Meal Planning From Your Pantry!

This week I looked in my pantry and it was full of food…but there was nothing to eat!  Am I the only one who does this??

As I was thinking about the meals that we would have next week, I looked a little closer and wondered if  there was a way to somehow empty out the pantry, because it was grocery shopping day and I didn’t have much room for more stuff!!

My Mom and I disagree on how pantries should be used.

She feels very comfortable when her pantry is full….she’s ready for anything- BRING. IT. ON.  I, on the other hand, I like to have what I need for the week on hand, and then the pantry should be pretty empty by the time I make my weekly grocery shopping trip.

Because it was SO FULL and it was shopping day, I looked a little closer and found a few combinations that I could actually make into meals.  I checked all of the shelves and wrote down possible meals, side dishes and desserts that I could make, or might just need one more ingredient to make.

So, here are a few shots of my pantry…

Do you see the chicken noodle soup packet at the top?? (write it down)How about the Pancake box? (write it down)  Let’s not ignore the spaghetti box, pasta sauce and scalloped potatoes box… write them all down on a piece of paper!!

 

Next I checked the freezer and my fruit bowl on the counter…yep, that’s an annoying squeaky dog toy. LOL!

Cold packs on the left, meats in the middle and frozen fruits/veggies on the right.  (Still taking notes)

Breakfast/Desserts on the left & Quick Meals on the right… Oh, yum- I see chicken brats!!

After writing it all down, here’s the list I came up with…

So, then I planned out 5 meals for the week and matched them up with some of the side dishes and SHAZAM, I didn’t have to order much from Wal-Mart!  Using up what we have AND saving money??  YES, please!!

Take a peek in your pantry and freezer…I challenge you to find at least 3 meals!