My Eat-From-My-Own-Pantry Self-Imposed Challenge

During my frugality blog reading this morning, I came across this article:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/122070-klatsch-a-week-without-shopping/
"Surely I'm not alone in having a freezer and pantry full of food, much of which will get thrown out as it expires over the course of the coming months and years. Indeed, I live in a small apartment. People with houses, basement freezers and walk-in pantries surely have far more of this stuff lying around than I do. Surely I'm not alone in having overbought at the supermarket last week. Surely I'm not alone when I get home from the supermarket and can barely fit the new food in the refrigerator because there's so much of the old stuff. Surely I'm not alone in being able to skip a week of shopping and still eat well."

Of course, as soon as I finished reading it, I ran to my pantry to see if I could identify the oldest items in there. The winner was the box of Tuna Helper. I think. I can't be sure. It could have been the corn starch.

So now I'm inspired. I will not go grocery shopping at all this week.

And for the month of January, I will only buy:
1. fresh vegetables
2. fresh fruit
3. meat

I will post a blog every day on my progress.

Stay tuned....

Here is what I have now:

Freezer
2 lb frozen cooked shrimp
2 12 oz frozen pizzas
17 baggies of 2 cup measurements of shredded zuccini from last summer's garden
8 5 oz jars of pesto from last summer's garden
1 lb edamame
1 pint Ben & Jerry's Triple Caramel Chunk
3 cups homemade beef stock
12 oz broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli, carrots, red cabbage). I really, really am not looking forward to eating this.
3 cups chopped celery
1 stick of butter
box of 4 meatless burger patties
3 "chick'n" patties
1 cup homemade cucumber sauce from last summer's garden



Refrigerator
3.5 oz crumbled goat cheese
24 oz sour cream
almost finished 15 oz tub of margarine
coffee
16 oz minced garlic
16 oz ranch dressing
3 oz mayonnaise
8 oz grated Parmesan
32 oz ketchup
1 1/2 9" pie crusts
1 plus a little bit gallon apple cider
3 cups homemade chicken stock
a little bit of pumpkiin butter
Teriyaki sauce
20 oz deli turkey slices
5 oz spring mix lettuces
12 oz leftover pot roast
10 oz cheddar cheese block
1.3 oz blueberry spread
6 oz spreadable pate
1 oz hot mustard
4 oz brown mustard
9 oz steak sauce
10 oz BBQ sauce
5 oz recaito
5 oz sofrito
10 oz whole grain dijon mustard
15 oz soy sauce
1 oz honey dijon dressing
plastic lemon of lemon juice
8 oz blue cheese dressing
8 oz caeser dressing
8 oz spray fake butter
4 oz raspberry hazelnut dressing
8 oz oyster sauce
3 cups shredded cheddar
2 cups shredded zuccini
3 1/2 flour tortillas



Pantry
5 slices stale bread
5 slices fresh homemade bread
2 slices fresh homemade zuccini bread
1/2 hamburger bun
13 oz crackers
1 lb dry milk
a few less than 100 teabags
3 packets of set of 2 crackers stolen from restaurants
3 packets of hot chocolate
2 packets of pesto mix
4 oz general tsao stir fry mix
7 packets chicken bag n mix seasoning
a whole bunch of spices
24 oz oats
2 1/4 lbs whole wheat flour
5 lbs rye flour
a canister full of chinese take-out packets of hot sauce, mustard, etc
8 oz balsamic vinegerette
8 lbs pinto beans
1 lb honey
1 lb pasta sauce jar
10 oz red cooking wine
16 oz mayonnaise
16 oz corn meal
1 lb peanuts in shells
5 oz can of bread crumbs
8 oz walnut oil
some peanut oil
1 1/2 liter olive oil
12 oz gourmet herb flavored gift oil
12 oz gourmet herb flavored gift vinegar
8 oz jar apple butter
1 lb raisins
some vanilla
4 lbs sugar
12 oz Nestle Quick
5 10 oz cans chicken noodle soup
18 oz can New England clam chowder
2 18 oz cans grilled chicken & sausage gumbo
18 oz can chicken & corn chowder
4 lbs unsweetened chocolate powder
4 lbs brown sugar
4 oz yeast
10 lbs shelled peanuts
10 lbs dried cranberries
various kinds of salt
8 lbs rice
16 oz cashews
16 oz unpopped popcorn
12 oz corn starch
16 oz baking powder
12 oz baking soda
10 oz graham cracker crumbs
5 oz sesame oil
16 oz corn syrup
canister Bisquick (too far back in cabinet to get size)
6 oz wheat germ
2 handfuls of barley
1 lb soy flour
6 oz sherry wine
15 oz couscous
cooking spray
8 oz cocktail sauce
handful of dates
1 lb confectioner's sugar
3 oz corn boil packet
7 oz Farina
5 oz rice noodles
1 pouch dried noodle soup
15 oz whole wheat pancake mix
1 pouch instant rice bag
more balsamic vinegerette
24 oz apple sauce
8 oz dried lentils
22 oz hoisin sauce
1 box chicken helper
1 box tuna helper
10 lb bag potatoes (minus a few potatoes)
4 cups elbow pasta







PS. Soda, beer, wine, etc are exempt :-D


I have a feeling I will be using these cookbooks quite often in the 1 month and 1 week coming up: