Day 6; Pancakes, Pancakes!

This morning, I made some great pancakes with the fresh, organic blueberries my mom got us at the Covington Farmers Market on Saturday. I had to run out and get some syrup, but it was worth the trip.

Wayne decided to break the rules and buy marked down chicken sausages at Winn Dixie. They were a really good deal, but he broke the rules. Dang men,

Leftovers for dinner; Chicken Taco Stew.

Eliminated;
pancake mix, baking supplies, tortilla chips

Day 5; Two Meals in One Day!

After a looong night with insomnia baby, we were all worn out and in the mood for a good breakfast. I diced 1 link of Richard's hot smoked sausage (pack of 3; rest is in the fridge for beans next week) and stir fried it with onions and peppers. I added 1/2 a bag of frozen southern-style hash browns to that. With a side of grits, it was a filling breakfast!




I tossed all the ingredients for Chicken Taco Stew into the Crock Pot so we have a no-fuss dinner rolling. I have tortilla chips in the pantry that will be great with it. It's so easy too! I REALLY love my Pampered Chef Can Opener. It was worth every penny! And it has a great warranty, which is great since we seem to constantly break our can openers.

Eliminated:
1/3 pack smoked sausage, 1/2 pack frozen potatoes, grits, 1/4 bag frozen chicken tenders, 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can rotel, 1 packet taco seasoning.

Day 4: Blah. With a Brag!

We scrounged lunch and cheated for dinner. To be honest, it was an hour after dinner time, we had just finished our errands and the boys were starving. However, I have to brag that we spent half what we normally do at the store today! I got some produce, turkey (for Daniel), milk, eggs, cheese (we were running out). I got two boxes of broth, but I was thrifty and grabbed the store brand.

I have a few meal ideas planned for the weekend.

Day 3; Planning Ahead for a Leftover Makeover

Today's dinner is Turkey Cutlets and Cornbread stuffing.

I always catch the best deals of nice, expensive cuts of meat at Winn-Dixie. I have gotten the fancy, organic chicken sausage for $2 or so (reg. $7) and I always get a great deal on turkey. Their loss is my gain! I have had some turkey cutlets hanging out in the freezer for a loooong time. I got them for a $1.50; SCORE!

Last night, I made extra cornbread (note to self; Martha White white cornbread mix sucks. In a hurry, I grabbed it instead of self-rising cornmeal. Since this IS a challenge, I will deal.) I let it cool and set it aside for tonight.

Dressing:
8 cups crumbled cornbread
1 small white onion, chopped
3 stalks celery
2 green onions, sliced
2 egg
3 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 1/2 c. hot water (normally, I would use broth, but since I had none, improvise...)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp. butter
salt, pepper, hot sauce, thyme and parsley

I I sauteed the onions and celery til soft in the butter, poured that right into the cornbread crumbs. Added the other ingredients, only using enough broth to have the "right" consistency. Popped it into the oven at 375.

In the skillet, I added another Tbsp of butter and a drizzle of oil. I sauteed the turkey til brown and placed them on top of the dressing. It baked for about 45 mins total, while I made some pan gravy in the skillet. I served the turkey and dressing topped with gravy and with a side of peas.

Eliminated;
sucky cornbread mix, turkey cutlets, the last of the celery, cream of chicken soup












Baby Logan approves of this supper!

Day 2; Use those Leftovers!!! (And plan ahead!)

We had about a serving and a half (meal-size servings) of beans left after last night. I debated freezing them or having them for lunch. But I decided to use them as a side dish over some freshly made rice. I thawed some pork chops, sauteed them and baked in the oven til done. I also made a big skillet of southern style corn bread to go with it.

Today I eliminated;
1/2 bowl of soup (my lunch, other 1/2 tomorrow), rice, pork chops, cornmeal and staples.

I made extra cornbread for tomorrow's planned meal; turkey cutlets and stuffing!

21 Day Pantry/Freezer Challenge; Day 1

First, what inspired this? We have had a LOT of expenses lately; the new dog's supplies, 2 trips, Daniel will be starting school soon, etc. Second, I am a stocker. I buy way too much on sale and forget what I have. We toss out a good bit of food and for the past few weeks, we have been relying on take-out more and more. We need a way to save money and a plan to make use of what we have.

My Rules:
I can buy fresh produce as needed and as planned for (ie. no wasting.)
I can buy bread, milk, eggs and cheese when we run out.
I can replenish staples as needed, but after they are all gone.
I can buy the foods that Daniel eats. (With Daniel's sensory issues, he can be picky. So I have to make sure I have things he likes to eat on hand. He also goes on food jags and will eat the same thing all week. I indulge; at least he is eating.)

I can not buy extra cause it's on sale.
I will not buy meat.

The first step was cleaning out and organizing my pantry. I have to be able to see what's there, ya know. I was able to get rid of any spoiled items and make everything else neat and easy to access. See? I even got all OCD and made the labels face front.


I also cleaned out the fridge, freezer, deep freezer and spice cabinets. After counting, I realized that we should have enough meat on hand for 24 days if I
s-t-r-e-t-c-h a few things and get creative. So, here we go!







Day One; White Beans with Ham and Turkey Sausage
(Eliminated one lb white beans, 1/2 pack of ham, 2 leftover links sausage, leftover onions and peppers from weekend!)
I have my white beans recipe posted in my blog if anyone is interested. Beans are easy, cheap and Logan loves them. I will make rice and maybe some cornbread to go with them.

Crock Pot Chicken Creole

Why do I only blog when asked for recipes???

Today I made a big double batch of chicken creole. I am trying to use the Crock Pot as much as I can this summer; our house gets warm if I turn on the stove or oven. Several people asked for a "recipe". I didn't measure, but here is a good guess. I have made creole before, but this was by far the best ever.

2 onions, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Saute all that in a good drizzle of olive oil til soft. Dump that into the Crock.

Melt 3 Tbsps of butter in skillet with a Tbsp or 2 of olive oil. Add;

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts

1 lb. boneless, skinless thighs

Let them brown a good bit, shaking the pan a few times. Season with salt, pepper and Tony's. Flip and brown both sides, letting them get colorful. Fish those out of the pan and toss in the Crock. Keep the butter and oil, that is the base for your gravy.

Add about 1/4 c. of flour to the "chicken grease". Stir it to make a roux, scrapping up the "bits" from the bottom of the pan, cooking it til it darkens. Slowly add 1 c. of water or broth, blead til smooth and thick. when that bubbles, add 2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained. Whisk til thick. You want it to be a good, thick gravy. As the stew cooks, the juices will thin it out.

Pour that into the Crock Pot, mix it all together. Season with more pepper, lots of hot sauce, some thyme. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high 5-6.