The Pantry Experiment (TPE)

I cleaned out our pantry and refrigerator the other day, which, I suppose is pretty mundane and a must-do for most folks at least once a year.  It probably bears little-to-no conversation, except I realized, in simply cleaning out...we have a lot of "stuff".  And...we have a lot of "stuff" that has gone un-used.

Here is the stuff we donated to our local food pantry:

 

Yes, that's three full brown bags full of pantry items that we never touched!  Here is an aeriel view so that you can see that these bags are, indeed, very full:

This does not account for the items we threw in the trash because they were very, very expired.  I would estimate about 10 - 15 canned food items will be hitching a ride with the garbage truck tomorrow morning.

So, I got to thinking (while still cleaning), "I wonder if I could feed my family dinner for an entire month on what we have ALREADY in our pantry?" 

I'm betting, I can do just that....and, lucky you....you're invited to my party.

Here is my pantry now:
(top)

(bottom...with everything pulled forward)

 

 

Here is my fridge:

 



 

 

And, my freezer:

 

 



 

And, for the sake of honesty, I will tell you that I have about 4 pounds of russet potatoes left from Christmas dinner and a bag of white onions that are not pictured.  I've also purchased several cans of assorted beans, tortillas, plain yogurt and our meat for the month (chicken, ground beef, ground turkey).  I intend to use all over the next month.

I've already started on this project by making two 4 cup containers of Southwest chili to freeze and use later.  I made the chili by using all-ready available food items in our pantry and fridge.  Here is the recipe:  Southwest Chili.

So, officially, here's the plan...

• I am going to try and get one month's worth of week night (Monday thru Friday) family dinners ONLY using the items I have on-hand as of January 1.  I'm pretty sure that I can do it with a little creativity....and maybe a couple of laps around Pinterest when I need some inspiration (or is it Pinspiration?).
• I will provide weekly menus and recipes (as many as I can).  I already provided one recipe!  YAY!
• In doing this, I'm also hoping this will help us save on our montly grocery bill.  I'll track my spending.
• I'll provide pictures of my pantry and fridge as I go.
• I do reserve the right to buy our produce and dairy items once a week...it's for the kids...I'm not sure the fully need to be subjected to their mother's crazy scheme anyway!

I'm looking forward to the journey!