2014 Pantry Challenge Update

I just wanted to give y'all an update on my pantry challenge. It is is going relatively well, although I have found  myself  somewhat frustrated at times. I think it would go better if my kitchen remodel were finished and I had full use of all my appliances.

 I completely overestimated my savings goals. I didn't meet my goal to reduce my food budget by 25% in January but I did reduce it by 12%. So considering I only gave myself 18 days to meet the goal, I feel okay with my not quite a win. No way will February meet the 40% reduction; however, I have already reduced spending to a much more realistic goal of 25%.We seem to be on the right path now.

 It has been a little difficult to reduce both the eating out expense and grocery budget when your food prep and cooking options are limited. However, the good AWESOME news is, the eating out expense has dropped by 60%...woot! So I think the slightly higher grocery bill is justified.

I tried the menu planning for 3 weeks, the hubbs wasn't quite a fan. So it has been modified for only dinners. It works for me so I know what to defrost or check the recipe against my pantry. The house refrigerator (and  freezer) have been nearly emptied. The pantry is dwindling and I have made a substantial dent in the chest freezer stock (once we cleaned out all the wasted food items).

I have made some pretty good meals using what's on hand (even getting a little creative when need be)

Crispy French Onion Chicken
And would you believe, I went to take pictures and my batteries were not charged. Not only that, I had forgotten to charge the extra batteries too...OOPS! Fortunately this recipe is a keeper so the next time I make it, I will definitely have pictures to post!

Crock-pot Loaded Potato Soup

http://mycozylittlefarmhouse.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html

Electric Skillet Swiss Steak

Just a note here--the tomato chunks are actually frozen tomato sauce I put up from my 2013 garden.  I defrosted it long enough to cut it into cubes and tossed it in. I added a 1/3 cup of water and let is simmer away. The round steak was fork tender and all the flavors were melded well. Delicious!

Crock-pot BBQ Shredded Pork Loin

I used 5 lbs of pork loin because it is what I had on hand. I trimmed off the majority of the fat, seasoned with a combination of pepper, garlic, onion, a little brown sugar and some red pepper flakes. I browned the roast for a few minutes on each side then placed in the crockpot (fat side down) on top of a bed of sliced red, orange and green bell peppers. I didn't have any onion but I did have onion relish I had canned in the summer. So I drained most of the liquid and poured the onions relish on top of the pork. Add 1/3 c water, cover and cook on low for 10 hrs. Using a slotted spoon, I removed the pork to a bowl, letting it rest for about 20 minutes. I then used  2 forks to shred. I had a yield of 3 lbs meat, which  I portioned into 1 lb packages and froze 2 lbs. The remaining pound was mixed with barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's) and simmered on low. Yummy!

So how about you? Have you cooked up some good meals or been a budget buster?


**Updated 2/25/14 to add some additional notes, as well as,  correct grammar and typing errors**