Thursday, September 30, 2010

Easy Pantry Recipes

As promised, I am sharing some very easy and delicious dinner recipes that can be made mainly from the pantry tiems I detailed here. I do not have a good supply of meat in the freezer right now either. I have a few split chicken breasts, 1 roasting chicken, 1 lb ground beef, and a handful of thick cut pork chops.

These are some of my go-to meals. They are easy, inexpensive, and tasty - all importnat in our house!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Well Stocked Pantry

Over the past 3 weeks as I have returned to work full time, I am realizing more and more the value of keeping a well stocked pantry. Having basic supplies on hand makes it so easy to plan a menu or even throw something together at 5:30 if I have forgotten to plan. Don't ask how many times that has happened already! There are - literally - hundreds of posts out there about stocking a pantry, so I don't pretend to be offering something new, but this is what works for our family. Here is a list of what's currently in the pantry that I use most often for dinner. We all have oodles of cereal and kid's snacks available, but not everyone wants to eat that for dinner. Tomorrow I'll share several recipes that can be made mostly from pantry items.
  • Rolled oats
  • Beans - canned and dry
  • Tomatoes - diced, crushed, tomato paste, diced w/ green chilis
  • Whole wheat pasta - a variety of shapes from elbow noodles to spaghetti, pasta side mixes
  • Panko crumbs
  • Rice - brown, long grain, seasoned mixes
  • Salad dressing - ranch, honey mustard, several vinaigrettes
  • Mole sauce
  • Salsa verde
  • Adobo chilis
  • Diced green chilis
  • Chicken gravy mix
  • Peanut butter
  • Nutella (yummy!!)
  • 2 cans of fiesta style corn
  • 1 can of sauerkraut
  • Baking supplies - white & wheat flour, white & brown sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, powdered milk
  • Molasses
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Duck sauce
  • Stir Fry sauce
  • Olives - Kalamata and green
  • Roasted peppers
  • Sundried tomatoes

Notice what's missing? A lot of processed foods! As good a deal as those items are sometimes (especially with coupons), I don't keep much of that in the house.

This is the first post of at least 3 I will have about keeping your home well stocked. I will also share the contents of our freezer and spice rack. I hope to inspire some of you to stock up when you can on healthy options to make yummy meals any night of the week!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Change Is In The Air

Big time change is on the horizon for our little family. God has been faithful and provided an amazing opportunity for me to go back to work full time. We are thrilled about this and look forward to our new routine and even the new challenges. I've been home over 3 years and this is going to be a change, no doubt! I will continue to post from time to time and will definitely be sharing our favorite recipes.

I spent some time over the past few days prepping items in advance, scouring my favorite websites and this AMAZING new cookbook and have planned out our menu for the next 3-4 weeks. I also went and did a big grocery run to get stocked up since I won't have the luxury of shopping 3-4 stores per week any more.

Menu Plan, Week of September 20:

Have a blessed week in your homes!!