Pantry Challenge Update

The pantry challenge has been going well.  I did make the planned trip to Sam's Club last week.  We mainly stocked up on items that are basics at our house - bread flour, almonds, yeast, vitamins, etc.  These are items that we use and can purchase much cheaper at Sam's Club than our local grocery stores.  I had money saved up for nearly all of what I purchased.  I can tell that I need to set aside a bit of extra money for future stock up purchases.


I will be doing no grocery shopping this week as my regular grocery store is closed for a remodel/update.  I expect to possibly purchase a carton of half and half but that will be all of my spending.  Meals last week were a bit scattered as we were working in the yard and garden so I neglected to keep track of everything we ate.  By cooking ahead on breakfast items (muffins and pancakes), I actually added to the freezer as much as we took out. 


I did try out a couple of yummy recipes and want to share the links.  First for a little party at church I made a cheesy bread.  I made my own loaves of French bread and did not use as much cheese as the original recipe required (8 oz rather than 12 oz).  They turned out wonderful, and I got many compliments so this is a recipe I would make again.  The Stuffed Cheesy Bread was easy to make.  A few other changes included leaving out the Dijon mustard and poppy seeds as I did not have those on hand. 


The next recipe helped me use up a package of cream cheese that was nearing the expiration (the one month past the date on the package expiration).  I have piles of cake mixes and powdered sugar on hand thanks to sales and coupons.  Butter is a staple in my house, and with all of our chickens I am never lacking eggs.  The Ooey Gooey Cake Mix Bars were delicious and simple to put together.  This recipe will go into my recipe book to be made again.   I made no changes at all to this recipe. 


The pantry challenge continues for another week.  The garden is starting to produce (peppers, potatoes, lettuce, and spinach) which will help me buy even less.  I also admit that I am loving not having to make a weekly trip to the grocery store.  I could get used to this!