Taking stock of the pantry!

January means that I try to maintain a very frugal budget.  I believe starting off the new year this way sets the tone for the rest of the year.  One way I do this is to try and use out of my stockpile in my pantry.  It's time to clean out the pantry and wipe down all the cabinets.  I use as much out of the pantry as possible during this time and begin to purchase new items for the stockpile.

I have quite a few recipes that use out of the pantry stockpile I've created.  Taco soup, potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, just to name a few.  I also try to use up pasta and boxed meals so they don't get old.  Canned goods can live indefinitely in your pantry but I like to keep a rotation going so I'm not always leaving old things in the pantry.  When I purchase something, I place it in the back of the pantry behind what is already there.

I do the same thing in the freezer.  I am planning to use up the cheese in the freezer this month.  I've noticed that my local grocery has cheese on sale this week and I have coupons for the brand that's on sale.  I'll be going in this week and stocking up.  I'll plan cheese quesadillas and creamy tomato soup next week for dinner.  I'll also be making a few casseroles for the freezer that includes cheese.

I just recently cleaned out the freezer when we moved it into the new garage so at least I don't have to defrost and clean it!  That is one of those jobs that I absolutely hate to do!  As my stockpile of frozen berries gets smaller and smaller, I have more room in the freezer for storing quick meals for our family.  I cooked two beef roasts over the weekend; one with carrots and potatoes for dinner and one to freezer for later, I'm thinking barbeque sandwiches.  I have leftovers that will make a great hash later in the week. I took the strained leftover beef broth and froze it in one and half cups for making rice later.  I don't usually purchase rice mixes because I can use this leftover broth to make long grain rice and it tastes just as good but is a lot cheaper and has less sodium than the mixes.

January is always a month of getting things in order for me.  I'm starting this year in my kitchen!

Ready for Fall!

I was dragging the hose around last night watering my flowers and I realized that these poor flowers were probably as ready for fall as I was!  They have worked so hard all spring and summer producing beautiful foliage and flowers and now they were tired and worn out and ready to take a long nap. The flowers are beginning to look ragged, the leaves that were so bright and green this spring have taken on a dull green and sometimes yellow cast.  That's the way I feel when I've worked all day and simply need a rest.  Those poor plants need a good long winters rest!

I am beginning to look into my pantry for fall preparations.  My kids and I were discussing all the foods we would begin to eat when it began to get a bit cooler.  Soups, breads, apples, pancake nights were all on the list. I cook seasonally, as you remember from earlier blogging, so those things were kicked out about April as spring and summer fruits and veggies began to appear. Now, we've eaten those things we were so excited about in April enough that our palates are ready to move on into heartier fall fare.  Because of this, I'm peering into the pantry so I can restock with those staples of fall.  I'm beginning to buy up things to make soup and using the last of certain things that we usually only eat in the summer. 

Of course, here in Oklahoma, we still have at least a month of summer weather left but I can begin to see the end.  Just like the plants, I am growing weary of all the sun and fun.  Give me a cloudy, rainy September day so I can rake leaves or a crystal clear October day with the sky that certain October blue that you won't see in July so I can sit around the bonfire and roast a marshmellow.  I'm ready!  I love the different seasons and welcome each one with open arms!

Happiness is a full pantry

I'm sitting here looking to the north out my window waiting for the impending freezing rain/sleet/ice/snow storm. I can't see it but the weather people tell me it is coming and I'd better be prepared. I made the decision a few minutes ago to let my daughter sleep and not take her to school. I don't want to go get her in the ice!

As I was running my errands yesterday, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things I thought we might need if the family gets to spend several powerless days together. The stores were a madhouse with people packing the carts with everything under the sun. I always have to smile a little smile when I witness this each year when the weather men stike fear in our little Okie hearts that we will be getting ice! Apparently, the majority of people in Oklahoma don't have enough food in their house to get them through the three days that we might be stranded. I also chuckled when I saw the food choices in those carts.

You see, in Oklahoma, we get a lot of ice instead of fluffy, white snow. Ice and freezing rain sticks to trees and looks like glistening diamond forests when the sun hits them. But, ice and freezing rain also sticks to power lines and makes the glistening tree limbs plummet to their deaths which usually takes out some important line carrying electricity. No electricity means no tv, no electric heat, no electric hot water, no electric stoves...well, you get the point. Every other year or so, the residents of Oklahoma endure an ICE STORM OF EPIC PROPORTION!!!!

At least that's what the weather people tell us. Our little house on the hill has a woodstove that not only keeps us warm, I can use to cook on. The kids think it is extremely fun to eat soup that was cooked on the stove. I've even baked bisquits on the grill outside! My son spent part of his day yesterday hauling wood from the pile onto our covered porch. We are prepared!

When I looked into those shopping carts, yes I'm a bit nosy, I saw things like frozen pizza, microwave meals and chips. Ok, so the chips can be eaten without power but the pizza and microwave meals? What are these people thinking?

I thought back to a hundred years ago, to those pioneers who settled this wild land. Yesterday, it was 60 degrees yet I was running around preparing for a snow and ice storm. I knew that today would be different, I would watch the radar and see that hot pink color creeping ever closer to my little house on the hill. Yet those pioneers were actually more prepared than any of us today. They had to be to simply survive the winter. We have so much to learn from those early pioneers.

One thing a pioneer woman needed was a fully stocked pantry. In order for her family to survive a winter without a grocery store a mile away, she needed to prepare in advance. Our pantries don't need to get us through long winter months but it should be able to get us through at least a week don't you think?

A well stocked pantry not only will get us through a snow/ice storm for a few days, it will also get us through a sickness, a 'what's for dinner' night, or a hit on the income. My pantry could easily feed my family for several weeks with careful planning. It might not be gourmet meal eating but it would cover a rough patch if needed. It gives me a peace knowing that if something terrible happened, I could at least provide something to put in our bodies.

A well stocked pantry not only gives me peace of mind, it also saves me money. Planning my purchases in advance allows me to wait for sales and use coupons to refill what has been used. Many of the things in my pantry cost next to nothing. It also allows me to meal plan in advance instead of waiting until I get to the grocery store. When I use something in the pantry, it goes on a list. That item is then purchased when I find it on special.

I challenge you to look into your pantry today. If you can't come up with at least five meals that you could make to feed your family, get planning!