Organized Home Week # 3: Pantry

I have been working on maintaining and thinking through the first two weeks of this challenge.  We are spending a few weeks in the kitchen which is a great thing!  The first week was counter tops.  That is hard right now with bottles and this and that on the counters.  So, my goal is to get it under control first and make it suitable for what it is doing right now.  In about a year I can reevaluate that again.  My cabinets and drawers for the second week are another thing.  I am trying to figure out what needs to take a hike and what really needs to stay.  I am on a purging binge right now so I should probably take advantage of that because I am such a just in case kind of person.

However, this week we focused on the pantry or food storage areas in our homes.  YES!  Mine was desperately needing a good makeover.  Stock-up overloads and just not thinking about putting thing away made for one big MESS.  One of those pantries where things just randomly fall when you move something.  Yes.  It was that bad.  I went through everything and put it where it belong and grouped things.  Tossed out spices galore.  Found a few food items that we will not eat before expiration dates and hopefully a couple of families I know will be able to make use of them.

Here's where I get vulnerable.  Before (UGH!) and after pictures of the pantry.

Shelf 1: I have to heel some pans and cutting boards here.  Not my favorite but it works.  The very top of the stacker needs some more love as that is where my cake decorating and cookie cutters are.  I have some containers that I will use up there and will hopefully have room for another box of cutters that I have up there.  That would be great!  Creating more room in other spaces and getting everything together!

Shelf 2:  The spice shelf.  Kill me.  Seriously, I think that I had some spices that were well over 10 maybe 15 years old.  Yes, really.  They are gone now.  There are some that still may be a little too old but we will roll with it.  Gone is the full bottle of Lemon Pepper that I have been toting around all these years.  You know, just in case.  I am going to look into acquiring some air tight containers and start buying spices in bulk unless I use it often enough to buy a jar, etc.  Over time the containers will all look the same and there will be less waste.  I may even remove the spice stacker that I have in here that causes a stadium effect here.  I think about a Lazy Susan but wonder if I will lose space?

Shelf 3:  This is where I keep most of my baking items and a coupe of random things.  I invested in some Tupperware awhile back and here it is.  I had some wasted shelf space and opted to make the most of it by putting some extra items that are completely sealed in the back of the containers (two bags of powdered sugar, and bisquick) and that helped some.  I can see it back there, too.  No worries of it being forgotten.  When I took the pictures I forgot two things on top of the containers that go on the spice shelf... oh well.

Shelf 4:  Drinks, grains, and canned items.  Not much here.  I took the bags of open rice, beans, and lentils and put them in an air tight container and the closed ones are out.  I need to move a bag of pasta back up to the top shelf but that's not a big deal.

Shelf 5:  Storage stuff, dry goods, baby food, and some miscellany.  Pretty simple and I finally can see it all!

Shelf 6 (the floor):  What a horrid mess, right?  Now it is clean and somewhat organized.  The bummer side is realizing we only have one bottle of Powdrell's BBQ sauce left.  Oh well.  We don't go through it too fast. We have time to restock.

Well, there it is!  My pantry is also where I keep my family calendar, some Scripture to encourage, and I think this is also where I will figure out a way to display my pantry inventory.

Inventory.  I had hoped to get to that today but a nap took precedence for sure.  So, maybe tomorrow.  I have the rest of the week to get that completed.

Do you have pantry tips or suggestions?

Freezer Meals: Update

UGH!  I am not making it through this list as fast as I would like to at this point.  The only thing I crossed off this month was Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti.  However, I can add that I randomly made a tator-tot casserole and doubled the recipe.  So, I froze half.  Also, my very sweet, kind, and oh-so-gracious mother-in-law made two meals for me.  I'll add those meals (and cross them off because it's fun) so I will have a running list.


I think I need to sit down and look at the budget with Husband to see if we can extend the budget a bit so I can make these extra meals while still feeding us.  I had been doing pretty well with that but it seems like all of a sudden the prices went up in stores and the good sales came to a grinding halt.  I anticipate some good sales on certain items with the holidays coming up so we will flex when that time comes.


Also, a sweet blessing in timing is that Zaycon Foods will be offering their yummy chicken to all lower 48 states soon at $1.49/lb.  We'll probably get two units this time around.  If you are interested in using my referral link please let me know.  :)  Can't beat that price these days!  It will be a good stock up item for us and as my husband says, "I like meat!"  He's been good in enduring my "meatless" meals from time to time but he likes to remind me that he is an omnivore with more carnivorous tendencies!  Anyway, once we get the chicken I think I will be able to cross things off a bit more quickly with the purchase of a few simple items.  YAY!!


Of course, I am always finding more recipes that I want to try... never enough time :)


Tator Tot Casserole x 1
Mom C's Meatloaf x1
Stuffed Peppers x 1
Husband's Lasagna x 2
Italian Stuffed Meatloaf x 2
My Chile x 2
Veggie Chile x 3
Ren's Chocolate Muffins x 2 (has good stuff like pumpkin, flax, etc -- it's not ALL sugar)
Chicken Pot Pie x 2
Fiesta Chicken x 2
Fiesta Chicken (Green Version) x 2
Spaghetti Sauce x 3 or 4
Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese x 2
Green Chile Enchiladas x 3 (or more at the request of Husband)
Spaghetti Pizza x 2
Turkey & Vegetable Meatloaf x 2
Meatballs (not sure how many yet)
Brown Bag Burritos x 1 (makes 20-ish)
Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman) x 2
Pulled Pork x 1 (more if meat comes on sale again)
Breakfast Burritos x 1 (will probably make more - cranks out about 16)
Chicken & Rice (Quinoa) Burritos x 1 (makes about 8?)
Baked Ziti x 2
BBQ Beef & Bean Corn Bread Casserole x 2
Bacon, Egg, Cheese Biscuit Cups x 1
Ham & Cheese Pockets x 1
Sausage Biscuits x 1
Twice Cooked Mashed Potatoes x 2
Cranberry Chicken x 2
Broccoli & Cheddar Soup x 2
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken x 2
Lactation Cookies x LOTS!

Spices

Confession time.

I have some OLD spice in my spice rack.  I think I have a hard time with "wasting" them and throwing them away.

Sigh.

The reality is the fact that they are old is a waste and does nothing to help me in seasoning my food with tasteless herbs.  Ultimately, my "no waste" mantra is a waste.  A waste of time and energy to make my food taste good!

I need to go through my stash and toss what I know is waaaaayyyy old -- as in I brought this into our marriage almost five years ago and I am pretty sure I had it for quite some time before that!

I found Still Tasty as a helpful resource.  It addresses all sorts of issues on shelf life including how to and how long to keep spices among other things.

I have a spice rack like the one that is pictured above.  I think that I am going to get rid of it.  While I like that I have a few spices near my stove the heat compromises the integrity of the spices and it takes up room that I could use other wise.  While I love the family that gave it to us for our wedding I found that it's not something that really fits how I want the flow of things anymore.  I think that's okay and sentiment should not hold me in bondage!  HA HA HA!!

I read that the light can compromise spices, too.  So, I like that they will all live in my pantry.  I will need to restock some basic spices.  I have looked around to see what different places suggest as a "basic" spice to have in any spice rack.  I have my own thoughts based on what we use the most.

What are your basic spice rack must haves???

Menu Plan Wednesday

Well, part of getting back into a routine is starting to plan meals again.  It's still a bit of a challenge as some things sounds really good to me and then other things sound super horrible.  Or they require more time in the kitchen than I care to spend right now because I am tired by that time of day.  Also, I haven't had morning sickness but rather afternoon sickness -- which has its own set of pros and cons.  Either way, I have a husband and children that need to eat.  I guess I should probably eat, too.  HA!  So, needless to say this is all very tentative.

Fish Tacos
Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage (a new recipe we are trying)
Baked Spaghetti
40 Clove Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes
Chicken with pasta salad
Minestrone Soup
Chicken with Bulgar & Spinach

We will be spending one evening with friends so that will be fun!  I know I have put the 40 clove (garlic) Chicken on here several times before.  Honestly, it turned into my back up meal.  I have yet to make it!  I kind of put it off because I couldn't find the exact recipe I was looking for.  A friend made it for as a "welcome baby" meal and I had misplaced her recipe.  But found it!  I can hardly wait.  However, I will need Husband to help me deal with the whole chicken, though.

Yes, I know it's the middle of summer and I have planned minestrone soup.  I pulled out the recipe and it just sounded good.  It's kind of a big deal since vegetables have kind of been eradicated from our menu the last month or so because I cannot stand the smell of cooked veggies right now (an aversion that I also had while pregnant with Miss A.)  It's probably time for a good dose of veggies all around.  Not to say that we haven't had raw veggies.  ha ha!!

Chicken Stock

Needless to say, there are many things that some women who are expecting do not want to talk about or think about early on.  For me, one of those things really anything having to do with a whole chicken.  Then I realized that cooking that left savory smells in my house for too long was a recipe for a gag fest.  As you can see, cooking of much really did a number on my sense of smell (which is on bloodhound level) and ultimately my stomach.  However, I am glad to say that I think we are on the up and up in that area.  But there are some things that I am not really ready to return to making and unfortunately one of those things is chicken stock.

I have learned to love making my own chicken stock.  I made my first batch about a year or so ago and I think I used too much water.  It still turned out well but not as rich as I have heard from others.  Then I   ccsw1ry with leaves, etc.  However, a friend recommended to me about putting in almost withered veggies in there, too.  Like spinach or anything else that I can find in my produce bin.  However, if I know that it's going to be awhile before I make stock I will throw my veggie extras in a ziploc bag and freeze them until I am ready.  Easy-peasy.

So, I throw my chicken/turkey carcass in the crock pot, cover with veggies, add some garlic and pepper to season, a bay leaf, and enough water to cover the carcass (about 6 to 8 cups depending on the size of your crock pot.)  I turn my pot on low and set the timer for 12 hours.  Generally, I just let it go over night and we are good to go in the morning.

While Squawkfox recommends putting the stock in the fridge after straining to let the fat coagulate, my mother-in-law has a handy little tool called a fat separator.  I don't know HOW it works but I do KNOW that it gets the job done.  If you don't want to wait the eight hours for the fat to separate this will make quick work of the task for you.

For storage, I pour my chicken stock into ice cube trays and once they are frozen I pop them out and put them in a ziploc storage bag.  The cubes equal about 1 oz of liquid.  Maybe a little less.  So, when I need them I put some in a microwaveable measuring cup and melt them.  You can use a pot and stove just as easy, too.  Whatever your preference.

If for some reason you will not be able to pop your cubes out for awhile wrap them up in plastic wrap to keep them from "drying" out.  Trust me, it can and will happen.  ha!

There are other storage options but this is my preferred method so I can generally just grab what I need for easy use.

Sometimes I don't even want to think about making stock after making a meal and dealing with cleaning a chicken.  I just throw the carcass in a ziploc or other freezer safe container and freeze it until I am ready to make stock.  It just takes the pressure off to prepare the meal and then get everything together for stock.

Hopefully, I will be up for making stock again soon.  But I may stick my pot outside so as to avoid the smell in my house.  It's a good smell in general.  It's just not a good smell to my pregnant frame at this time.  Such is life.

The crock pot method made a LOVELY stock rich in color and flavor.  I no longer find myself in a quandry needing stock at the last minute and I can flavor up just about anything by using it instead of water -- stuffing, rice, bulgar, quinoa, etc.  I look forward to making some soups this winter with it, too!  YUM!!  I also get a lot more bang for my buck.  My chicken is usually about $5 -- we will get a couple of meals out of it plus more stock than I could ever buy for $5.  Gotta LOVE the savings!!  (And you have to love the reduced salt, fat, and no MSG!)

Thoughts or tips on making stock???

Meal Plan for the Rest of the Week

Well, you may have noticed there has been an absence in my posts as of late.  Lots of stuff going on in life which will be shared at a later date.  We are all great, though.  In a last minute decision we decided to go to San Diego last week.  So, we left on Thursday and came back on Sunday.  It was a grand time and the girls did remarkably well.

I am trying to get back in the swing of things and hopefully back on track with the Homemakers Challenge.  Or I may just have to pick up where I am and plug along from there.  Laundry is piled high and other things need to be put away -- as well as the normal household maintenance.  You know, life after vacation.  ha ha ha!!

Anyways, here's what's on the menu for the rest of the week.

Pizza (when we returned from our trip)
Chicken with Edemame & Corn (had this tonight, it was pretty yummy -- needs some spice enhancements!)
Pork Fajitas (left over from the other week)
Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches w/ Sweet Potato Fries, Salad (sweet friends coming over!)
40 Clove Garlic Chicken

I am hoping to not have to go shopping this week except for maybe produce and other fresh items.  Or if things are on ULTRA sale (i.e. free or pretty darn near free).  We will see how it all goes.

Cereal Memories

Don't be a hater.

Hear me out.

When I saw that this particular sugar cereal was on sale -- and of course I had a corresponding coupon -- I tossed this box in my grocery cart.

I remember when I was maybe 10 or 12 on my grandparents farm this box being in my grandmother's pantry.  The pantry was set up in such a way that you could actually sit in there and have a bowl of cereal which I vaguely remembering my grandmother doing.  She was wearing an apron similar to the one mentioned in this post eating the pictured cereal.  I always thought it odd that my grandmother would eat this cereal from time to time considering she rarely ate anything that she didn't make herself.  Something about it must have piqued her interest to try it (as I would learn with a different food in college... )  Or maybe it was some guilty pleasure that I didn't know about.  One day, Grandma told me I could have whatever I wanted for some particular meal.  So, I sat in that same place and had a bowl of this cereal.  It was heaven.  I think because generally I didn't have sugar cereal at home.  My grandmother had the peanut butter version of this stuff and I recalled it was TOO sweet. (It's possible, believe me!)

When I sat down to have a bowl of cereal the other night (because cereal tastes better at night -- it's a proven fact) my husband kind of laughed at me and shook his head.  I took my first bite (I'm pretty sure I haven't had this cereal since that day on the farm) and smiled.  I looked at my husband and said, "It's the farm.  I can see it.  I can smell it.  I can taste it."  While completely not a good food option -- it was worth every penny of $1.50 I spent on it for the blissful enveloping of a warm spring day on the farm, and vibrant memories of a woman I loved.

On the flip side... they also make good bribe treats for Miss L to behave a little better in church.  ha ha!!

New memories.

Menu Plan Wednesday

Well, it's that time of week again.  I am looking at the sales and they aren't too bad.  There are some snack type things that I will try to get to help us get through an upcoming 12-hour-road-trip with two little ones.  We should be fine but food is always a good distraction... especially for parents!  ha ha!

For Mother's Day I think we will be bring in lunch with our families and then whatever happens to be left in our fridge this week will suffice for dinner.  Or we will bust out the quesadilla maker again.  The ham and cheese quseadillas last week were AWESOME.  I wanted to eat them for the next five days.  It's probably a good thing we ran out of tortillas!

Pizza
Pineapple Pork Kebabs
Pork/Ham "Fried" Rice
Sauted Chicken with corn & edamame
Pork Fajitas (We have had these often but they are easy and SO yummy!)
Chicken w/ Bulgar Pilaf (I may actually get some bulgar if I can find it in bulk, or I will sub quinoa)

There you have it!  What are some of your favorite recipes from this past week or coming up??

Meal Plan Wednesday

It seems like each week I sit here and say that things were moved this way and that and we have a meal or two to carry over for this week.  This week is no different.  That's okay!  It makes one less meal I need to plan for and it means that I am growing with the change in our schedules.  We are having dinner with friends tonight and I was thankful that I had th ingredients for a particular recipe on hand.  Ahh... the joys of stocking up sometimes.  Actually our menu reflects mostly things we have already in the house minus produce.  YES!  So, whatever I pick up at the stores this week will be for future use or it will be produce.  There are some fairly good deals on some produce and that should work in our favor this week.  YAY!  I remember days when I would never buy any produce.  Now I love to see my cart full of beautiful colors.  Love, love, love!

Anyway, here is what is on the menu this week:

Lentil Bake (a family favorite - I think I may even blend some of this up for Miss A to try this week)
Roasted Chicken with Veggies (this is the meal that always gets shuffled!)
Ham & Cheese Quesadillas with a few side salads (Probably for Sunday at our house)
Chicken Tacos (with leftover chicken or we will turn it to taco salad)
Baked Penne Gratin w/ Ham & Peas
Lentil Quiche
Fettuccine w/ Swiss Chard, Onions & Goat Cheese

Bon Appetite!

Menu Plan Wednesday

I have so many things to post that I have to keep reminders.  Recipes, etc.  But life keeps moving on here.  Maybe after night time clean up I will get a little caught up here.

I realized that I put the day that I "plan" to make said meal when I post them here.  I do that more for myself in case there is something going on that day, etc.  There may be an actual reason that it is on a particular day.  However, more often than not I switch my meals around.  Case in point, tonight.  I was going to make one meal and I realized that the marinade prep had not been done so we went to plan B which is working just fine.

Here's my plan for this week:

Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce with steamed veggies or a salad. (Or both)
Tacos (Chicken or Beef) -- Probably Saturday because it's fast and we are going to the zoo!
Spinach, Chicken (or Turkey), Feta Quiche - Crockpot meal
Baked Chicken w/ Green Chile Sauce (has tomatoes, beans) over quinoa topped with avocado. Salad.
Pork Fajitas (Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms)
Roasted Chicken with Veggies

I would normally have seven meals but we are celebrating a baptism on Sunday and will be with friends there.  So, lunch and dinner are a little up in the air - dinner will most likely be leftovers or something easy-peasy.

Dinner This Week

Well, I cranked it out this week and now I just need to gather the few coupons that I can use this week and we should be set.  Produce is what is really on sale here this week so we will work around that.

We had some things shuffle around this last week so I have a meal or two that are carrying over to this week.

Here you go!

Friday - Breakfast for Dinner (held over from last week)

Saturday - Corned Beef and Cabbage cooked in Guinness

Sunday - Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, Salad, Carrots, Celery, Ranch. (Not fans of Blue Cheese)

Monday - Chicken & Quinoa Burritos

Tuesday - Lentil Bake

Wednesday - Quinoa, Veggies, Tuna Toss

Thursday - Jamaican Pork & Roasted Vegetable 

My New Obsession

A couple of years ago (my friends will attest) my obsession was cloth diapers.  Loved cloth  Always wanted more or was trying to see what the next things coming out was.  We still use cloth from time to time, I love the diapers.  I am just not as freakishly-obsessed.  The industry is flooded and I am convinced they will continue to become more and more popular.  That's another post for another day.

While my husband didn't mind my cloth diaper obsession he wasn't a huge fan.  However, he is really starting to love my new obsession but loves to tease me just the same when I get really excited.

So, what is it already?


Coupons!

But coupons are just paper unless you can match them with really great deals.  Then they become money in your pocket.  I'll be sad when the "double-coupon" days disappear after awhile.  They always come back but shopping is just not as fun as when great sales and great coupons are in play.

I just returned from a coupon class here in Phoenix.  It was presented by Practical Saver for those of you here in Arizona.  But there are similar services available nation wide, like Coupon Sense.  Let me say that I was super opposed to using coupons because I never thought they made much of a difference.  When matched up with great sales they are budget altering!

One day I realized things needed to change.  I wasn't sure how it would change but I knew it needed to change.  Some months as I would sit down with Husband to go over finances I would realize I went over budget by $5.  No biggie, right?  But some months it would be $100 or more.  I would cry in apology and promise to get better at it.  Some months were great.  Some months I felt like I had made no progress and had actually regressed.  UGH!  I was convicted in this area of my home management.  I needed to be a better steward.  I talked with several more seasoned wives who were also mothers of quite a few more children than myself.  One told me about Practical Saver and I was at the point of trying anything at least once.  My life has been changed.  Lately we have been coming in at or under budget!!  It's becoming more like a game for me and I am sure some day it will drive my little Princesses crazy.  On the flip side, I hope they learn a lot from this so when they are managing their own homes they will know how to shop the sales.

Yes, I pay someone to do the leg work for me but with the stage in life that I am in I think it is more than justified.  It's not all that much and it has more than paid for itself.  Multiple. Times. Over.  I cannot even begin to tell you.

I am not perfect at this by any means and I am still learning.  Although, I am getting pretty good at this and find that we have plenty.  We even have a box set up for the food bank.  It is such a blessing to be able to extend our food budget to others in need.

Maybe as I move through this and learn I will share with you all what's going on behind the scene's -- since I am kind of doing this for my girls, too.