Okay, I admit it. I am in love with those 10 for $10 deals at the supermarket. I’ve found myself saying on more than one occasion, “I’m sure I’ll need 10 cans of olives sometime or another.”
I used to think my family was unnecessarily strategic for having such a well-stocked pantry (Who can think ahead like that?)…until I moved to college and realized the benefits. Since then, I’ve followed in my family’s footsteps and prided myself on having enough food for when I’m feeling creative in the kitchen.
When this thread came up in the community about pantry-only recipes, I knew it was a challenge I had to take. I decided to give my refrigerator a rest for the week and embrace my cupboards. I had to pick up a few things for this week’s meals, but it was under $20 because I had the majority of the ingredients already. The results surprised me!
Monday: Mediterranean Suddenly Salad
1 Box Suddenly Salad Classic
2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons of water
2.25 oz of sliced black olives, drained
2 oz of diced pimientos, drained
Artichokes Hearts (10-12 Extra Small Hearts, diced in 1/4th’s
2.5 oz of Turkey Pepperoni, chopped in fourths (Refrigerate after opening.)
Make Suddenly Salad Classic according to package. While noodles boil prepare veggies and meat. Add cooled noodles, sauce and veggies in one bowl and mix.
Notes: What I love about Suddenly Salad is that it’s hard to mess up. It’s a simplistic and yummy result no matter how creative I decide to get.
Results: Simple, quick and ready in 20 minutes. The hubby went back for seconds. It tasted even better the day after for leftovers.
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili
Notes: When I came home from work, my hubby said, “I think it’s ruined.” Oh, no! I ran to the slow cooker and saw one big dry bean mixture. I read the directions right… right? In fact I had and once I had added the final recipe ingredients, the chili texture was back to normal.
I didn’t have canned tomatoes with green chilis but I did have plain, diced tomatoes and a can of chilis, so I put those in. It worked just the same!
My hubby ate his with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce while I ate mine with crumbled crackers on top. (BTW, I realized I only refer to him as hubby, but he does have a name. It’s Justin.)
Results: Yum! No need to go back for seconds because this chili is very hearty and filling. My only complaint was that the lentils maybe needed another ¼ cup of water. Justin didn’t care for the chickpeas, but my co-worker (whom I shared leftovers with) said they were critical in making the over all texture less mushy. If you want to keep this a pantry-only recipe, some nacho cheese on top could be fun. Next time, I’ll add some shredded cheese.
Wednesday: Bisquick® Shake 'n' Pour Pancakes
Notes: I’ve been making more breakfast meals for dinner lately because we tend to love them more than expected. It’s probably because in the mornings we’re running late and often eating something quick. I realized it was my first time making pancakes for dinner. I put peanut butter and jelly on mine and Justin added maple syrup to his. If you were making this for kids you could make these fun by using cookie cutters to cut the finished flap jacks into silly shapes! Or you could add dried fruit on top to make funny pancake faces.
Results: After the first bite Justin said, “You are a great wife.” I never expected that kind of response! The pancakes were delicious and after two pancakes I was full (and didn’t crave dessert!) The best part – clean up was a breeze.
Thursday: Black Bean and Salsa Noodle Soup
Notes: I was drawn to this recipe because it reminded me of a twist on a classic tortilla soup. I saw it called for 1/3 cup fresh cilantro. I decided to try dried cilantro instead. I asked the Kitchens their advice and they responded, “Usually 1 tsp dried to 1 tbsp fresh so if 1/3 cup is 5 1/3 tablespoons or 16 tsp, you would use about 5 teaspoons dried cilantro. Or if you wanted to be shy, go with 1/4 cup (4 tbsp).” I went with ¼ cup.
I served it with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (refrigerate after opening though!) and lots of tortilla chips. I had invited two of my friends over to eat with us this night.
Results: The table was full of MmmMmmm’s. They like how the Parmesan cheese balanced out the medium-spicy salsa that I used. I made this meal a few months back with fresh cilantro, and in my humble opinion, I liked it better. But the taste-testers all loved the dried cilantro.
Friday: Spanish Rice and Pinto Beans
Notes: This is a meal I started making when Justin and I were first married after I fell in love with boxed Spanish rice. I was worried that we would be burnt out on beans by end of week, but because we used different types of beans in the meals I had hoped he wouldn’t notice. The box asks for two tablespoons of butter, but I wanted to keep it pantry friendly, so I used two tablespoons olive oil instead. Justin warmed up some of Thursday’s leftovers and had it on the side.
Results: It’s so simple; that’s why we love making it a staple in our house. We’ve put this mixture in tortillas or had it as a side for bigger meals. Though we were happy to eat this, Justin asked me not to make beans again for a little while. Fair enough.
Lessons Learned:
• My friends asked me how I kept my pantry stocked so well. I told them about this link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/cooking-basics/cooking-strategies/stocking-your-kitchen.htm And the Easy Meal Finder search here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/
• Just because it’s pantry doesn’t mean it’s cheaper. Example: Jar of dried cilantro, $6.99. Fresh. .89 cents. Keep a look out for your favorites and stock up when they are on sale.
• Freeze please! Many of these meals were meant for more than two, so the hubby and I had leftover lunches and feature meals stocked in the freezer.
• Too many beans? I should have rotated my meals so that the bean-free meals were spread out better.
Next Week’s Challenge: They say it’s cheaper to buy a whole chicken versus buying the breasts, legs, etc. So I’m going to roast a whole chicken and see what types of meals I can make on a $25 budget!