Cleaning Out the Pantry = New Recipe

Hi all! Are you still joining us in the "Eat from the Pantry Challenge?" Well, if you are like me (and shopped the great sales anyway) your pantry needs to be cleaned out a little more... I wanted a nice, filling, easy lunch, so I adapted an old recipe and came up with this... Took less than 15 minutes and was supper yummy and healthy!

Tex Mex Soup (Easy & Hearty)

2 cans chicken broth
1 can mexicorn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar Pace picante sauce
1 "palmful" of dried minced onion
1 LG squeeze of lime juice
1 LG dash of Frank's hot sauce
Leftover cooked chicken breast, shredded (mine was in the freezer from freezer cooking day)

Combine all in a dutch oven; boil 'til hot, steamy, and chicken is heated through (about 7 minutes). Serve in bowls with corn chips on top and shredded cheese for garnish.

YUM-O! Protein, veggies, fiber, and flavor all in one bowl!!!

Also, we had this with an excellent salad prepared by the hubs...kudos to him. He rocks. :)

I'm Gonna Break...I'm Just Sayin'

Have you SEEN the SALES this week at Meijer and Kroger????? It's a good thing that I was flexible with myself for our "Eat from the Pantry Challenge" for this month. I am so stocking up on some FREE or under $1 items! I can't help myself...

Recycled Dinner - Chicken Alfredo w/ Broccoli

Last night we had aanother recycled dinner...here's the breakdown of how it went.

Heartland Mickey and Friends Whole Grain Pasta: clearanced at WalMart from the remodel .50
2 Leftover chicken breasts (cooked with a sweet basil rub) from Sundays dinner, Shredded: free
2 1/2 jars of Alfredo sauce from the fridge: free
Milk to thin the sauce: .10
Sprinkle of shredded parm cheese leftover from spin/art dip: free

1 box Immunity Blend veggies (our favorite): .67 (sale + MQ)

This dinner cost us app. $1.27 and we have leftovers for today's lunch!

Also, all of these items were pulled from out pantry or freezer, helping us to stick to January's eat from the pantry challenge!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge

I too am joining the "Eat from the Pantry Challenge" for the month of January. (Guess I had better stock up today, while I can, huh?) :)

I will allow myself the following: chicken, dairy, produce, FREE items, or items that cost under $1 (after cpns and sale). I will also purchase laundry, cleaning, and paper products as needed.

I am hoping to pocket the extra cash that I save towards our 2010 Disney vacation!

Use What You Have - Creative Uses for Household Items Part 1

Waste not, want not. What can you do with the items in your pantry besides cook with them? Check out some of these options below:

Baking Soda

Use instead of Comet to scour your tub or shower floor.

To remove pesky dead insects from the exterior of your car: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and wipe down the hood and/or windshield of your vehicle. Once all desired areas have been wiped down, simply go back over those areas with a dry cloth to remove the baking soda and bugs. The baking soda is a mild abrasive that will remove the bugs without causing damage to the car’s finish.

Peanut Butter

To clean CD’s and DVD’s: Clean a scuff mark from a CD or DVD by rubbing a dab of creamy peanut butter on the disc with a soft cloth and wipe clean.

Cooking Spray (Pam)

Coat the inside of your containers with cooking spray, then pour your tomato sauce products into the container to prevent staining.

Use to grease a sqeaky car door instead of WD-40.


Baby Wipes

Wipe your car's cup holder, dashboard and steering wheel with baby wipes to remove dust and stickiness.


Lemonade Mix (Powdered Form)

To clean a dishwasher: Make sure your dishwasher is empty, then fill the detergent cup with lemonade powder and run the machine through its normal cycle. Your dishwasher will smell lemon fresh and will be sparkly clean.


Vanilla Extract

Soak a cotton ball with pure vanilla extract and place it on a saucer in the corner of the room. Your home will quickly be filled with the fresh scent of vanilla.

You can find a long list of other useful tips and tricks just like these in the popular book “Fix-It Magic” by Joey Green.

Pantry Organization - Check!

After posting my challenge on Monday, I decided to get started organizing my main pantry, which is housed in a old closet. Each shelf is labeled so there is no confusion as to where everything should go... Here are the results, shelf by shelf:

SNACK SHELF: fruit snacks, crackers, cookies and anything snacky!

CLEANING SHELF

BAKING SHELF: everything for baking, includes marshmallows, frostings, food coloring, chips, and mixes.

BOXED SHELF: pasta (+ sauce), helpers, and boxed meals

TOP SHELF: breakfast items; including cereal, oatmeal, pop tarts, and granola bars + all drink mixes

NEW & IMPROVED OVER-THE-DOOR STORAGE: holds all condiments, mac and cheese, pouches, and the like.

Now, I know what I HAVE, what I can GIVE, and how to PLAN my meals :) (I just love my labels too...

How did you stack up to the challenge?

Get Motivated Mondays

Hi Everyone! I am ready to start a new series called "Get Motivated Mondays." Every Monday, I will be sharing a personal challenge and something to motivate YOU for the week.

This week, I am feeling inspired by fellow bloggers "Coupon Geek" and "Moms by Heart" to get organized! See their posts on ways they have organized this week:

http://www.momsbyheart.net/2009/09/6-weeks-or-organization.html (Just going to say that this pantry is AMAZING!)

http://www.coupongeek.net/2009/09/6-weeks-of-organization-end-of-week-1.html (Great work here on a garage and family car!)

This week I am going to tackle my main closet pantry. I will toss expired foods, donate things that we have abundance, and just plain SEE WHAT I HAVE! I may also bring up things from the basement pantry to fill it up. By Friday, I will post pics of my before and after and you can see the progress that the pantry has made.

My challenge to you: Find something to clean out. A closet, your car, garage, attic, cupboards, dresser drawers, whatever. Donate what you can. Make it look and feel pretty!

Let me know what you accomplished this week by leaving a comment. No comments = No readers... Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy our new series: Get Motivated Mondays!