I was still tired from the bout with Covid and was not in any hurry to go to the store. I planned no menu and decided I would use as much as possible from food storage instead. Weeks like this are when having an overfilled freezer comes in handy.
Sunday: This is exactly why I freeze anything that is left over. One cup of frozen sauce to the rescue!
Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad
Monday: Again finding a small package of frozen cooked chicken made a quick meal happen.
Chicken and dressing, Greek green beans, brownies (we could finally taste)
Tuesday: A small pack of frozen ground chuck, leftover tossed salad, and a jar of salsa in the refrigerator was the genesis of the meal
Taco salad
Wednesday: We actually made a stop at our seafood monger's specifically for this.
Sautéed scallops, coleslaw, Italian bread
Thursday: TheHub had made a special trip with 2 of our sons to Costco last week for the 4 pound pack of Conecuh sausage I felt so bad then, that I did not process it. I used some for dinner and portioned the remaining in 8 freezer bags for future meals:
Conecuh sausage, sautéed leftover undressed coleslaw, Italian bread
Friday: We ate lunch out and just moved our lunch meal to dinner
Asian noodle salad, watermelon chunks
Saturday: We went to our local produce stand this morning and dinner planned itself.
Lady peas, okra, fried green tomatoes, sliced tomatoes
What's next? Maybe
1. Hamburger patty, corn on the cob, coleslaw
2. Veggie meal TBD
3. Big salad meal TBD
4. White bbq chicken, green beans, tomato cucumber onion salad
5. Stuffed peppers, new potatoes, Tossed salad
6. Fried rice, Asian coleslaw
7. Leftovers or out to eat
Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all
(Don’t feel like you need to read this list. It is really for my benefit)
Used from freezer:
1 bag spaghetti sauce
1 pack cooked chicken
1 pint bag ground chuck
Green beans
Lady peas
Chicken broth
Used from pantry:
1/2 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
Olive oil
Spices and seasonings
Brownie mix (leftover and unmade from Pip's visit)
Avocado oil
Canned diced chili peppers
Angel hair pasta
John’s coleslaw dressing (once opened moved to fridge storage)
Water chestnuts
Used from fridge: (or countertop produce storage*)
Pint of slightly wrinkled cherry tomatoes
1 large onion
Lettuce
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
5 new potatoes
Salad dressing
Conecuh sausage
Butter
Eggs
Cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Cabbage
Carrots
Purchased: for meal preparation for the week
Scallops
1 lemon
Italian bread
2 tomatoes**
Green onions
Red bell pepper
Okra
Green tomato
*Obvious counter storage are onions, bananas, and potatoes, but I will never ruin a peach or tomato by storing them in the fridge. They will not ripen and will do nothing but loose their taste. Instead I will buy just enough to eat right away and some underripe to eat in three or so days
** I had tomatoes and did not need more, but I made an exception for these. The nearby fish market gets tomatoes grown on Sand Mountain (small mountain in North Alabama which has perfect soil, moisture, and heat for incredibly delicious tomatoes) during the summer. When we stopped there they had some, so we snagged a couple. They are honestly the best tomatoes I have ever eaten and we have been waiting for them all summer.
What do you do with undressed cole slaw?
ReplyDeletePractical Parsimony
I make a huge batch and only dress what we will be eating on a given night. I had a lot leftover so I just sautéed it with the sausage
DeleteI really need to use up some of food in the freezer too. Grilled chicken and burger patties sound great to me.
ReplyDeleteI need to use more from my freezer. It is bulging with food. Anne
DeleteA good tomato is a thing of beauty isn't it? How I long for them to reach our farmer's markets again (or for me to be able to grow them again). A few months yet...
ReplyDeleteWe have been having good tomatoes for several weeks, but the Sand Mountain ones are tomato perfection.
DeleteWe're trying to use food from the freezer, too. Our first ripe tomato is on the kitchen counter waiting to be tasted today. I love fresh, off-the-vine tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteFresh off the vine tomatoes are fantastic. Anne
DeleteI love having a well-stocked pantry and freezer for when you just don't feel like going out. Fresh tomatoes are my favorite thing about summer.
ReplyDeleteI love having food storage, but right now I am overstocked. Summer tomatoes are a true gift. Anne
DeleteI had a case in Northeastern Alabama years ago and I specifically stopped at a produce stand in Marshall county ( I think that was the county I was in but not for sure) for Sand Mountain tomatoes. They are wonderful! Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteWe have talked about making a quick road trip just to get some. Anne
DeleteI really have to cook exra, and freeze. Seeing your list made me realize again how useful to have frozen food.
ReplyDeleteIt can make meals much easier to make when you are in a time crunch or just don't feel like cooking.
DeleteI'm going to ask about those Sand Mountain tomatoes at our Tuesday farmer's market!
ReplyDeleteThey are delicious but you might be too far south to find them. They are hard to find here.
DeleteA well stocked freezer and pantry is a blessing, isn't it? I do need to use up some of the old stuff lurking at the back of the freezer and cupboards, though!
ReplyDelete