# Emptying cupboards and freezer



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

So I have decided that I have way too much food in my house. I am really good about buying, so my freezer is overflowing and my cupboards and shelves have far too much stuff. I also know that though I get a great deal on these items, I throw out more than I should.

I’ve decided to give myself a challenge in the name of frugality. I am currently going to try to not buy any new food with the exception of nonperishables. 

Here are some of my rules:
1. No buying food that is non-perishable or goes into my freezer 
2. For perishables, I can only buy them if I do not have any in my freezer. So far, I can think of milk, eggs, maybe fruit and veggies. 

Exceptions:
If I need to buy groceries for a special meal a.k.a. a special occasional guests (that have dietary restrictions) 

If for some reason one of my pantry staples completely runs out and I need it. 

I want to keep this simple. But if anyone has other ideas, tips, or rules bring them on. 

Just curious how long do you think you could go for without buying groceries?

I may post some weird ingredients.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Maybe inventory what you have and create a meal plan of meals for which you have most or all of the ingredients?


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I do keep a stock of staples and canned goods but I live in the country. As I have a propane camp stove and a well I could survive for quite a while in case of emergency.

Everyone should have enough food and water on hand to survive for a couple of weeks even if you live in an apartment.

Having got that out of the way it is easy to get overstocked especially if you like to stock up when things are on sale. You need to monitor your purchases, and be sure to use up the oldest purchases first so it does not expire.

You are wise to run down your supplies if you have too much on hand and now is a good time to do it.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Raid the freezer and your cabinets for orphan ingredients that can be combined to make a dish. For example, today I made “buttermilk” by adding vinegar to milk past its due date. I then used the buttermilk to bake Irish Soda bread. I was planning to make Brown Irish Soda Bread, but I had only 30g of Brown flour. So I combined that with white flour. I had half a packet of golden raisins that needed to be used up, so I added them. The result is a delicious quick bread, no shopping required. 

Tonight I am going to combine some celery, a lonely onion, minced chicken, stray vegetables and canned tomatoes (I recently bought five cans on sale) to make a “bolognese” sauce. I will add some stock that I had from a beef stew and stored in the freezer. I’ll use more of that expired milk to make a bechamel sauce. I have half a packet of fresh lasagne sheets in the freezer. I’ll put the three of those things together to make a lasagne in my Instant Pot. 

This morning’s breakfast was a smoothie I made with homemade yogurt (using the Instant Pot), a banana and the last of the frozen strawberries I had in the freezer. Mmmm! Now I am going to take another jar of frozen homemade yogurt out of the freezer to start using tomorrow. 

And so on! 

This is why, when you become comfortable with cooking, you can save a lot of money.

Other ideas: Make a stir fry and put it over quinoa, rice or couscous. Use vegetables past their prime to make your own vegetable stock. Use this for soups, stews, risotto.....the list goes on.


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

Deleted


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> I do keep a stock of staples and canned goods but I live in the country. As I have a propane camp stove and a well I could survive for quite a while in case of emergency.
> 
> Everyone should have enough food and water on hand to survive for a couple of weeks even if you live in an apartment.
> 
> Having got that out of the way it is easy to get overstocked especially if you like to stock up when things are on sale. You need to monitor your purchases, and be sure to use up the oldest purchases first so it does not expire..


Guilty about the overstock, hence my challenge. I have to say I have two weeks of food at my cabin(I never go more than 4 days). My house, I am going to guess I could go easily two months without having getting creative. My challenge is not buying bulk when on sale. 




heyjude said:


> Raid the freezer and your cabinets for orphan ingredients that can be combined to make a dish. For example, today I made “buttermilk” by adding vinegar to milk past its due date. I then used the buttermilk to bake Irish Soda bread. I was planning to make Brown Irish Soda Bread, but I had only 30g of Brown flour. So I combined that with white flour. I had half a packet of golden raisins that needed to be used up, so I added them. The result is a delicious quick bread, no shopping required.
> 
> Tonight I am going to combine some celery, a lonely onion, minced chicken, stray vegetables and canned tomatoes (I recently bought five cans on sale) to make a “bolognese” sauce. I will add some stock that I had from a beef stew and stored in the freezer. I’ll use more of that expired milk to make a bechamel sauce. I have half a packet of fresh lasagne sheets in the freezer. I’ll put the three of those things together to make a lasagne in my Instant Pot.
> 
> ...


Some really great tips. I do a lot of them, hence why my freezer is too full. I love the intestine ideas, and have to admit though I stir fry a lot, I never thought about putting over anything by rice or noodles.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> Some really great tips. I do a lot of them, hence why my freezer is too full. I love the intestine ideas, and have to admit though I stir fry a lot, I never thought about putting over anything by rice or noodles.


I have no idea what you mean when you speak of “intestine ideas”, LOL! 

Quinoa is very good for you! A great source of protein, and gluten free. Couscous is a wheat product, but it has lots of fibre. If you make some of eithe one and have leftovers, they make great salads. 

I remembered another fridge clearing out idea: frittata.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

heyjude said:


> I have no idea what you mean when you speak of “intestine ideas”, LOL!
> 
> Quinoa is very good for you! A great source of protein, and gluten free. Couscous is a wheat product, but it has lots of fibre. If you make some of eithe one and have leftovers, they make great salads.
> 
> I remembered another fridge clearing out idea: frittata.


Shoot, I hate autocorrect. I meant interesting, not intestines. I do have both couscous and quinoa in my oantry. However, I am the only one who will eat it. So I tried to hide some quinoa in my soups, which is okay, but this doesn’t work with the couscous. I need ideas to ‘disguise’ it. I have not idea why my kids won’t it.

I am pretty good with my fridge, it’s just my freezer and and pantries that have over flown. I am actually debating if I stop buying most items for my fridge so it forces me to go into my pantry and freezer more. 

You said you make yogurt in your instant pot. For some reason I have been intimidated by the thought. Do you have to buy anything special? Couldn’t figure out the cultures, and didn’t want to add more in my pantry.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> Shoot, I hate autocorrect. I meant interesting, not intestines. I do have both couscous and quinoa in my oantry. However, I am the only one who will eat it. So I tried to hide some quinoa in my soups, which is okay, but this doesn’t work with the couscous. I need ideas to ‘disguise’ it. I have not idea why my kids won’t it.
> 
> I am pretty good with my fridge, it’s just my freezer and and pantries that have over flown. I am actually debating if I stop buying most items for my fridge so it forces me to go into my pantry and freezer more.
> 
> You said you make yogurt in your instant pot. For some reason I have been intimidated by the thought. Do you have to buy anything special? Couldn’t figure out the cultures, and didn’t want to add more in my pantry.


So it wasn’t intestines, eh? &#55357;&#56834; 

Ingredients to make yogurt:
Milk
Activia pure


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## Chica (Jan 19, 2016)

Plugging Along - this is the recipe I use to make yogurt in my Instant Pot - https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/instant-pot-yogurt-for-newbies/

I do it slightly differently than the recipe. After the milk boils, she puts the inner bowl into an ice water bath to make it cool down faster so the yogurt starter can be added. I just take a little longer and let it cool to the right temperature without the ice water. I use yogurt starter that I bought at a health food store and the package calls for a litre of milk - about 4 and a half cups. I'm not much of a milk drinker, I buy almond milk, so buying a liter works for me. And gives me the right yogurt yield for a single. When I get down to my last batch I'll probably freeze enough of the made yogurt for the next time I make Instant Pot yogurt rather than buy more starter which costs around $5 at the health food store and gives you 6 packages (it's a powder). If you already have plain yogurt in your fridge you can use a couple of tablespoons of that instead of buying the culture.

It's a day long event to make Instant Pot yogurt but isn't much hands on. After you've added the starter and put it back in the Instant Pot it takes 8 hours, so give yourself at least 9 hours if you plan to make some. When the yogurt is done I put a strainer on my dutch oven pot, line it with coffee filters (I don't drink coffee - had to go to the dollar store to buy some!), pour the yogurt out of the Instant Pot into the strainer and put it in the fridge. I leave it there overnight and in the morning I have Greek yogurt. And your fridge will smell tangy everytime you open the door! In the morning I transfer the yogurt into a sealed plastic container.

And from there you can do whatever you want. I stir some jam into it. I also use it in place of sour cream for a baked potato.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Chica said:


> Plugging Along - this is the recipe I use to make yogurt in my Instant Pot - https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/instant-pot-yogurt-for-newbies/
> 
> I do it slightly differently than the recipe. After the milk boils, she puts the inner bowl into an ice water bath to make it cool down faster so the yogurt starter can be added. I just take a little longer and let it cool to the right temperature without the ice water. I use yogurt starter that I bought at a health food store and the package calls for a litre of milk - about 4 and a half cups. I'm not much of a milk drinker, I buy almond milk, so buying a liter works for me. And gives me the right yogurt yield for a single. When I get down to my last batch I'll probably freeze enough of the made yogurt for the next time I make Instant Pot yogurt rather than buy more starter which costs around $5 at the health food store and gives you 6 packages (it's a powder). If you already have plain yogurt in your fridge you can use a couple of tablespoons of that instead of buying the culture.
> 
> ...


That is the recipe I use too! It’s also on the Instant Pot app, which I have on my iPad. I personally find that the ice bath gives me better results. As the author recommends, I incubate it for 10 hours, not 8. I also am partial to Greek yogurt, so I strain it. I started with coffee filters, but later bought a purpose built EuroCuisine strainer. I don’t add any flavourings to the yogurt itself, though if you like it sweet, a dash of maple syrup and a little vanilla is nice. One thing NOT to add is lemon juice, because it will curdle! The yogurt doesn’t last long, so I keep forgetting that I should keep some to act as the starter for the next batch! I use the whey for baking and I am going to try making whey ricotta soon.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

heyjude said:


> So it wasn’t intestines, eh? ��
> 
> Ingredients to make yogurt:
> Milk
> Activia pure


I actually know how to properly cook intestines, but that wasn’t what I meant. :emmersed:

What is activia pure?


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Chica said:


> Plugging Along - this is the recipe I use to make yogurt in my Instant Pot - https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/instant-pot-yogurt-for-newbies/
> 
> I do it slightly differently than the recipe. After the milk boils, she puts the inner bowl into an ice water bath to make it cool down faster so the yogurt starter can be added. I just take a little longer and let it cool to the right temperature without the ice water. I use yogurt starter that I bought at a health food store and the package calls for a litre of milk - about 4 and a half cups. I'm not much of a milk drinker, I buy almond milk, so buying a liter works for me. And gives me the right yogurt yield for a single. When I get down to my last batch I'll probably freeze enough of the made yogurt for the next time I make Instant Pot yogurt rather than buy more starter which costs around $5 at the health food store and gives you 6 packages (it's a powder). If you already have plain yogurt in your fridge you can use a couple of tablespoons of that instead of buying the culture.
> 
> ...



Thank you. It’s starter part I don’t really understand. I didn’t know I’d you can just use regular yogurt, or a seperate culture. I ddntl want to buy cultures, but I will look into it more.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

we go in cycles - a family of four and we mostly eat at home. Spend about $6.5=7k per year in groceries.

A few months before we go on summer vacation we go into 'eat the the house' down mode. 
Nothing but fresh stuff bought at the grocery or key ingredients where 90% else is on hand.

Then back from vacation and fresh local things to cook with and put up in home canned items that go into the cold cellar to be eaten up over the next year or two.
We put these canned items in the planned ahead menu for a month ( no, every meal is not planned ahead) so we have meals/left overs for nights when we have to eat and run to things we do after work.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> I actually know how to properly cook intestines, but that wasn’t what I meant. :emmersed:
> 
> What is activia pure?


Activia Pure is a plain yogurt containing live cultures of Lactobacilli, which are probiotics.

https://www.activia.ca/en-us/activia-pure


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Every so often when we do not feel like cooking we simply eat out of the fridge. All the leftovers, whatever.

We travel for a few months at a time twice a year. A couple of weeks prior to departure we cut down and primarily buy produce. We eat what is in the freezer. Only exception is a turkey. Been there for a year.

We have an upright freezer vs a chest freezer so we don't have any food going AWOL at the bottom of a chest freezer.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Any plain yogurt that contains bacterial cultures will work fine as a starter.


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## dadaswell (Jan 6, 2016)

Plugging Along said:


> So I have decided that I have way too much food in my house. I am really good about buying, so my freezer is overflowing and my cupboards and shelves have far too much stuff. I also know that though I get a great deal on these items, I throw out more than I should.
> 
> I’ve decided to give myself a challenge in the name of frugality. I am currently going to try to not buy any new food with the exception of nonperishables.
> 
> ...


We have a similar challenge going on here....way too much food on hand. Have to clear out the freezer.....


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

heyjude said:


> Activia Pure is a plain yogurt containing live cultures of Lactobacilli, which are probiotics.
> 
> https://www.activia.ca/en-us/activia-pure


Thank you. I will try this when we run out of store bought yogurt. Silly question. After I make in batch can you used that batch to continue with future batches? Like a sour dough starter?


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> Thank you. I will try this when we run out of store bought yogurt. Silly question. After I make in batch can you used that batch to continue with future batches? Like a sour dough starter?


Yes!


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Plugging Along said:


> Thank you. I will try this when we run out of store bought yogurt. Silly question. After I make in batch can you used that batch to continue with future batches? Like a sour dough starter?


And before long, you'll have fridges full of yogurt ... :hopelessness: ... just saying, my wife has a tendency to over buy on/hoard foods ... every once in a while comes the purge of which you speak ... and then slowly, slowly, okokok, fairly quickly ... the cupboards and fridge are overflowing again. Good luck with the "shelf-control" :listening_headphone


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Here’s a recipe for homemade yogurt that doesn’t require any specialized equipment. 

https://www.facebook.com/GemmaStaffordbiggerbolderbaking/videos/1232427590223708/


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## coolbeans (Oct 2, 2013)

For the greek yogurt, I also use an Instant Pot. I make a 4L jug of skim milk at a time. I use a 1/4 cup of my favourite greek yogurt as a starter (Kirkland or Liberte 0% fat). I strain using coffee filters in a colander over a large pot with a lid on it in the fridge. Once it's strained (usually overnight), I whip with a hand mixer, then I put aside 4 ziplocs with a 1/4 cup of new yogurt in each and freeze those for the next batch. After 2-3 generations of re-using my own yogurt for starter it sometimes starts to get more sour, so I start over with yogurt from the store again. I've probably made a batch every 1 to 2 weeks for the last couple years this way.

I haven't used the acid whey for anything yet. So it just goes down the drain.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

rikk2 said:


> And before long, you'll have fridges full of yogurt ... :hopelessness: ... just saying, my wife has a tendency to over buy on/hoard foods ... every once in a while comes the purge of which you speak ... and then slowly, slowly, okokok, fairly quickly ... the cupboards and fridge are overflowing again. Good luck with the "shelf-control" :listening_headphone


Quick update... I figured I would stay on course opted not make yogurt so I didn’t end up with a fridge full yogurt. &#55357;&#56832;. We are buying bread, fruits, eggs, and vegetables. 

So far, the family hasn’t noticed too much of a difference as we had lots of stuff in the freezer, but there is a little less variety and the kids have complained about ‘expired food’. I have found it really hard not to take advantage of the deals and stock up, but am hanging in there, 

We donated some of the older food to the food bank and volunteered there too. It was interesting to learn the unless it’s expired verses Best before (which most food is). The food bank says two years after best before is totally fine. It may be a little less fresh. They also said for many items after two years is fine, but they don’t give as a part of the hamper but as an extra someone can choose to take.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Plugging you'd mentioned your father had owned & operated a restaurant. Remember his fabulous & unique approach to roasting big cuts of beef that you gave us? it was unforgettable. _ Rosbif style bouchon papa._

i'm left wondering if your habit of buying in bulk might be related to memories of how your father used to shop for his restaurant. If so, this might help explain why you find buying groceries on a mass commercial scale, whenever you find them on sale, to be so irresistible. Childhood memories are always so strong!

it's true that we're all supposed to have an emergency supply of food, water, flashlight batteries & medical supplies that will last for a few days. My city hall has put out a booklet advising 5 days, but i believe upthread - was it Rusty? - suggested 2 weeks of supplies. Personally i'd lean more towards 2 weeks, on the grounds that some relatives, friends & neighbours aren't going to have anything in storage, so if one has extra one will be in a good position to help them out.

the thing is, emergency food supplies are going to be very different from what one freezes after buying a quantity of fresh food on sale. In a real emergency, freezers won't work, although they will keep cold for a couple of days after the hydro goes out - which it will in a real emergency.

still, real emergency food rations need to be either dry or else sealed in cans & jars. This is not the same drill as buying large quantities of fresh delicious food because it's on sale, then freezing all the extra in meal-sized portions.


.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I actually think my bulk buying comes from my mother. She was the one that did the grocery shopping. She grew with very little taking care of her family of many siblings as the oldest, then to take care of my older sibling while my father moved to Canada,and then had to figure out hapow to raise a family in Canada with very little when she first arrived. This included many frugal tendancies, buying on sale in bulk. I see now as we clean up her house (we had O move her to a home) she was a horder. I see that I have developed those frugal and bulk buying tendancies, but can see how it is leading to hoarding behaviour hence my desire to clean out my pantries and freezer. 

My mother was and still is worried about not having enough Kane never wasting. Even when I moved her to the home, she wanted me to pack her old clothes (we have seen homeless people better dressed) because she wanted to save her new nice stuff for a special occasion. She has enough of everything to last her many more lifetimes. I see bits of that in me. I digress.

I have a ton of food in my freezer, and we are still eating it down. I am finding the desire to stock pile really difficult to not buy for items that I use and see on sale. But I will continue with my challenge (hence why I choose to post this). In an emergency, without power Or water, am pretty sure we could survive for a couple months on the non perishables. That’s what I am trying to eat down now too. We would use our barbecues, and I have propane stoves to for camping. Plus I know how to cook using tin cans, so I think we would be in good shape. We have that much food and stuff which is bad. 

My goal is to try and eat down most everything old, and then I will slowly rebuild my stocks. Right now, I just have to make sure I don’t add to the supplies. I actually have an uneasy feeling when I finish a package of something know there isn’t another container in the storage. It’s really weird.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

So tonight was my first real challenge. We have no more linguine or long pasta, i was tempted to go buy it as it was also on sale. However, I found some squid ink at the back of my fridge , so I made some fresh squid ink pasta (I have a pasta maker) using a mix of flours I don’t always use, in a homemade seafood sauce. It was delicious. I have spent up to $12 for a lbs of fresh squid ink pasta from the market. So I made a double batch of the pasta since the machine was out, and froze it. So no excuse on buying long pasta. 

I may even make a batch of spaghetti later on tonight as my kids love it but we don’t have any,


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

PA, if you’re ever bored, feel free to drop by and fill our freezer up! Every time I read one of your posts I get hungry.....


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

There was an older thrifty couple who always bought apples by the barrel. With that quantity of apples on hand, and being thrifty, they ended up eating the apples that were on the verge of going bad first. They never had a fresh apple all their lives ... just saying.

Enjoy the day :cheerful:


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Dilbert said:


> PA, if you’re ever bored, feel free to drop by and fill our freezer up! Every time I read one of your posts I get hungry.....


It would be hard to ship. I do like cooking in bulk. I have a deal with my friend who has an extra freezer, every so often I used to get an amazing deal, and use some of their freezer space In return for a prepared meal usually on the first batch. It would be bad to have access too many freezers.

Tonight I made a crackling pork shoulder, caramelized apples and onions, corn, and roasted baby potatoes. Normally I would do this as Easter meal for 12 people. However, everyone is out of town so I decided to make it anyways. If you can find a way to get here, I would gladly share . We may be eating it for a few days. 



rikk2 said:


> There was an older thrifty couple who always bought apples by the barrel. With that quantity of apples on hand, and being thrifty, they ended up eating the apples that were on the verge of going bad first. They never had a fresh apple all their lives ... just saying.
> 
> Enjoy the day :cheerful:


Yeah, I could see that. I usually buy in bulk, but always make it a habit of making at least a couple of meals right away before I start freezing. The best of both worlds. Ironically, I fried up my apples that were going soggy for a sauce tonight, and my kids and I will eat the crisp apples that we just bought. Ipwe try to eat things fresh in its mot naturally form then try different things when last prime.


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

Crackling pork shoulder? You’re killing me!:eagerness:


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I thought I would do a little update,and keep me motivated. Yep, I am STILL on a eat down. Imagine how much food we had. 

I have eased up a bit though on my rules. I whpent through most of the meat in my freezer. I have bought some items since I started but very few. I had the last of these weird stuffed clams the other night, they weren’t very good, but now they are gone. 

I found with not buying anything, it was challenging to prepare meals when I got home so we ended up eating out out or getting take out, so that defeated my purpose. 

I am still not buying anything that I still have in my freezer or pantry. However, my freezer is empty enough that I will start to stock up on only the best deals. I am starting to buy seasonal fruits again to freeze for the winter. We just bought 25 lbs of fresh BC cherries, and we have pitted them (or eaten a lot), and I have frozen them for future use. I will also do this for the harvested fruits and veggies which will be available soon. 

I made the most wonderful cherry compote, and found my last leg of lamb In the freezer. Tomorrow, I making a roasted lamb with a cherry balsamic glaze. 


So my goals for the next part of the eat down...
- Still clear out remaining old items in the freezer and pantry. I will start donating the items I know I won’t use, even though I feel I will someday. 
- work on using up seasoning and spices. I have so many.
- try a ‘different’ combination of something at least once a month. Or find substitutes of things I’m am running low on buy like

Some random items I am trying to find a new use for 
-Pearl barley that is not in a soup or a stew
- dried lentils, I don’t know why I bought them, I don’t think I like lentils, maybe cause I don’t know what to do with them. 
- uses for infused or mineral salts, inhave lava salt, basil salt, lime salt, alder salt, and a few others. 
- ground Duran flour, I bought a big bag for making pasta but the grain is too fine for the texture I want. Now what do I do with this stuff.
— high protein instant pancak mix. I somehow ended up with 4 Costco boxes of this mis. The kids aren’t a fan, other than waffle and pancake I need ideas for it 


Find a substitute for popcorn, the kids and I are finishing off the Costco size container of kernels we have, I was all sorts of yummy seasonings, but feel I shouldn’t buy any more. So need a yummy, healthy substitute for popcorn
Find a substitute for corn meal for shrimp and grits.


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