - ham (portioned and frozen from Christmas), homemade mac'n'cheese with some frozen butternut squash thrown in for a little nutrition, collard greens from this summer's garden, blackeyed peas also from the summer garden, homemade corn bread, pecan pie for dessert.
Dinner: leftover lasagna, rolls, and whatever odds and ends the family wanted from lunch.
