Mom, there's nothing to eat!!!!

We are on week 2 of "Pantry Week" (have you heard the moans coming from my house) Now, you may be asking what exactly is pantry week - good question!

Pantry Week is when I stop grocery shopping and try to eat only what we already have on hand - I did cheat a little because I bought milk - actually Cam bought it and also came home with a box of Yodels!! Since I like to stock up on products when they are a good price, we tend to have a surplus of food. When I feel like it hasn't been rotated out quick enough or if we are planning to go away I stop buying. Since both were happening last week - we were going down to my brothers and we were getting a little overloaded = Pantry Week.

It's always a good idea to clean out your fridge before you go away - my mom was famous for this. When we would leave on vacation the only thing left in the fridge would be a bottle of ketchup and the light bulb - she was famous for her fried bologna sandwiches! I hated this, but as any good parent will tell you, we tend to do the same things our parents do! So there!!

I also clean my house and do all the laundry before I go away - this is just psychological or is that psycho- it is nice to come home from a trip to a clean house and the only laundry you need to do is in your suitcase. I also make sure there is a meal waiting in the freezer - since obviously there is no food in the fridge.

So when we returned from our trip, I anticipated a trip to the grocery store, but no one has been complaining about the lack of food, so I bought milk and we are now on week 2.  I am going to see how long I can make this last!

I've had to be creative to make it this far, below are some of the meals and snacks that we've had:

Chicken - lots of chicken
Carrot and Squash Soup
Grilled Cheese made on bread that had been in the freezer a little too long, but tasted delicious as grilled cheese
Steak that we had received as a gift for Christmas
Pasta - lots of pasta
Salad with leftover meat on top
Mediterranean Orzo Salad

And now for the snacks:
Chocolate cake
Rice Crispy Treats
Celery and Peanut Butter
Carmel Popcorn - this recipe is courtesy of my sis in law - and is too good not to share:

                                                                                                                                                             

 Microwave Carmel Popcorn  

                                                                                   

1 Cup Brown Sugar                           

1 Stick of Butter

                              1/4 cup light corn syrup

                                      1/2 tsp salt

                                  1/2 tsp baking soda

          4 quarts air popped popcorn- place in brown grocery bag

Combine first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. When blended, add baking soda and stir quickly till frothy - pour immediately over popcorn in the brown bag, close and shake vigorously. Place bag in microwave and cook for 1 minute, remove, shake, repeat. Then spread hot camel popcorn on clean surface and let cool. Store in an airtight container - if any makes it past the cooling stage - we eat it right off the counter!
This is a great treat to send to college students - it's light, cheap and delicious!!

Back to my story - so I'm going to see how long I can go without shopping and try to use up some of my bargain groceries - everything does eventually expire. Meanwhile, I will be searching for a recipe that calls for 20 cans of dented tuna fish. Saving money by skipping a few weeks of grocery shopping - that makes cents!