# My December Food Storage Adventure



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

I'm challenging myself not to spend any money this month. That gives me an opportunity to eat out of the pantry and try some new food storage recipes. I started out this morning with an inventory of everything I had on hand (hopefully). I'll be doing updates through the month with the types of meals I'm eating and some of the recipes I'll get to try.

Any recipe suggestions would be much appreciated 










*Home Canned Items:*
apple pie filling
apple sauce
asparagus
asparagus, pickled
beans (black, cherokee trail of tears, chickpeas, hidatsa shield, pinto)
broth
carrots
cauliflower, pickled
corn
dilly beans
garlic, pickled
grape juice
grapefruit
green beans
jams/jellies (dandelion, strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, grape)
ketchup
peaches
pears
peas
pineapple
pork & beans
potato leak soup
potatoes
salsa
spaghetti sauce
strawberry kiwi lemonade concentrate
tomato soup
tomatoes, crushed
tomatoes, diced

*Dehydrated*
apples, (sliced, and dices)
banana chips
cabbage
carrots
corn
garlic
green peppers
hash browns
mixed veggies
onions
potato flakes
scallions
tomatoes
zucchini










*Dry Goods*
baking powder
baking soda
barley
beans (16 bean mix, black, blackeye peas, cannellini, chickpeas, great northern, kidney, navy, red, white)
bread crumbs
brown sugar
bullion
cinnamon almond granola
cocoa powder
coffee
corn meal
corn starch
flour
grains (amaranth, bulger, farro, kamut, kasha, millet, quinoa, spelt, steel cut oats, wheat)
grain cereals (6 grain rolled cereal, 9 grain cracked cereal, wheat cereal)
lentils
masa
mustard
noodles (egg, lasagna, macaroni, orzo, penne, rotini, soba, spaghetti)
oats, rolled
polenta
popcorn
powdered butter
powdered eggs
powdered milk
powdered peanut butter
powdered refried beans
powdered sour cream
raisins
rice (arborio and white)
salad dressing
salt
mushrooms (button, cloud ear, shiitake)
shortening powder
soup mixes (alphabet soup mix, potato soup mix)
spanish rice
spices, lots and lots
split peas
sugar
TVP (beef, chicken, sausage, and taco flavors)
tomato powder

*Freeze Dried*
asparagus
green beans
raspberries
strawberries

*Frozen*
chicken (breaded and non)
fish (breaded and non)
frozen fruit, assorted
frozen veggies, assorted
ground beef
steak

*Refrigerated*
butter
celery
cottage cheese
eggs
lemon juice
lime juice
mayo
shredded cheddar
shredded mozzarella
sour cream
tartar sauce
yeast
yogurt

*Tinned and Bottled*
chicken
cream of mushroom soup
enchilada sauce
fruit cocktail
honey
hot sauce
mushrooms
oil
peanut butter
refried beans
shortening
spaghetti sauce
tomato juice
tomato paste
tuna
vanilla extract
vinegar (apple cider and white)


----------



## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

Here's a site that has recipes from stored foods. You can search by ingredient, meal type, or topic.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/recipes/

Looking forward to following you thread.


----------



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

awesome thread idea.


----------



## WV Farm girl (Nov 26, 2011)

That is a beautiful pantry! I'm jealous. Keep us posted!


----------



## backtocolo (May 1, 2012)

Stewed chicken and veggies over polenta. 
german pancake with some apple pie filling. 
enchiladas with beans, rice and pickled veggies on the side.
asapargus soup
hashbrown casserole
mushroom risotto
mushroom barley soup
cold plate- good homemade bread, cheese ball and pickled veggies. 

None of this is stuff I use a recipe for. Just some ideas YMMV


----------



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Great thread and pictures! I'll be checking to see how you do!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Basicaly I get an taste for something,then go to the pantrys/freezers to see what will sasitfy that hunger. I'm what I call a "dump" cook and rarely measure anything. So I come up with my own recipes. Learn more about spices and what types of foods they go with, then you can come up with just about anything. Say potatoes, a staple around here. Just some chicken bullion in mashed potatoes changes them real nice. Grate them and fry for hash browns,add a bit of flour and an egg,now you have potato pancakes. Put a couple chopped up potatoes in a blender until smooth,then strain thru a "pantyhose" legg until almost dry. This can be used to make noodles or more/different kinds of panakes-my favorite is with sour cream/butter. Canned corn/potatoes/carrots and chicken make pot pies,soups,wraps add dumplings when that big pot of soup gets boring. Make some crackers, add your own spices. Make corn tacos then cut up and fry into chips and use your own beans cooked until smooth for dip.I could go on, but I think you should spend a bit and go get ya some turkey on sale right now and cann em up. Won't be breaking your only eat from the pantry rule, cause the pantry rule says you Have to spend when the getten is good.


ps. I noticed something some don't know- I save all the lids off of paraminse cheese containers, they fit right on to a regular canning jar. I buy spices in bulk, so I use my antique jars and the Parm.lids just for this.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

7thswan said:


> Learn more about spices and what types of foods they go with, then you can come up with just about anything.


I consider myself a pretty good cook, but I'm just not creative at all...I don't think I could ever do that! I just NEED a recipe lol. Kinda like when my mom gets me into her craft room. I can make awesome cards in bulk from her examples...but there's no possible way I can come up with my own designs. Tried..can't. It was real bad. So bad she's never encouraged me to do so again.

Love all of the ideas!


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I think you are smart to do this.


----------



## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

I think you should replace what you use as you use it, so that at the end of the month you are not short a month's worth of food.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

anniew said:


> I think you should replace what you use as you use it, so that at the end of the month you are not short a month's worth of food.


I have quite a bit of food on hand, that's not an issue. My real goal is the additional savings from not buying food for a month. I'm trying to recover from being laid off for most of the year.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 1:

B: Oatmeal
L: (Last of the leftovers)
D: Baked Walleye and Mushrooms with homecanned green beans and homegrown chamomile tea










Preheat oven to 350. At a low temperature, melt 1 Tablespoon butter per serving in a small frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste. Dip fish into mixture and place in small shallow baking dish. Saute onions and mushrooms (I used rehydrated ingredients) in remaining mixture, and pour over fish. Bake 20 minutes and serve over rice (or with baked potatoes).


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Call me stupid, but I thought we all ate from storage daily, then replaced what we used on the next stock up trip.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Spinner said:


> Call me stupid, but I thought we all ate from storage daily, then replaced what we used on the next stock up trip.


Sorry if my plans don't live up to your expectations. I normally supplement my fresh foods, not eat entirely from storage. I will restock during the year as I grow and fish and hunt more, but I have years of long term storage on top of that so one month isn't going to starve me. But it will help with my immediate financial needs. I've already been through my SHTF.


----------



## hurryiml8 (Apr 15, 2009)

Spinner said:


> Call me stupid, but I thought we all ate from storage daily, then replaced what we used on the next stock up trip.


I cook from storage all the time and replace it, but I have a lot of things that are long term storage items that I don't touch. Dehydrated things like eggs and butter haven't needed to be used yet. 
Viggie, I will be interested to see how you use these things, if you do. I may be using the eggs, since I didn't put a light in the hen house this year.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

viggie said:


> Sorry if my plans don't live up to your expectations....


I didn't intend to sound insulting. Sorry if my words hurt your feeling, it was unintentional.


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I don't eat from stocks daily either- at least from summer through fall when there's enough fresh. Then it's a marathon deydrating session- out come last years dried stuff to be used in winter and spring and new stuff goes in.
There there are a few things that I keep for times when I just can't face cooking something. They just sit there from year to year until I need them.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I am so jealous of your organized storage! Mine is in several locations and only vaguely organized, I know where things are, but no one else can figure it out! 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you wish you had on hand or what you'll start storing more of.


----------



## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

I saw your Settlement cookbook, I LOVE mine, my Dad has one too. The recipe for strawberry shortcakes (the shortcake/biscuit part) is excellent and you can use any left overs for sandwiches.
My mother turned all of our leftovers into things she called "croquettes" which was chopped up left over meat/fish with any left over chopped veggies including potatoes in a egg and breadcrumb mixture and fried in a pan in little patties. Sometimes they were good, sometimes they weren't. Usually depends on how it tasted the first time around, lol Mom wasn't always a good cook. Ps your storage area is heavenly looking. Oh I just reread your post and you used the word "tinned" we lived in England for awhile as children are you british?


----------



## snowcap (Jul 1, 2011)

We live in a small touristy town, so the grocery store is ultra expensive.
We won't be buying snow tires to travel this winter, and would need them to get to the next town over to go to the better/less expensive stores.
so we will be eating from our pantry tiil mid feb. or March.
Soup ,Hash and home made egg noodles are the 3 items we have been making. as well as muffins and crumbles.
I expect our grocery list to very long by March.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Very nice pantry. You have done a fine job!


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

used2bcool13 said:


> I saw your Settlement cookbook, I LOVE mine, my Dad has one too.


That's surprising! I thought it was only popular in antique stores here because of the local history. Very cool.



used2bcool13 said:


> Oh I just reread your post and you used the word "tinned" we lived in England for awhile as children are you british?



I actually started using tinned after I got into canning. Just thought it was the easiest way to differentiate commercially canned from my home canned goods.


----------



## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

Love Love your pantry... it looks amazing... i don't have a recipe for you, but i did want to thank you sharing your pictures... wonderful job you have done...


----------



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

let me toss a monkey wrench in your plans.....lol....i double dog dare you to try and cook 2 meals a week outside on a rocket stove or a tin can hobo stove or something similar.a charcoal lighting tube works well for a rocket stove effect.just fill with twigs and pine cones and fire it up...works well for stir frys in a wok.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

elkhound said:


> let me toss a monkey wrench in your plans.....lol....i double dog dare you to try and cook 2 meals a week outside on a rocket stove or a tin can hobo stove or something similar.a charcoal lighting tube works well for a rocket stove effect.just fill with twigs and pine cones and fire it up...works well for stir frys in a wok.



I'll take that challenge . I think I have just the thing to try tonight.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

elkhound said:


> ...works well for stir frys in a wok.


Did you know the lack of available fuel for stoves (wood and such) is the reason most chinese food is cut up small...to cook quickly


----------



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> Did you know the lack of available fuel for stoves (wood and such) is the reason most chinese food is cut up small...to cook quickly



yep...i said it here before...look to the peasants across the globe...they will teach you daily survival....asians....twig cookery with a wok...and others with similar ways.i seen a Bedouin tribesman cooking on a drum lid....mexican type cooking...flat breads and tortillas and such.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 2

B: Smoothie from frozen fruits and wheatgrass
L: PB&J (homemade bread and homecanned J) with applesauce
D: Chicken Chow Mein a'la elkhound

I couldn't find my alcohol stove, but I made do with what I had and hauled out my camp stove. It's only been tested out once, so it wasn't a bad exercise in and of itself. I tested out a backpacking recipe I had bookmarked.










Yes, that's SNOW. *grumble grumble*

1 cup soba noodles
3 Tablespoons dried shiitake, crumbled
2 Tablespoons dried mixed veggies
1/2 teaspoon bullion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 packet soy sauce
3 ounce can chicken

Combine dry ingredients in a baggie. At camp, soak dry ingredients in just over 1 cup water for 30 minutes or so. Simmer until noodles are tender. Add chicken and soy sauce and heat through.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 3

B: refrigerator oatmeal









recipe from: http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/221/Apple+Cinnamon+Refrigerator+Oatmeal

L: Leftover chicken served with leftover rice, and peaches (from homecanned)
S: slice of pumpkin pie brought in by a co-worker (office foraging )
D: steak with mashed potatoes (from homecanned) and boiled carrots (from homecanned)


----------



## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

This is so cool Viggie! Great job.


----------



## mommatwo2 (Nov 7, 2013)

Great idea! Have to rotate storage anyway..... Can't wait for updates..


----------



## campfiregirl (Mar 1, 2011)

viggie said:


> Day 3
> S: slice of pumpkin pie brought in by a co-worker (office foraging )


Office Foraging is legit! After our Thanksgiving potluck, I received 2 Ziplock quart bags of ham & smoked turkey (from a local business - SOOO good) and 9 sticks of butter that were put on plates for rolls that were untouched. Between that meat and my $6 turkey from the sales in Nov., my grocery budget is helping out with a few gifts this Christmas!

This is a wonderful thread - thank you!


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

I may have to do this for Dec, Jan and Feb. I will buy fresh milk and maybe eggs and cheese. Have stuff for Xmas dinner bought but potatoes and can of pumpkin for pie.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

My must haves in the past have been cheese and sour cream. Really helps for cooking out of LTS!


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Milk I have to have so something to drink. I use a gallon of milk a week. Cooking just for me. Xmas be three of us. 

Local store in this town is quite high. Cities to shop are long ways off.


----------



## DW (May 10, 2002)

What is refrigerator oatmeal? I like oatmeal.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

DW said:


> What is refrigerator oatmeal? I like oatmeal.


You may have heard it called muesli. It's soaked grains...this uses old fashioned rolled oats. It's meant to be eaten cold, but you can heat it too  The recipe I used had yogurt and chia seeds for extra nutrition. I'll be serving tomorrows with frozen berries on top...lots of stuff you can do with it


----------



## txplowgirl (Oct 15, 2007)

Holy Moly, I'd give anything to have a pantry like that! :shocked::rock::bow: Now, i'll go back and read the thread, just had to get that out, lol.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 4

B: eggs (from my friends flock) and fried potatoes (from homecanned)
L: tuna salad sammich with sprouts, and applesauce
S: slice of leftover veggie pizza (office foraging )
D: chicken quinoa soup with homemade bread










The recipe was Fast and Easy Chicken Quinoa Soup from Food Storage Made Easy. I think it has potential as it could be made entirely from LTS if you subbed in chicken TVP. But it needed some help as it was very bland.


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

In chicken soup, enough salt for it to taste good, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and bay leaf. Then give it a splash of lemon juice to wake it up right before serving it.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I think the secret to great chicken soup is a little curry powder. I'm loving following this Viggie!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I think it's the greatest that you are making full meals on the BEAUTIFUL china just for yourself. Me-alone-I'd mostly be eating right out of a jar.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Feather In The Breeze said:


> In chicken soup, enough salt for it to taste good, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and bay leaf. Then give it a splash of lemon juice to wake it up right before serving it.


Parsley and celery, 2, that I'm big on for chicken .


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 5

B: refrigerator yogurt with frozen berries
L: PB&J with homecanned applesauce










I've done this very good bread machine recipe for the last 2 loaves...using the machine allows me to make bread midweek which I otherwise couldn't do. Recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/country-white-bread-or-dinner-rolls-bread-machine-71373

S: Slice of leftover pizza (office foraging - I never seen so much pizza there before lol)
D: Broccoli mac&cheese made using dehydrated broccoli and powdered cheese


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

How was the mac and cheese? I opened some powdered cheddar cheese to play with as we wouldn't normally eat it. It's good in rice, but that's all I've done.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Vosey said:


> How was the mac and cheese? I opened some powdered cheddar cheese to play with as we wouldn't normally eat it. It's good in rice, but that's all I've done.



Real good. Just needed powdered milk too.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 6

B: eggs (from my friends flock) and fried potatoes (from homecanned)
L: tuna salad sammich with sprouts, and homecanned pears
D: starting on burritos right now with leftover rice









Picture is actually from the first time I made tortillas. I use this recipe: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/10/29/whole-wheat-tortillas/


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Viggie, I just wanted to mention a couple ideas. I saw your tortillas and a few days ago I saw a recipe for 'something-free' tortillas. It was a recipe for gluten free or something tortillas, but they were actually crepes, kind of thick crepes, made with arrowroot flour. Crepes are less time consuming and can be used for the same purpose, no matter what kind of flour you are using. I really have enjoyed your pictures of your foods.

Tomato Soup. We made some today from dehydrated tomatoes. My dried tomatoes are ground up already but you can use them without grinding them up.

Here's my recipe, which I thought turned out quite nice.
Tomato Soup
1/2 cup dehydrated ground tomatoes (a couple big handfuls if not ground)
1 onion (or dehydrated onions)
3 cloves of garlic (or dehydrated garlic)

8 cups of water
1 T. salt (remember there is no salt in your tomatoes so far) add to taste
1/4 t. black pepper
1 and 1/2 t. sugar
pinch of thyme

Once the tomatoes have partially rehydrated, you can blend this up in the blender, or use a hand blender on it to get it smooth.

Bring to a boil for 30 minutes, then thicken slightly with 3 T flour mixed in 1/2 cup cold water, mix well and then add until you have a slightly thickened soup. Add 2 T butter for richness.

(optional: add milk or cream in place of some water--at the end of the cooking) Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 7

B: yogurt with frozen berries
L: powdered egg and sausage tvp biscuits










Mile High Biscuits

Felt like breakfast for lunch today, so it's egg and sausage biscuits.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 1/8 cups milk

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add egg and milk and mix until dough forms a ball. Spread on flowered surface and knead only a dozen times. Roll out to about 3/4 inch and cut with floured biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 475 for 12 minutes.










D: breaded fish, with roasted potatoes and carrots (from homecanned,) and the last of the jar of green beans fried up


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 8

B: Yogurt with rolled oats and thawed mixed fruit
L: Veggie pizza with homemade dough, homecanned pizza sauce, and rehydrated veggies (I made dough for 3 extra mini pizzas so I'll share the recipe another day, figure one is enough)
D: Pinto Beans and Rice, fried green beans and boiled carrots (from homecanned) with a leftover biscuit










After gathering up all my favorite bean recipes today for someone, I decided I'd better whip one up. This makes a huge batch so there'll be plenty of leftovers.

Pinto Beans and Rice (Crockpot)

2 cups pinto beans
1/3 cup salsa
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons each salt, chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon each cumin, oregano, pepper
3 bay leaves
1 cup dry rice

Rinse beans and put in crock pot. Cover with 2 inches water. Add all but rice and allow to cook 4 hours on high. Cook rice according to package directions and stir into bean mixture before serving.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 9

B: Oatmeal with homecanned peaches
L: Leftover beans and rice, and veggies from last night
D: Pizza using leftover dough and homecanned pizza sauce










Easy No Rise Pizza Crust

1 package dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve yeast in water, then add remaining ingredients. Knead about 20 times and let rest 10 minutes. Press into pan, top with favorite ingredients, and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.


----------



## scooter (Mar 31, 2008)

I'm really enjoying these posts and how creative you are at making these meals from your food storage. They all look delicious also.


----------



## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks for the ideas, I need to do this as well as work has slowed down for dh. We just got back from a cruise (that my parents took us on and spent more than we really wanted to) so I'm trying to use up what we have. I put this in the crock pot for dinner: http://picky-palate.com/2012/09/20/pesto-ranch-crock-pot-chicken-thighs/ using frozen pesto that I made and homemade ranch mix and then I made up a pot of chicken taco soup for lunch. I need to put some seeds in a jar for sprouts and maybe I'll make some homemade bread for dinner!

Trying to menu plan, that helps a lot, the freezer is plenty full. My neighbor brought me a bunch of spices last night, she won them in a white elephant gift. large containers of lemon pepper, fish seasoning, dill weed, jerk seasoning, cajun seasoning, some really good stuff that I will actually use.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 10

B: oatmeal with homecanned peaches
L: egg salad sammich with sprouts
S: scored some salad and bread leftover from a lunch meeting
D: baked chicken with leftover rice and beans and boiled carrots and homecanned grape juice

Sorry, nothing worth taking a picture of today


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

So far those rice and beans have gone 3 meals! Or did I lose count and it was more? Very cost effective and delicious looking! I was thinking they'd be good with fried or poached eggs.


----------



## backtocolo (May 1, 2012)

I am enjoying your food adventures


----------



## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

You can change things up with the rice & beans by just adding a little extra meat or some veggies. The bread recipe was yummy!! Thanks.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Kristinemomof3 said:


> You can change things up with the rice & beans by just adding a little extra meat or some veggies. The bread recipe was yummy!! Thanks.



Oh I'm glad you tried it  It's a good one.


----------



## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

nice thread you started. Lots of good ideas and I agree with the others your pantry is great


----------



## cnichols (Jan 5, 2010)

Love the Pantry! I really enjoy seeing pictures of other peoples pantries. It can be quite inspiring. Things around our house are at a stand-still since DH & I are doing the UPS Account again this Christmas Season but there are definately some "projects" that are going to be getting done after the first of the year! 

Keep up the posts! I'll catch up on them when I can but they are great!


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 11

B: Oatmeal with thawed berries
L: Egg salad sandwich with sprouts, and homecanned peaches
D: In the oven now....Steak, with roasted potatoes and carrots (from homecanned)


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 12

B: eggs and fried homecanned potatoes
L: leftover steak and veggies
S:leftover fruit from a lunch meeting...skipped the pizza...all the end of year bigwig meetings make for good foraging 
D: skipped...not feeling well, there's a cold goin around


----------



## backtocolo (May 1, 2012)

Viggie I was on the Tattler facebook page. I saw a pantry that looked very familiar. I do beleive it was yours. They wern't claiming credit for it just that it was a lot of tattler lids.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

backtocolo said:


> Viggie I was on the Tattler facebook page. I saw a pantry that looked very familiar. I do beleive it was yours. They wern't claiming credit for it just that it was a lot of tattler lids.


Haha it was  One of my friends tagged me in it right away. It's interesting how quickly things can circulate sometimes.


----------



## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

Hope your feeling better soon. Love following this thread.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

A peek in the fridge as I approach 2 weeks.










Day 13
B: Oatmeal
L: Peanut butter toast
D: Homecanned Tomato Soup with (Bread Machine started) Rustic Italian Bread










I made half a loaf because the comments were that this made one very large loaf...so I ended up with a too small loaf...lol...oh well.

1 cup warm water 
2 Tablespoons olive oil 
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons active dry yeast 
cornmeal, for baking sheet 
1 egg white, slightly beaten 

Add flour, oil, salt, sugar, yeast and water to your bread machine according to its instructions. Set on dough setting. When done, roll out and form into loaf. Put in loaf pan and let rise 30 more minutes. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.


----------



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

look at everything all lined up in the fridge......i know who you are...lol


----------



## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

you and i really dont need a refrigerator theres so little in them .....when mine dies i am getting a freezer converted to fridge...takes 10x less power.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

What I really need is a backwards one...a freezer with a tiny fridge on top


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

B: refrigerator oatmeal with frozen berries
L: tomato soup with homemade bread
S: fresh baked chocolate chip cookies
D: Spaghetti and lentils with bread, made with ...you guessed it homegrown homecanned sauce


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 15

B: Caramelized Pear Oven Pancake using my fabulous homecanned pears









Recipe from: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/caramelized-pear-oven-pancake/

L: PB&J with cookies
D: Leftover spaghetti and lentils with boiled carrots and peas


----------



## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Looks like you are really doing good Vig.
Lately we have been fortunate enought to eat more from our freezer and pantry than what we have been needing to buy.
Between our chickens, garden, and deer season, we have saved a ton of $$ on groceries. Hoping to do at least twice as well next year.


----------



## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

viggie said:


> Day 15
> 
> B: Caramelized Pear Oven Pancake using my fabulous homecanned pears
> 
> ...


Lovely, I gotta say I love this thread, did the handle on that cast iron skillet come that way or did you buy it separate? love it!


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Kristinemomof3 said:


> Lovely, I gotta say I love this thread, did the handle on that cast iron skillet come that way or did you buy it separate? love it!



It's a cover that slips over the handle. I worry about bumping it so I have this silicone one and a few of the cloth ones that lodge sells.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Never saw those silicone ones for handles. I need to find some of those.


----------



## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Well, I'm late to the party, I guess. Just noticed your thread and read through all the posts. You are doing SO WELL! Congrats, and thanks so much for starting this thread, posting your pics and recipes. You are an inspiration. I've got a ton of storage, but not really organized well enough. I'm going to make a point of at least two meals a day from our storage and see how it goes. Been making it a goal to use at least two jars of something home canned each day so I can empty jars for next year and keep the grocery shopping to a minimum. Thanks for the link on using home storage foods, too, as I've bookmarked it and will do some new things with our storage.


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Great thread, I started reading when it was 1/2 a page, just came back. Great job, an inspiration for cooking for 1 or 2 people and keeping it interesting. You live like we do, many people do not realize how it is to live for the year, 1 full year on what you put up. Since there are 2 of us, we make more soups, cassaroles, chili and stew. We make bread into rolls, biscuits and muffins a lot. We also eat a lot of breakfast foods as main meals. Breakfast is light, dairy heavy and cold since I am a morning person and sweetie is a night person. We eat our hearty meal at 2;00 pm. We did go to the whole foods store to get baking things early this month as everyone loves Sweeties baking. Great job....James


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

B: dehydrated veggie omlette
L: pb&j and cookies and homecanned pears
D: potato leek soup...it's this recipe I canned in spring


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

You're 1/2 way through Viggie! I am really struck with how little you've used of food stores in 2 weeks. And great variety in your menu's. Of course it'd be more with 2 people or a family, but it's inspiring. I also think some of us eat too much and too many snacks :ashamed: !


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 17

B: Avery's Apple Oatmeal 

This is an old picture because I'm lazy. But I've been making this one for years now and love it. I have #10 cans of dehydrated "apple sauce" which are just tiny dices which are perfect for this.










Jar ingredients:
3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup dehydrated apples
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Additions:
1/4 cup boiling water

Mix all jar ingredients in a bowl and pour into quart jar.

To prepare, place one quarter cup jar mix in a bowl. Add boiling water and stir gently. Let stand two minutes before serving.

Each 1/4 cup makes 1 serving, for a total of 16 per jar.

From The Mason Jar Soup-to-Nuts Cookbook

L: Spaghetti and a fancy starbucks cookie left over from a lunch meeting
D: Lemon Pepper Chicken with scalloped potatoes and boiled peas


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 18

B: Averi's Apple Oatmeal
S: Hershey Kisses and a Candy Cane (we did gifts today )
L: Fish Sammich with Fruit (team lunch at some steak joint...but steak was so expensive we were too afraid to order any)
D: Leftover Fish with leftover scalloped potatoes and peas


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 19

B: Over easy eggs and fried homecanned potatoes
L: Scavenged pizza and salad, so I took my leftovers home for dinner
S: Gingerbread cookies sent to our department
D: Leftover lemonpepper chicken and boiled up a mix of leftover veggies


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 20

B: Eggs and fried homecanned potatoes
L: Tomato and rice soup with fresh bread
S: Frozen cookie dough 
D: In the oven now....Breaded crappie with roasted potatoes, carrots, and asparagus


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

viggie said:


> S: Frozen cookie dough


This is a gourmet item. mmmmmmm yum yes love it.:hobbyhors:hobbyhors


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

The recipe I made had such good dough it was kinda a shame to have put chocolate chips in it!

And the results of tonights work...roasted homecanned veggies


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 21

B: averi's apple oatmeal
L: pb&j and applesauce
D: chicken fried rice

Day 22

B: fried eggs and potatoes
L: leftover fried rice
S: Snow ice cream










D: steak with asparagus and potatoes


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

You just made me laugh. We had 10 inches of snow today, in WI. I never even thought of snow ice cream. Was I thinking? So awesome.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

hehe well howdy neighbor


----------



## farmwoman59 (Aug 7, 2008)

Viggie, I have enjoyed reading this thread and seeing the pics of your food. May I ask what pattern of china you're using? It is gorgeous!


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

farmwoman59 said:


> Viggie, I have enjoyed reading this thread and seeing the pics of your food. May I ask what pattern of china you're using? It is gorgeous!



It's vintage Noritake (N251) that I got for just $40 on craigslist. No one entertains anymore so they just don't value china. These are my only dishes so they see everyday use.


----------



## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

Wow Viggie, your almost done! you really did a great job. I'm going to make the apple oatmeal, my kids love that stuff.


----------



## scooter (Mar 31, 2008)

Viggie, that picture of the snow ice cream brought back happy memories of making it with the grandchildren.


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Viggie, this thread will end in December, I'm almost dreading it being over, it should go on much farther than December. We'll all miss it in January.


----------



## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

Maybe we could all be challenged to to post meals with photos and cheap spending, I know I could try and spend less for January.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

I'd be in for a group thread! I'm just going to get some fresh cheese, butter, sour cream, and lettuce to start the new month with a grocery bill under $20.

B: pancakes with homegrown homecanned strawberry preserves
L: leftover fried rice with homecanned pears
S: fresh batch of yogurt









Using this recipe: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/yogurt.htm
I use the cheap jar of yogurt culture you can find on amazon which has a nice tart flavor, but I've done it using store bought yogurt as a starter before too.

D: Leftover steak potatoes and asparagus


----------



## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

I'm definitely already challenged. What will I cook, what should I make, what do I have, I am challenged E V E R Y S I N G L E D A Y. There is food here but no plans. Lots of raw food here. And I do love cooking.

I do love looking at the pictures of food, and I know! it takes time to take those pictures and to post them, thank you so much.

Viggie, taking time to take pictures, well, thank you. I wish your thread could go on forever.


----------



## mommatwo2 (Nov 7, 2013)

Viggie! You are so awesome for doing this and sharing your menu with us... Great inspiration for anyone with a food storage. Teaching us to use what we have and still have variety, and good meals. I for one appreciate all you have done this month...


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 24

B: veggie omelet
L: peanut butter and jelly toast with homecanned pears
S: baked up some of my frozen cookie dough
D: steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, boiled asparagus










Merry Christmas


----------



## lmrose (Sep 24, 2009)

viggie said:


> I have quite a bit of food on hand, that's not an issue. My real goal is the additional savings from not buying food for a month. I'm trying to recover from being laid off for most of the year.


Viggi ; that is an awesome pantry and you certainly deserve credit for storing up such a large variety of food! Certainly there is enough there for several months.Hopefully you will be back working soon at your job or another one.

In our situation we store food and live off of it from Fall to late Spring when the garden is up again. We are ten miles from a grocery store and don't have a vehicle so we don't grocery shop.

Our diet is quite plain. We eat a wide variety of vegetables; fish and only goat meat and chickens we have raised our selves. The main meal of the day I make sure there is plenty of color on our plate to ensure we are getting the proper vitamins. So we might have fish, potatoes, green beans,squash or carrots and apples or cranberries for dessert. 

Breakfast is cooked oatmeal with flax seed and blue berries or bananas. The bananas I buy and freeze in their peels for winter. Sometimes I peel them and slice and freeze which works good too.

Supper is light as our main meal is at noon. It might be soup, veggie burgers or parsnip pancakes. 

I freeze milk for winter and thaw it to cook with or to make yogurt. Our goats are dry in the winter which gives us less chores to do.

Preparing ahead does save money at the grocery store if you grow your food, buy it cheap or get it for free. We only buy a limited amount of food anyway such as whole wheat flour, oats, olive oil, corn oil, flax seed,corn meal, dates.bananas , raisins, some nuts and honey and maple syrup. Food is expensive here so we limit our buying to October and April and get enough to last six months. If I am short on money I eliminate the maple syrup, dates, 
raisins and nuts.

So it is possible to live off what you put up. I admire your plan to live off what you have stored for a month. If the food is mostly what you grew you can replenish next growing season. Good luck!


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Merry Christmas Viggie! Liked your Christmas Eve menu. Thanks to your thread I opened my #10 cans of potato flakes, cubes and corn along with cheese. I'm experimenting with soup mixes and how to use it all. Thanks!


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Day 26

B: Kasha









L: turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes
D: too full


----------



## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

Merry Christmas Viggie!!!!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

My Brother gave me some steel cut oats, had them for breckfast today, I really like them. I need to find some more like he gave me- sealed in a can.


----------



## farmwoman59 (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks for the name of the china! 

Living in the south snow is scarce so on the rare occasions we got some my grandmother would set out dishpans and get as much as she could. She would then make snow ice cream in a gazillion different flavors and freeze it. I remember eating chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pineapple and other flavors the following summer!


----------



## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

Viggie, Thank you for posting all your pics and sharing your month with us. Great job!


----------



## wes917 (Sep 26, 2011)

Love this thread and learned some awesome new recipes. I'm gonna imitate your first dinner but with perch instead of walleye as we did quite a bit of perch fishing this summer


----------



## jkhs (Sep 17, 2010)

This thread has been so inspiring! Thanks, Viggie!


----------

