A Month Without Groceries - Lessons Learned

September 16, 2009

We wrapped up the Month Without Grocery Challenge yesterday. There were a few surprises along the way, but all in all, I think things went well. No one starved, I made a different meal each night, and for the most part the family enjoyed the meals. I'd call that a roaring success.

I took a lot of heat for spending so much on groceries from friends and strangers alike. Who knew so many people cared what we spent per month? More so, who knew that so many people where so passionate about it? To clarify, our original spending per month on “groceries” included food, beverages, household supplies, cleaning supplies, personal care items, vitamins, over the counter medicines, and food for the birds in the backyard. We have a family of three and we feed about 500 birds a day. =)

Now that we have wrapped things up and I have had some time to reflect, there are a lot of things I have taken away from this challenge. Namely,

• We spend more on groceries when I am working.

• Some frozen produce is just yucky. Peas, corn, and green beans seem to be the best. Broccoli, snow peas, and cauliflower get mushy when reheated.

• We ate fewer fruits and vegetables than we would have normally which isn't a positive. If I had this to do again, I would limit grocery visits to fresh produce and dairy products only.

• It didn't take much to expand my normal menu to include a larger variety of meals.

• I was able to make most of the meals in the past month in 30 minutes or less. The meals that took longer were the result of baking time, not prep time.

Additionally, there are some things that were a bit surprising to me including:

• We didn't throw out a single leftover the entire challenge. I can honestly say that is a first in our house. Since the refrigerator was so empty, the leftovers had nowhere to hide.

• American cheese lasts a very long time in the refrigerator. That kind of makes you think doesn't it?

Now that I have learned a few things and expanded my meal repertoire, I plan to implement some changes in our future grocery trips. More on that over the next few days.

Day 33 - A Month Without Groceries

September 14, 2009

Monday again. We made it through our last weekend of the challenge without too many issues. A little moaning and groaning from the family, but not too bad.

I was watching Food Network this past weekend and found Melissa deArabian's new show interesting. Her shtick is to make a meal for four for $10. Initially, it sounds impressive, but if you think about it, that is $300 a month for dinner alone. If you add in breakfasts and lunches, for say $5 each per day for the family, that brings your grocery total to $600 a month. Call me crazy, but that doesn't really sound that economical. I am hoping we can bring our grocery bill in much lower than that once this challenge is over.

Tonight I plan to make lasagna. I will definitely have to make adjustments to my typical recipe, but I expect it will turn out OK. We still have some mozzarella cheese in the freezer and I have ground beef on hand for the filling. The only thing I am missing is ricotta or cottage cheese. I don't think that will make too big of a difference and in the end, the meal will have less fat and sodium. I may add in some spinach to the sauce to get the family to eat more vegetables. I wonder if my daughter will notice.

Day 32 - A Month Without Groceries

Another weekend day and I swear, these breakfasts are going to kill me! We have cold cereal, but that is what the family has all week long and typically, I like to make breakfast somewhat special on weekends. I managed to dig up some waffle mix so breakfast was respectable.

This challenge has impacted more than just our eating habits. It has also significantly decreased the number of grocery bags we have on hand. I try to use the eco-friendly bags when I go to the store, but sometimes the bags are not enough to hold the food I buy. In those cases, we get plastic bags to supplement the ones I bring with me. To ensure we make use of those plastic bags, we use them to pick up after the dogs. After feeling guilty because we had way too many, we now have only a few left. We won't run out, but boy would that ever stink (no pun intended) if we did! Enough about that...it is gross.

For dinner this evening I will be making chow mein. I know it isn't my husband's favorite meal, but we have most of the ingredients and at this point, that is good enough! I don't have a recipe to follow so it will be more of a use what you've got approach. I am curious to know what the family will think.

Day 31 - A Month Without Groceries

September 12, 2009

Today is Day 31 and we would be finished with this challenge if it not for the wonderful generosity of our friends and neighbors. It seems that has been both a blessing and a curse. We absolutely love the fact that our friends have invited us into their homes, but in keeping with the challenge, it has resulted in an extension of the original 30 days to 34.

Last night for dinner, I made tacos. The meal was a little more interesting than anticipated. Expecting to find a bag of Mexican blend cheese in the refrigerator, I was surprised when it wasn't there. My husband seems to have used it in the chili last weekend when I was away. As a substitute, I had to use mozzarella. Surprisingly, it was not noticeable! Note to self: You an substitute mozzarella for cheddar jack cheese in a pinch.

On that note, I wanted to mention that I often freeze cheese to extend it's life. I just toss it in the freezer and take out what I need when I need it. This works best for shredded cheeses, especially since they usually have resealable bags. If you don't already do this, you should try it! You will eliminate mold and extend the life of your cheese significantly.

There is a bit of a nip in the air today so for dinner, I plan to make meatloaf with potatoes and vegetables for dinner. It is one of those comforting meals that I know both my husband and daughter will love.

Day 30 - A Month Without Groceries

September 11, 2009

Yesterday's dinner was much better than I had anticipated. I've got to be honest, I thought it would be one of those meals that I had to force myself to eat. Fortunately, that didn't happen. The salmon cakes had a nice crunch to them and the dijon sauce (dijon mustard and mayonnaise) went very well with the dish. I served the dinner with a black bean and sweet corn salsa to which I added the last remaining jalapenos and red pepper and onion relish from the refrigerator. All in all, it was pretty darn good. My husband also thought the meal was good and gave it a high rating.

One thing I am glad we still have on the shelves is cold cereal. It is a staple for my daughter in the mornings when she has school and a favorite snack in the afternoons. I have concluded that if I didn't have cereal, this challenge would have been very difficult. I used to buy brand name cereals trying for the most part to stay away from too much sugar. Our pantry typically has Rice Crispies, Fruity Cheerios, Kix, Granola, and some variety of shredded wheat. I have noticed however, that those large bags of cereal in the grocery really do taste just as good as the brand names. They cost so much less too! Once this is over, I plan to scale back the cereals and purchase those more often.

Tonight for dinner, I plan to make tacos. Unfortunately, we don't have any fresh lettuce or tomatoes, but I do have some salsa and cheese to use as toppings. We'll see how that goes over.

Day 28 - A Month Without Groceries

September 9, 2009

I was looking through the ingredients I have left and noticed a strange trend in the refrigerator. I currently have seven open bottles of salad dressing. I am not surprised that I have not used much of it lately given the fact that we do not have any lettuce for salads. However, it seems a shame to have so many bottles open that are not getting used.

In the past, I have used salad dressings for more than salads. They make great marinades, dips, sauces, and glazes. I typically use Italian dressing for a marinade for chicken or pork chops. The flavor is fantastic! French is used for a glaze on chicken, pork or ham. Honey mustard is a great dipping sauce and thousand island is wonderful in tuna salad (as a replacement for the mayonnaise) or on other sandwiches. The possibilities are endless.

Tonight I plan to use some of that thousand island dressing as a spread on sandwiches. Although I don't have any fresh bread right now, I do have the ingredients to make a loaf from scratch. I plan to make Rachel sandwiches which are a twist on the classic Reuben. Instead of using corned beef, turkey is used. The result is fantasic. I think I will grill it on my George Foreman grill to give it a nice crunch. My husband has a dinner appointment this evening so it will be just me and my daughter.

Day 27 - A Month Without Groceries

September 8, 2009

Day 27 of the challenge. Things are still going pretty well although I have noticed the ratings my husband is giving my meals has been dropping in the last week or so. I guess that can only be expected when you get to the last remaining ingredients in the pantry and freezer things just aren't as appetizing. He still likes them, but he has indicated they aren't as tasty as the first couple of weeks.

For me, I really miss the fresh produce. Our frozen vegetable supply is fine in a pinch, but the texture of the vegetables is much softer than I prefer and I kind of feel like I am eating baby food at times. Yuck! I am really looking forward to hitting the farmer's markets to pick up some fresh seasonal veggies when this is over. On the positive side, I read that frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh and are a good substitute when needed (http://www.wisegeek.com/are-frozen-vegetables-less-nutritious-than-fresh.htm).

Tonight I plan to make Halibut with a Puttanesca sauce. Essentially, I will use the leftover sauce from last week's pasta and add a few new ingredients such as green olives, garlic, and red wine to freshen it up. I will serve it with whole wheat penne pasta.

Day 25 - A Month Without Groceries

September 6, 2009

I cannot believe today is Day 25 of the challenge. The last three and a half weeks have gone by quite quickly and I feel like I have made some significant changes our eating habits. We have not thrown away any leftovers and the only groceries we have purchased have been 2 gallons of milk. The foods we have been enjoying have been healthful and for the most part delicious. I can see this experiment turning into a longer term commitment to use what we have on a more frequent basis.

People have asked me what I plan to do at the end of the challenge and if I will end up spending a bunch of money to restock the pantry. Although I expect to make a grocery run to purchase fresh produce, meats, and additional dairy products, I don't feel I will need to spend too much money to keep my family fed. To challenge myself further to maintain the good habits I have developed over the last month or so, I am budgeting $100 for the restocking efforts. Beyond that, I will budget $250 a month for the family. I will keep you all posted on my progress.

I have not returned home yet to cook for my family, but they do have some food on hand I prepared before I left to get them through lunch. Additionally, tonight my husband and daughter are attending a neighborhood potluck party and should have plenty to choose from there. Our contribution to the potluck is a couple dozen cookies I baked right before I left home. All in all, I don't think they will have any problem eating well tonight. The hosts of the party indicated they are making carne asada. Yum! We sure have great neighbors.

Day 24 - A Month Without Groceries

September 5, 2009

Yesterday when I was making dinner I noticed something interesting about the tuna I was using. The name brand albacore tuna (Bumblebee) for the Tuna Noodle Casserole was mushy, kind of gray in color, and broken into very small pieces. Not at all appealing. I wanted to use a couple of cans in the recipe so I decided for the other can, I would use one of the cans of Costco's Kirkland brand albacore tuna I had on hand to do a side by side comparison. Interestingly, the Kirkland tuna was one large piece of tuna, that was light in color and quite firm. Just what I would expect.

If I recall correctly, Kirkland brand tuna is less expensive than the other brands AND the can size is one ounce larger. I have seen a number of comparisons of products (grocery and otherwise) in Consumer Reports over the years, but hadn't really paid much attention to the food items. I figured food items are taste specific and the commentary from the testers was subjective. After my own little comparison, I think I will start paying more attention to those tests in the future.

Coincidentally, the September issue of Consumer Reports has an article on Name Brands versus store brands. The results were mixed as far as what products were recommended, but quite a few of the recommendations were for the store brands. This, although not completely surprising, will definitely sway my purchases in the future.

Tonight the family is having the chili I made yesterday before I left home. It should be better after a day in the refrigerator.

Day 23 - A Month Without Groceries

September 4, 2009

I received some bad news yesterday from my parents. My paternal grandmother passed away yesterday morning. I will need to travel back to the midwest for the funeral on Sunday and will be away from home and not able to make dinners for the next few nights. My family will continue with the Month Without Groceries Challenge by eating some meals I have pre-made.

In my absence, my family will be having Chili and Cabbage Rolls. Maybe not the most inventive of meals, but certainly easy to prepare in advance. Even better, I know they both like the meals and they should have enough leftovers to hold them over until I return and can continue cooking.

The great thing about a chili recipe is anyone can make it. The most difficult part of the recipe is the patience. You can use ground beef, cubed beef, ground turkey, or even ground chicken in this recipe. Add a few beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and you have a very easy meal. An added bonus is that the chili freezes very well. Use it as a full meal or over baked potatoes or on hot dogs for a slightly different spin on the classic.

Tonight for dinner, I am making Tuna Noodle Casserole. Yep, I said it. Tuna Noodle Casserole. More to come on the response from the family. Now that dinner is over, my husband liked it and my daughter was not at all thrilled.

My apologies in advance for the brief blogs over the next couple of days.

Day 21 - A Month Without Groceries

September 2, 2009

Yesterday's dinner was, well, interesting. The red beans and rice were just fine. It was the chorizo that concerned me. It didn't cook down very well and rather than feed my family an orange gelatinous mess, I switched out the chorizo for turkey breakfast sausage. I think the chorizo may have been in the freezer too long. Yet another casualty. On the positive side, the turkey sausage is a much healthier alternative. I just feel thankful I had some on hand to use.

Today is Day 21 and marks the end of the third week of the challenge. I am starting to notice that some of the meals I had planned may be “at risk” due to old ingredients. If that continues to happen, this is going to become a whole different type of challenge.

One of the ingredients I have on hand with an expiration date that is looming is cream cheese. I had bought a variety for breakfasts when we had house guests a while back and it never got eaten. Now, I have 2 tubs to use. I have found a good way to use cream cheese is as a base for cream sauces. I use it in chicken and seafood enchiladas, in pastas, etc. If you have some extra cream cheese, try it!

Tonight for dinner, I plan to make calzones. I have the ingredients to make the crust and have leftover pasta sauce, mushrooms, sausage, and cheese for the filling. Everyone likes pizza, so this meal should go over well. The cost for the ingredients is approximately $6.00 to feed everyone, so this is not only a meal everyone will like, but a good bargain as well. That is the best kind!

Day 20 - A Month Without Groceries

September 1, 2009

Today is Day 20 of the challenge and we are two thirds of the way through. At this point, we have no fresh fruits or vegetables. Fortunately, we do still have some that are frozen, but it isn't quite the same. Once I go back to the grocery and to the farmer's markets, I am going to have to make sure I don't overbuy produce. Fresh produce can go bad quickly and that is such a waste.

If you find yourself with fruit on the verge of the trash can (wrinkly, getting brown, you know what I am talking about) try a few of these ideas to give it a new life:

• Cut off the brown parts of berries or stone fruits, remove pits/seeds, roughly chop, add a little cinnamon and sugar, and warm over medium heat to make an excellent compote. It is great over ice cream, in smoothies, or just as a sweet treat. You can freeze the compote to make it last even longer or if you have canning supplies, that works as well.

• Use brown bananas for banana bread, muffins, or pancakes. You can also freeze the bananas to use them later.

• Use citrus fruits that are getting dry to flavor water, tea, or as a home fragrance by adding a little cinnamon or cloves and heating on the stove. If the fruit is too far gone, slice it into pieces and dry it even more for a nice alternative to potpourri, for use in wreaths, garlands for the Christmas tree, or put the pieces out for the birds. They will love you for it.

For vegetables on the verge of going bad, try using them for vegetable stock. Just be sure to cut off anything that may be spoiled.

For dinner this evening, I will be making Red Beans and Rice. I had a mix in the pantry that I will use and will add some Chorizo I have in the freezer for the protein. I will grab one of the frozen bags of vegetables to round out the meal. I suspect the vegetable won't really match the meal, but that's okay. At least we will have something balanced.

This challenge is getting significantly harder!

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.

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.