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Menu Plan –The Pantry Edition

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We have a lot of leftovers and a fairly full pantry, so I have decided to join Crystal at Money Saving Mom and Jessica at Life as Mom and make January an Eat from the Pantry month. My plan is to only go to the grocery store 3 times in January. When I go shopping, I will only be buying dairy, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. My plan is to spend less than 150.00,  for the month and donate the money that I save to a local food bank. This should make a very interesting start to the year, especially since my family has decided to join The Compact, and not buy anything new in 2010. Don’t worry, there are a few exceptions, which I will include when I write a more indepth post about The Compact.
Menu Plan for the week of December 28th

Monday – Use leftover Cornish hens, wild rice and carrots to make Chicken and Rice Soup and Salad.

Tuesday – Use leftover ham and Peas with Basil to make Scalloped Potatoes, which I will serve with a salad.

Wednesday – YOYO* dinner

Thursday – We will have a Steak Fondue which is a New Year’s Eve tradition along with Twice Baked Potatoes and a salad. We will have a Chocolate Fondue for dessert.

Friday –  It is our tradition to eat “poor” on the first day of a New Year, but I will use any leftover steak in Hoppin’ John, which I will serve with Greens, and G.F.** Corn Bread.

Saturday – I am going to cook lots of food today and tomorrow, so my husband won’t starve while I travel the next week. I will use the leftover greens from New Year’s Day to make Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup . And since it makes enough to feed 10 – 12 hungry people,there should be lots of leftovers for my husband. I will serve it with salad and perhaps try out a recipe for G.F. artisan bread.

Sunday – Use leftover mushrooms to make Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup, then use the soup to make a double batch of my husband’s favorite Meatballs, Riced Cauliflower, and Butter Tossed Green Beans.

*YOYO means you are on your own.

**G.F. means my daughter inherited my blonde hair and skiing ability, as well as my intolerance of gluten.

To see how others are eating from the pantry visit Money Saving Mom. For more menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday.

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  2. Kayla K says

    I'm excited to have found your blog. I'm having a "pantry purge" week too, so I'm avoiding grocery shopping this week.
    2010 will be my first year with The Compact as well. Good Luck!

    Reply

  3. Leah says

    Thank you for leaving your answer on my bog Alea 🙂 I really like this recipe, not just because most of the ingredients are already in the pantry but that it does not call for salt and that is a bonus in my house, I got 3 people with high blood pressure and the canned stuff has so much sodium in it. Thank you again.

    Reply

  5. Alea says

    I have frozen the meat balls in the mush rooms sauce without any trouble. When I froze the soup on its own it kind of separated and I had to whisk it to blend it again.

    Reply

  6. Leah says

    Hi, I have a question about your homemade cream of mushroom soup. Have you ever tried to freeze or can it and if so, how well did it work? I use alot of it and am thinking that if it freezes well I might just have to make up a big batch of it:)

    Thanks, LMK ok? lorenz at comcast dot net

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.