Fridge & pantry challenge, pass or fail?

Four months ago, I challenged myself to only eat from the contents of my fridge and pantry & only buy from a list of 25 staple items to inspire culinary creativity, save money, and curb unnecessary grocery spending. How I did depends on your outlook. If you are a multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank type of person, I probably barely passed. However, I am more of an essay type person, so I think I passed.


For the first part, did I only eat from the contents of my fridge & pantry? No. I did, however, use up approximately 25% of my contents, so yea for me:). In doing so, I created meals using ingredients I had on hand supplemented with staples. 

Here is one of those meals. It was inspired by a casserole my mom made and modified to be vegetarian with TVP, green olives, and a yellow pepper.

It tasted much better than it looks, especially with my toppings (yogurt, bottom-of-the-bag tortilla chips, and some green onions).


Did I only buy from my list of staples? No. I did, however, stick pretty close to it. My strays were mainly other vegetables and fruits, or buying more than one item due to sale price. Though, I must confess I bought a few things completely unrelated to my staples list due to sale price or a serious craving. I did definitely spend less on groceries. I even shopped once based on coupons and related sales and saved a whopping 48%.

It was also my goal to eat out less, which I did accomplish. I wasn't perfect, as it was my goal to only eat out for legitimate reasons (like book club or meeting friends). Laziness & convenience overcame me a few times, but, well, I'm weak some times. One thing I did stick to is only getting Starbucks when I can expense it, or with a gift card. There are 2 things I always have ingredients for: tacos and PB & J, so I went back to eating a lot of tacos and PB & J. 

In conclusion, even though I strayed from my list of staples, gave in to the convenience of dining out, and sometimes ignored the contents of my pantry and fridge, there were areas of improvement. I got creative in my kitchen, and reminded myself how much I love to bake and cook. I definitely saved money, and saw the benefits of shopping smarter. I even learned to control my Starbucks addiction. Overall, I give myself a B-, and plan to continue with my renewed habits.

Fridge & Pantry Challenge

Today, I am beginning a fridge and pantry challenge for myself. In years past, I have tried this challenge, but have failed quickly each time. This time, because I posted it in a blog, I am, in theory, now accountable beyond myself. As you can see, my fridge is rather full, and my pantry is about the same.

fridge3, originally uploaded by quirkyt.

The Challenge: Eat only from the contents of my fridge and pantry (cabinets in my apartment) without going to the grocery store, except for approved staple items. In an ideal challenge world, I would not go to the grocery store at all, but this is the reason for my past failures. Now, I'm not going to pretend I eat healthy all the time, but for the most part, I do, and I can't go without milk, juice, yogurt and some fresh veggies & fruits. My only sources of protein besides dairy are fish, seafood, soy, legumes, and nuts, so I need the "healthy" me to be able to replenish my proteins. Fish and seafood are not on my list, but I will eat them when eating out for a meal. As for dining out, I can only do so for legitimate reasons (like book club, meeting a friend, etc.). Lastly, I can only replace said staples, after actually finishing them.

Time: 3 months, or until I am only left with staples

My Goals:

• To inspire culinary creativity
  
• To curb unnecessary grocery spending
  
• To buy only staples & ingredients for planned meals
• To save money

fridge,.


The Staples:

1. Milk
2. Seltzer Water
3. Juice (1 type)
4. Eggs
5. Sunflower Seeds/ Nuts
6. Carrots/ Greens (both, if on sale)
   
7. Canned Tomatoes
8. Yogurt (plain or vanilla)
9. Pasta
10. Butter
11. Flour/ Sugar (baking staples)
12. Berries/ apples/ oranges (1 type)
13. Peanut Butter
14. Corn Tortillas
15. Red/ Sweet potatoes (1 type)
16. Beans
17. Cornflakes &/or sale cereal with <>
18. Brown Rice/ other grains
19. Tofu
20. Raisins/ Dried fruit (1 type)
21. Trader Joe's Red Pepper Sauce
22. Ginger
23. Broccoli
24. Tea
25. Cocoa
    

I'll let you know how I am doing next week, and will try to include photos. Here's to success this time!