Day 19 - A Month Without Groceries

August 31, 2009

Yesterday was our first casualty from the pantry. I went to use up some of the oyster crackers in the soup last night and I noticed they were exceptionally stale. Not just tasting a little stale, but completely inedible with a potent odor. I had to discard them.

On that note, I have heard feedback from a lot of people about donating the extra food I may have around the house to a local food bank. This is a fantastic idea and one I support. However, it is important to note there are specific guidelines that need to be followed for individual food donations. Specifically, food banks typically do not want:

• perishable items

• rusty or unlabeled cans

• noncommercial or homemade canned or packaged items

• alcoholic beverages, mixes, or soda

• open or partially used items

In our case, we had a lot of perishable (fresh and frozen) foods as well as many open packages. Rather than have those items we are not able to donate go to waste, we are choosing to use them in a creative way. And, just for the record, we donate food via local programs (9 Cares Colorado Shares, US Postal Service Food Drive, and the Boy Scouts of America) on a regular basis and will continue to do so. I would strongly encourage others to do the same.

For tonight's meal, I will be making cod with an orange glaze. I will make the glaze out of some marmalade I have in the refrigerator. I don't have a recipe, so this will be more of an experiment than anything. I will try to post the recipe and response from the family a bit later after I have the chance to put the ingredients together.

If you have an interesting way to use ingredients, please post some comments and share your ideas. I'd love to hear how others are able to cook with what they have on hand.

Just finished dinner. I used 1/4 cup orange marmalade with 1/8 cup dijon mustard and 1/8 cup water. It was delicious!

Day 18 - A Month Without Groceries

August 30, 2009

I am definitely starting to run out of ingredients and as a result need to be more creative in what I use to make my meals. One thing that remains important is to keep the meals interesting and tasty for my family. In looking for alternatives, I realized there are a lot of options for coating chicken, fish or pork for baking. The obvious bread crumbs is a good stand by, but equally as good is ground up nuts, crushed saltine crackers or pretzels, hash brown potatoes, potato buds, or the broken chips at the bottom of a bag (potato or otherwise). To make the coating stick, you can brush on a small amount of salad dressing (Italian, Ranch, French, Russian, Thousand Island) or mayonnaise. It is a great way to use up items in the refrigerator that are close to their expiration dates while adding flavor to your meals.

Tonight for dinner, I plan to make split pea with smoked turkey soup. The photo will not likely do the meal justice as the color of split pea soup is, well, pea green. Don't be afraid of trying it. The flavors are wonderful. It is important to note that you can use ham hocks, leftover ham, sausage, or whatever protein you may have left in your refrigerator to make this soup. I like to use turkey to lighten up the meal. You can also make it vegetarian by using vegetable bouillon and omitting the meat. My basic recipe is as follows:

SPLIT PEA SOUP
1 pound smoked turkey, shredded (you can substitute ham hocks, ham, bacon, sausage, etc)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 cups dried split peas (you can substitute soaked navy beans)
6 teaspoons chicken bouillon (you can substitute beef or vegetable bouillon or a packet of onion soup mix)
12 cups water
salt and pepper

In a large pot, bring the water, onion, and bouillon to a boil. Turn down heat to low and add shredded turkey and split peas. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until the peas are soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Leftovers can be frozen. You may have to add more water to the soup when it is leftover. This meal goes a long way. Additionally, the total cost for the whole batch (as outlined above) comes in at approximately $4.50 and feeds 6 conservatively. Today, I don't have carrots or celery so I will leave them out.

Day 17 - A Month Without Groceries

August 29, 2009

A couple of days ago I was on Sirius radio speaking about my challenge. I followed a segment by a woman in Massachusetts who uses coupons and loyalty programs to feed her family of 6 on less than $10 a week. She has an amazing story and does a lot of charitable giving in her community. For those of us with the time and patience to use coupons, I say Bravo!! Keep up the good work. I think we can all learn to be more frugal and she has definitely figured out a system that works for her.

I have to be honest. As much as I would like to use coupons to save money, I don't always find it is effective for me. We tried that approach a couple of years ago and determined the coupons were mainly for processed foods or items we wouldn't normally buy. I believe you can significantly reduce your grocery bills by using them, but your menu options may be limited and there are very few coupons that work for fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. That being said, if you have got them, use them. It's free money.

For lunch today, we will be eating some of the leftovers we have from the last couple of dinners. We need to use those up soon. This evening we have been invited to a friend's house for dinner and a send off for one of our friends that is moving so I don't have to cook.

Day 16 - A Month Without Groceries

August 28, 2009

Thanks everyone for the comments on my Month Without Groceries challenge. As was expected, some people cannot relate. Many others however, have provided wonderful feedback that is greatly appreciated and keeps me motivated to continue. I think it is important for people, no matter what their situation, to evaluate their lifestyles to determine if there are areas of waste that can be addressed.

One key area of focus in our house has been using our leftovers for lunches. In the past, my husband would bring a frozen meal to work for lunch (approximately $3.00 each) or would eat out (approximately $6.50 for fast food). Based on what I have seen in the workplace, the number of people who eat out for lunch far exceeds the number who brown bag it. The added benefit for me is that we no longer have those leftovers getting forgotten in the back of the refrigerator. C'mon, be honest, we all have them. In the last 14 days I have not thrown out a single leftover and my husband has not eaten out or brought a frozen meal for lunch. That has already saved us a minimum of $30 this month...and we are only half done. Tomorrow, I will share another way I am extending the value of the ingredients I have on hand.

Tonight for dinner, I plan to make chicken pot pies. To make this meal, I will use up some of the frozen vegetables I have in the freezer as well as some of those long forgotten baking ingredients such as shortening and flour for the crust. For the sauce, I plan to use some of the potato soup mix I have in the pantry. I've never made pot pies this way before, so it should be interesting to hear the family's response. I hope it is a success so I can use the ideas for other meals in the future.

Day 15 - A Month Without Groceries

August 27, 2009

Yesterday was pretty cool. Heidi McGuire from 9News came by the house to interview me for the Month Without Groceries challenge. She came by for a couple of hours to discuss why I started, how I plan my meals, and even a quick demo of my Pecan Crusted Tilapia. The story aired on Channel 9 last night on the 6pm newscast. For those of you interested in seeing the segment, here is a link to the story:
http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=122078

I told her not to air anything that would make me look like a dork. You be the judge.

The viewer commentary on the story is a bit one sided indicating my lack of budgeting skills, etc. Certainly, everyone is allowed an opinion and I can't fault them for that. That being said, it is it is important to note that the reason we have spent so much on groceries is mainly because I went overseas for 12 weeks on a business trip and overstocked the freezer to ensure the family ate well in my absence. Needless to say, upon my return, there was still a freezer full of food. Now, I want to make sure that food that wasn't consumed when I was away is not wasted. Those poor folks who are spending $300 a month and eating ramen noodles (even for one meal) are really suffering. I am happy to say, we are not. We have pretty darn good meals every night.

Those of you who are questioning the validity of the story should take a look into your freezers and pantries and ask yourself, “Do I waste food?” Maybe this story isn't relatable to everyone, but certainly everyone can take a good hard look at their spending habits and eating habits and determine if there are ways they can reduce waste. I'll bet there is.

For tonight's dinner, I plan to make pizza. I have a package of Italian sausage in the freezer to use for the topping and will add some mushrooms and onions as well.

Day 14 - A Month Without Groceries

August 26, 2009

Just as I suspected, last night's dinner was not Mike's favorite. He did indicate the peanut sauce was good though. Poor Ania just had her palate expander (orthodontia treatment) put in yesterday and she was having a hard time eating anything. She did eat enough to mention that she really didn't like the peanut sauce. That being said, now I have an additional challenge of trying to feed Ania things that she can eat that won't get stuck behind her appliance. It is going to be very difficult and will require some additional thought on my part. Maybe soup for the next 6 months? Ugh.

Something interesting happened today. I was contacted by 9News to run a story on my 30 Days Without Groceries Challenge. It would be really interesting to see if it makes the news. I briefly spoke with Heidi McGuire who is a regular contributor. She is going to call back this morning to discuss further. Cool.

Today I will make pecan crusted tilapia in lemon sauce. Mike should be okay with the meal, but Ania will be bothered to have to eat fish again. Since it isn't too crunchy, I would expect Ania will be able to eat it just fine. It will be more a function of whether or not I can convince her to do so.

The recipe for this meal is as follows:

PECAN CRUSTED TILAPIA
4 tilapia filets
1/4 cup pecan pieces
3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray

Mix the pecan pieces (they need to be chopped finely) and bread crumbs together. Lightly spray each tilapia filet with cooking spray. Dredge fish in nut mixture and place on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice, if desired.

You can also use other nuts for this recipe including almonds, macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts.

Day 13 - A Month Without Groceries

August 25, 2009

Now that I am one third through the challenge, I have decided it was time to assess the ingredients I have remaining. In doing so, I have determined we are pathetically inefficient and an unobservant in how we use food. For example, I have two open bottles of soy sauce, two open bottles of dijon mustard, and eight open bottles of salad dressing. That is just crazy. I have gone through and consolidated what I could and will try to keep an eye on this in the future. I think when the refrigerator gets too full, it is harder to determine if we have an open bottle of something and we end up opening multiple bottles of the same thing.

I have also done an analysis of the food expenses for our family for the last year. On average, we spend $822.11 a month on food. For a family of three, that is downright gluttonous. I know there was a lot of waste included in that number either from fresh fruits and veggies that spoiled or from things that got buried in the freezer and were not salvageable. Pretty sad.

For today's meal, I can use the extra pork chops we had from last night. I plan to make peanut ginger seared pork over soba noodles. I made the peanut sauce yesterday so the meal will come together very quickly. It likely won't be Mike's favorite, but it will prevent the pork from going to waste.

Day 12 - A Month Without Groceries

August 24, 2009

Thanks Von for the wonderful dinner last night! No photos of the meal, but it was fantastic burritos with margaritas. Yum! I was happy to have a break from cooking. Tonight the challenge is back on!

Yesterday a neighborhood Boy Scout came to the door and I ordered some of their fantastic popcorn. Man I love that stuff! Mike questioned whether or not that counted as groceries. I told him it didn't and have amended the rules accordingly. Fortunately, Girl Scout cookie season doesn't start for a while.

Tonight for dinner I plan on making marinated grilled pork chops. Both Mike and Ania like pork chops so they meal should be a hit with the family. I may make another rice pilaf so I can use the leftovers for fried rice tomorrow. I'll see what strikes my fancy later today.

Day 11 - A Month Without Groceries

August 23, 2009

Today is Day 11 and it is a Sunday. Ugh. I like weekends, but I find them very challenging when it comes to keeping everyone from snacking all day long. This morning, Mike ate the pancakes that were leftover from breakfast yesterday and Ania had cereal. I can officially check breakfast off the list. It is the “second breakfast” that I am concerned about. Second breakfast is the time between breakfast and lunch when Mike and Ania like to snack.

This evening, we are supposed to go to a friends house for dinner so I am off the hook. I just need to make it through the morning and lunch.

Our running total spent on groceries this month is $1.58 for a half gallon of milk. I noticed last time I was there that the gallon of milk costs just 11 cents more. Since Ania can't drink a whole gallon before it starts to taste funny, I don't like to buy the gallon. It is definitely time to make a trip to the store to buy some more so I might have to consider getting the gallon size this time.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the work week and should get us back into the groove with meals. I am definitely looking forward to a less chaotic week.

Day 10 - A Month Without Groceries

August 22, 2009

We have reached Day 10. After this evening's meal, I will be one third finished! There is an interesting side effect of this challenge. It is one that I hadn't considered before I started. I am finding myself being a lot more creative with my cooking. Additionally, I am not repeating meals. I hope I can keep it up until the end of the experiment, but that will depend mainly on the ingredients I have left and my ability to maintain some level of creativity in how I use what I have. Mike has indicated he really likes this challenge because he feels the food is better. Hmmm. That is definitely food for thought for me.

This morning for breakfast I am making pancakes. I hope they stick to Mike's and Ania's ribs so they aren't hungry at 10am.

This evening we are entertaining some friends for dinner. I mentioned yesterday that I would be putting a chicken on the rotisserie and will serve it with a few sides. Our guests have volunteered to bring a salad and a fruit salad which was a wonderful surprise. They aren't even Facebook friends so they don't know they are walking into the middle of an experiment. I wonder if they will notice.

I made a trip to the liquor store yesterday and spent about $350 on a couple cases of wine and some beer. I think we should be set! Part of me feels bad and most of me feels excited to be able to enjoy a nice glass of wine with my meals. Cheers to that.

Day 9 - A Month Without Groceries

August 21, 2009

Last night's dinner was fantastic if I do say so myself. Mike even liked the rice and ranked it #2 of all of the meals I have made so far. Tonight we have a neighborhood potluck to attend. A number of my neighbors are also Facebook friends. To them I say this, do not be afraid of my contribution this evening. I will be bringing forks and plates. No, just kidding!

Being from the midwest, I grew up on tasty casseroles (pronounced “Hot Dish” in Minnesota). I will be bringing Chicken Divan. Chicken Divan is a chicken casserole served with broccoli and almonds in a Mornay sauce (white sauce with cheese). Should be good...or at least non-offensive for most.

Tomorrow's dinner with friends will be a bit more challenging, but I think I have a plan. I will put a chicken on the rotisserie and serve it with green beans in a dijon vinaigrette and a salad. I just need my lettuce to hang on for another day.

Day 8 - A Month Without Groceries

August 20, 2009

This is the first day of the second week of the Month without Groceries challenge. This weekend is going to be interesting with a potluck on Friday evening and dinner guests coming over on Saturday. On Sunday, we have another social event. Phew! I have Friday's meal planned but I need to get started on a plan for Saturday. More to come on this.

Dinner yesterday went over well. Ania finished all of her chicken and Mike almost polished off the rest of the bird. I saved the bones as usual for a future Chicken Soup night. I may have to pull it out before the end of this challenge!

Tonight I have decided to make grilled Mahi Mahi with rice pilaf and mixed vegetables. I know Ania will like the rice and Mike will like the Mahi Mahi, but Ania isn't a fan of fish and Mike isn't a fan of rice. Oh well!

I have started keeping closer track of the meals and the reactions from Mike and Ania. I am thinking it will be good to see overall what are considered my best meals and which are not the fan faves. That way I can adjust our menu accordingly after the challenge is complete.

Day 7 - A Month Without Groceries

August 19, 2009

Today is the first day of school for Ania. She prefers hot lunch at school so I am officially off the hook for her lunches Monday through Friday. One thing I have noticed is they eat lunch late so they are supposed to bring a healthy, non-messy morning snack to school. That could be interesting. I'll try not to embarrass her too much with the snacks I send (like croutons or something crazy like that). I will definitely have to assess what we have available.

This marks the end of the first week of the challenge. So far, I haven't felt impacted at all by not going to the grocery store. Mike and Ania have indicated they are pleasantly surprised by the meals I have made for them over the course of the week. I hope their perspective remains consistent throughout. By the end, they may want to wring my neck for using them as guinea pigs.

Tonight I plan to make a roasted chicken. I thought about doing it on the rotisserie, but changed my mind when I decided I didn't want to clean all of the parts after the meal.

Day 6 - A Month Without Groceries

August 18, 2009

We are at Day 6, which means we have almost reached a week of this challenge. I realize we have a long way to go, but this week school starts which will make this challenge much easier. Ania will be in school starting on Wednesday and will not be snacking ALL DAY LONG! For being a skinny thing, she sure can put away the food. I am certain she will thank her Dad for her metabolism when she is older.

So far, Mike has indicated he has really liked all of the dinners I have prepared for him. He has ranked them in the following order:
1 – Sea Bass with Creamy Polenta
2 – Chicken Noodle Soup
3 – Chicken Cordon Bleu
4 – Chicken Enchiladas
5 – Choo Chee Chicken

You have probably noticed we eat a lot of poultry and seafood and no beef or pork. That is because I consider myself a “Chickatarian”. I was a vegetarian for 13 years, but now I eat poultry and seafood. Mike still gets beef and pork, it is just less frequently than in the average U.S. Household. He doesn't seem to mind....at least he hasn't mentioned it.

We still have a very long list of options for dinner. Tonight, I need to use up some of our fresh veggies before they get funky. I plan to make barbecue pork sandwiches with cole slaw for Mike and Ania. I may end up eating one of those turkey corn dogs.

Day 5 - A Month Without Groceries

August 17, 2009

Today is Day 5 of the No Groceries for a Month Challenge. After this past weekend, I have determined that my most challenging days will be Saturdays and Sundays when both Mike and Ania are home most of the day. I have noticed they both like to snack which is problematic for me trying to monitor ingredients for future meals. I think they are getting sick of me asking “What are you eating?”

Mike has plenty of leftovers for lunches this week. In addition to some Chicken Enchiladas, he also has some soup from last night's meal. He seems to really like leftovers which is great for me.

Tonight, I have decided to make a Thai chicken dish. We call it Choo Chee Chicken after a fantastic meal we had one time at a restaurant. The meal consists mainly of chicken, coconut milk, and red curry paste served over rice. I don't think Ania will like it because it will probably be too spicy for her. If that is indeed the case, she will be getting a corn dog from the gigantic box in the freezer. We certainly have plenty of those.

Day 4 - A Month Without Groceries

August 16, 2009

Day 4 of the challenge has made me think more about weekend breakfasts. I had planned on making pancakes from a mix that just requires water so that I don't have to hear any complaints about how deprived Mike and Ania are for having to eat cereal on the weekends. Much to my surprise, by the time I got downstairs (at 7:30am), Ania had already eaten cereal. So much for pancakes this morning.

Today is a bit cooler than most August days so I have decided to make Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner. I know Mike and Ania both like it and we will have lots of left overs for lunches. I know this is a bit odd to some, but I keep the bones from our roasted chickens and freeze them to make chicken stock. Last time I checked, I had 3 bags of it in the freezer. Time to use it!

I foresee an upcoming challenge with a potluck party planned for next week. I don't know what I will bring yet, but think I need to plan wisely so my contribution to the potluck is acceptable. We also have a party to attend at the end of the month, but I think I can bring a bottle of wine to that one.

Day 3 - A Month Without Groceries

August 15, 2009

Ah, day 3. Today is the first weekend day and I am finding a new challenge in making breakfast for the family. We typically eat a larger breakfast on the weekends which often includes eggs. Being as that I don't want to use up key ingredients, I don't want anyone to eat eggs for breakfast until after this challenge is complete. Mike isn't too happy with that and I suspect Ania will have the same reaction.

Last night for dinner, I made sea bass with creamy polenta. Again, I got the thumbs up from Mike. Ania decided it wasn't good and didn't eat much. She really wanted pizza rolls. She did eat some edamame and went to bed without much of a dinner. Oh well.

Today I plan to make Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. I hope Ania will decide this meal is good enough to eat. She likes chicken, cheese, and corn tortillas, so I am hopeful we will have a winner.

Day 2 - A Month Without Groceries

August 14, 2009

I got a thumbs up from Mike on yesterday's dinner. Ania was less thrilled, but she was just being a picky eater. I served the chicken with mixed veggies and pasta to make it well balanced. Both Mike and I thought it was good and Mike has leftovers for lunch.

After our first day, I have determined that we need a new rule. Shopping for wine is allowed. Although we have a number of bottles of red, we had only one bottle of white....and we drank it last night. That's not good.

Now that I have had some time to think about my approach and determine what food we have available, I have noted this experiment will result in a number of positive impacts. The obvious is the savings we will have not shopping for groceries. In addition, there are several less obvious impacts such as
* Portion size will be more realistic to ensure we don't consume too much food for one meal.
* No more short order cook for me. Everyone will have to eat the same meal.
* No snacking throughout the day because I cannot consume ingredients I may need for dinners.
* We should have less waste.

Today is day 2 of the challenge and I have taken out Sea Bass for dinner. Looking in my pantry, I think I will pair it with creamy polenta.

Day 1 - A Month Without Groceries

August 13, 2009

So here we are at Day 1 of the month without groceries. I have concluded that I need to have some sort of approach to prevent running out of any “critical” ingredient during the next month. It would really suck if 10 days in I had to make nothing but ramen to keep the family fed. I am pretty sure I would never hear the end of it.

I think what I need to do is peruse my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to come up with meal possibilities. Fortunately, I have a well stocked pantry so I think I will have quite a few options. I also have a freezer full of proteins.

In looking through my stock of food, I am wondering what I was thinking at the grocery store over the last few months. Did I really need that jumbo box of corn dogs? I don't think Ania or Mike even like corn dogs. I wonder what else is lurking at the bottom of the deep freeze. I'll be starting an expedition to the bottom of the freezer later today to get an inventory.

The good news is that I do have a lot of ingredients that are versatile and easy to use. Tonight, I have decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu. The challenge is going to be the veggies. I have some frozen, but the fresh produce will run out soon. Too bad we don't have a flourishing garden.

Month Without Groceries Challenge Guidelines

I have implemented some simple guidelines to ensure we eat a balanced diet and don't cheat during the next 30 days. The following rules apply:

* I can purchase milk as needed
* I cannot make a gigantic trip to the grocery store to stock up before I begin
* The meals I make need to be well balanced (protein, starch, and fruit/veggie)
* Leftovers will be used for lunches and other dinners when possible
* The family's lunches are not included
* We can eat out for one meal a week, preferably lunch
* I will document my meals with photos and the family's response to them

Challenge Overview

A few weeks back I was reading through some magazines and came across an interesting column. The BA Foodist in the September 2009 Bon Appetit magazine had a question submitted about making the most of the food they had in their pantry. Andrew Knowlton's response included some recipes as well as a reference to a challenge he saw on an online message board to make a week's worth of meals using only what you had in your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer.

I thought a week was a rather short amount of time and after perusing my pantry, refrigerator and freezer, my Month Without Groceries challenge was born. I actually started my challenge 14 days ago using Facebook as the vehicle to communicate my progress, successes, and failures with my friends and family. After hearing from a number of people I should be blogging about this, I started my blog today.

I will post all of the historical information including meals and reactions to catch everyone up to where we are today at Day 14. All of these have been posted to FaceBook previously. I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences as this challenge continues to unfold.