We're down to the very end of our pantry and freezer now (what was left out). We have to get through this week without shopping, and can shop again on Friday (so three more dinners this week). I'd like to get this stuff eaten before we move - and want to spend as little as possible on groceries, utilizing our pantry/freezer stock. Thoughts?

I have:

rice
gnocchi
big box of spaghetti
2 packs (one family-sized meal) of pappardelle
small pack of "starter sauce" (tomatoes, garlic)
jar of tomato alfredo sauce

2 cans of red beans in chili sauce
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 can of coconut milk
1 big can of vegetarian baked beans
masala simmer sauce
1 aseptic pack of mushroom stock
3 of veg stock

bread (sandwich type bread - rye, wheat)
bread cubes (pre-cut into chunks from a big loaf of sourdough, if I recall)

yukon golds
sweet potatoes
baby potatoes (reds, I think - maybe golds)
red onion
white onion
celery
baby carrots
1 mango
2 organic oranges
1 organic lemon
2 limes

frozen junk: popcorn shrimp, frozen raw shrimp, organic chicken breast, three links of turkey chorizo, mashed potatoes, alexia fries, boca burgers, mahi mahi filets, organic ground turkey breast, and veg corn dogs.

Also have frozen rolls, assorted frozen veggies (asparagus, corn, broccoli), fruit popcicles, ice cream sandwiches, some frozen fruit (tropical medley, maybe, pineapple, lots of organic wild blueberries).

I have curry powder, jerk seasoning, - hm - that may be it. I might have another mexican rice packet in there.


I *did not* save my baking ingredients (except sugar). So, I don't have any flour or that type of stuff out.

Any ideas? What would you get at the store this week and what meals can you make from these for Tues/Wed/Thurs of this week?

A couple ideas, but I am so not good at this:

1) Chicken broccoli alfredo w/ the frozen chicken breast, spaghetti, jar alfredo sauce, and frozen broccoli.

2) Grilled fish, mexican rice, frozen veggies

3) Boca burger 'wiches and fries

or

1) Shrimp alfredo w/ the noodles, frozen shrimp and sauce

2) Shephard's Pie w/ the frozen ground turkey, corn, mashed potatoes

3) Turkey chorizo, red beans in pepper sauce over rice.....kind of like red beans and rice

See, I am not good at this.....definitely not a gourmet cook. :lol: But, I hope this gives you some ideas, anyway.

1. mix frozen veggies with pasta and frozen shrimp and add a little olive oil or butter for the sauce and then a dash of salt and basil and garlic if you have it if not skip it. Buy a loaf of bread for garlic bread.

2.veggies/fruit for dinner make up a bunch of different veggies and serve them, if you can make baked potatoes add toppings for everyone to choose (broccolli, cheese, butter, could use cream of mushroom soup on top of)

3. turkey chili with ground turkey, chili beans, onion, starter pack of tomatos. Buy a can or two of crushed tomatos and chili seasoning and then a side like crackers to stretch it.

4.grilled chicken breast, rice, veggie and fresh fruit

5.popcorn shrimp, corn fruit

6.chicken soup, chicken breast, onion, carrots, celery

7. veg corn dogs/boca burgers on bread with sweet potato fries (cut up sp toss with a little tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with taco seasoning

HTH

The suggestions above are looking pretty good.

If you want to be more "creative", you've got the ingredients for a pappaedelle with sauteed shrimp and coconut lime sauce. (YUM)

Or a cold curried carrot and coconut milk soup with griddled mahi-mahi.

Hmm, I could probably go a week with your ingredients if I sat down long enough. Unfortunately, Anna's got a fever (maybe chicken pocks) so I can't get to think on it much longer.

Sometimes when we don't have anything to make a regular meal, we'll have a "smorgasbord" (I don't know why we call it that or when we started calling it that) and have a whole bunch of mismatched things. We actually do it more often now just to get rid of stuff. Like sometimes it'll be nothing but side dishes.

2 can of coconut milk
baby potatoes (reds, I think - maybe golds)
red onion
celery
baby carrots
2 limes
organic chicken breast
rice

Ok this is how it goes. (I hope you still have olive oil, and salt and things like this, because I am counting on it. ;) )

Take 4 chicken breasts and defrost them (in the microwave if you have to) and chop them into large slices. Dribble a little oil into a hot pan, and add a teaspoon of kosher sea salt.
Saute' on both sides until brown. Dribble in juice of 1/2 lime over the chicken.

The only step I recomend you getting something at the store is at this point you should have a ton of fresh (grated) ginger to the saute' pan with the chicken and lime.

Add red or yellow curry paste, and two cans of coconut milk. At the same time, steam veggies until very tender and add to the mixture.

Serve over rice. Makes one hell of a curry. ;)

Val

I'm seeing nothing wrong with a meal of popsicles and ice cream sandwiches, myself :)

I'm seeing nothing wrong with a meal of popsicles and ice cream sandwiches, myself :)
:lol:
and
:hug:

2 can of coconut milk
baby potatoes (reds, I think - maybe golds)
red onion
celery
baby carrots
2 limes
organic chicken breast
rice

Ok this is how it goes. (I hope you still have olive oil, and salt and things like this, because I am counting on it. ;) )

Take 4 chicken breasts and defrost them (in the microwave if you have to) and chop them into large slices. Dribble a little oil into a hot pan, and add a teaspoon of kosher sea salt.
Saute' on both sides until brown. Dribble in juice of 1/2 lime over the chicken.

The only step I recomend you getting something at the store is at this point you should have a ton of fresh (grated) ginger to the saute' pan with the chicken and lime.

Add red or yellow curry paste, and two cans of coconut milk. At the same time, steam veggies until very tender and add to the mixture.

Serve over rice. Makes one hell of a curry. ;)

Val

Will this work with green curry paste? It's all I could find at the store....

Yes... but I would add some more veggies to green. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, perhaps some sweet potatoes, perhaps a red onion cut into wedges. Things like that. Green is a very fresh taste. When you have meat and potatoes it doesn't seem to taste right. I would also taste it and see if it would benifit from a little bit of sugar. If you have brown sugar that is close to what they typically use for curries... but any sugar will do. Just bring the flavor out with sweet instead of salty.

Green curries are good, but red is my favorite (although I still add more veggies than this to the red curry. I think I have that recipe in my blog... Here it is! (http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2006/11/red-chicken-curry.html) )

Thank you, thank you, Val. I am not sure what inspired me to try your curry recipe. Perhaps it was that it looked easy, and that's what I need right now, and I had a lot of the ingredients already. Years ago, when I was first trying new things and really learning to cook on my own (outside of things that we always ate as kids, etc.), I tried a curry. It was with yellow curry powder, and I don't think it included coconut milk, which may be key. I never thought, until I saw that recipe, of trying another kind of curry. So, I went to the grocery looking for red curry paste, which I did not find, but I did find green (and it happened to be on sale!).

So, I did it. Today is the first time in a long time I actually cooked real food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and got the dishes all done (along with yesterday's dinner dishes, LOL). I am quite happy.

And, I LOOOVVED the curry. I used green curry paste and steamed up baby carrots, baby potatoes, celery, red onion, and a bag of frozen snap peas I had in the freezer. I used about a tablespoon and a half of curry and probably about 2 T. fresh ginger (all I had). I think next time, I will use more of both (I like it spicy!:smirk: ).

I steamed extra veggies for the kids and set aside some of the chicken.

DH isn't home yet, but I'm hoping he loves it as much as I do!

Yay! Nothing like finding a new favorite dish!!!!

Oh good! Your welcome! It is a fun dish to play with too. ;)