December 23, 2024

At Home with GCH: Freezer/Pantry Challenge – Week 3

February 21, 2013 by

Freezer Pantry Challenge Header

 

Are you excited that we only have ONE more week left of this challenge?? 🙂  How have you done, so far?  What has been your biggest challenge?

For us, this past week, we still only needed to purchase milk and fresh produce.  We’ve been doing pretty good actually.  My trip to Aldi’s at the end of last month to stock up on canned goods and such, really helped!  I’m actually enjoying finding out just how little we can spend on groceries, and still eat good!

This last week we spent $$24.78 on groceries.  So altogether we have spent less than $200 for a family of four for this month.  I still have enough canned goods, rice, pasta, and such, to make it clearly two weeks into March.  Again, we’ll continue to buy our dairy products and produce, but other than that, we really won’t need anything else.  The boys are almost out of snacks, but I have all the ingredients to make Chocolate Chip Cookies…so no problem.  We’re almost out of juice, so I’ll have to figure out what to do there.  Hoping I can make what we have last through the end of next week! We’ll see!  Plan Your Work…Work Your Plan!!  Right?!?!

Instead of sharing our meals for the last week with you this week, I want to share a recipe with you that I made this week.  It was very good!  The first thing I thought when I took the first bite was, “I should have taken a picture, so I could have posted it on the blog!!!”   But that’s okay.  It’s good either way, with or without, a picture!  So here you go!

Creamy Vegetable Soup

5 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced

1 dozen baby carrots, sliced

1 can whole kernel corn

1 small green pepper, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 box Low-Sodium Chicken Stock

2 tsp minced garlic

1 small can of Cream of Chicken Soup

1 small can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

salt and pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients, with the exception of the cream soups, into a large dutch oven and cook on medium-high until vegetables are tender.  Add in cream soups and stir until smooth and creamy.  Heat through.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits, and serve!  This soup goes great with a large green salad made with all the trimmings, and some good ‘ole homemade bread!  It’s perfect for a cold Wisconsin winter night! 🙂

So, please add your comments below about how you are doing on the challenge. I really do want to read them!! 🙂

 

Blessings on Your Day,

Christi

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If you would like to send Christi a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: Christi@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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At Home with GCH: Meal Planning 101 – Pantry / Freezer Challenge

January 28, 2013 by

This week, I am blogging TODAY, only because I would like to challenge you to something. Then I will be back on this blog again on Thursday, February 7th, to see how you are doing! Some of you may not like this challenge, but let’s take a serious look at this, and see what we can do.  If you have followed along with me for the past month, you should have freezer meals on hand, and your Pantry/Freezer lists updated.  Right?  So this challenge shouldn’t be too difficult for most of you.  I know some of you may be a bit behind, but now would be a great time to get caught up with this series.

I would like to challenge you to a Pantry/Freezer Challenge, for the entire month of February (just 28 days).  You will be limited to just what is in your pantry and freezer!  So you will have to be creative!  The Pantry/Freezer Challenge is a great way to trim the budget, keep close accounts on what you have, and rotate your current stock to avoid waste.

Each Thursday, I will come back here to update you on how the Challenge is going on my end, and I would love to hear how it’s going on your end as well.

 

What this Pantry/Freezer Challenge is NOT:

  • It’s not about NOT buying ANY groceries for the month of February.  You will need things, such as milk, eggs, bread, fresh fruits/veggies, etc.  This challenge is only for the bigger items, like meat, canned vegetables, staples, etc.
  • It is not about living on beans and weenies for the entire month.  It’s about going through what is in your pantry and freezer and making meals with those ingredients until you run out, and it becomes time to go grocery shopping again for the big stuff.
  • This Challenge does NOT include times you go out to eat.  It’s only about what is eaten at home.

We want to see how long we can go before we have to go buy the main grocery items that we typically would.  We also want to see how much money we can save this month!! 

 

What this Pantry/Freezer Challenge Is:

  • It’s about saving money!!  I read today that the average family of four spends $151 a week on groceries; that’s over $600 a month on groceries; almost $7,500 a year!  Wow!  Think of the savings that we would accumulate each month if we could do a Pantry/Freezer Challenge in our homes, at least one week a month! Think about it, one week without groceries equals a yearly savings of $1,812 (based on the above average).
  • It’s about being focused on what you have on hand already!
  • It’s about using what we already have on hand, so we don’t let food go to waste!
  • It’s about being good stewards!

 

How this Challenge works:

  • If you haven’t already done so, you will need to make a list of every single thing that is in your pantry and your freezer.
  • Plan your meals for each week according to what is on your Pantry/Freezer lists.
  • ONLY go to the grocery store when you need things such as milk, eggs, cheese, fresh fruits/veggies, paper goods, cleaning products, etc.
  • Keep track of what you are spending on the minimal amount of groceries that you will purchase.
  • Check in on our blog each Thursday to let us know how you are doing.  In checking in, I also want to hear how much you have spent for groceries, in the prior week.
  • Plan leftovers into your menu planning!
  • If you eat it, write it down.  Keep a food journal to go back to at the end of the month to see what kind of meals you actually did eat for the month!  You may be surprised!
  • EMAIL ME IF YOU NEED MORE RECIPE IDEAS!

 

CARE TO JOIN ME?

I’m looking to find a few people who are willing to take on this Challenge, with me!  Are you up for it?  If so, comment below and let me know you’re all in!  Then send me an email (listed below), so I can have a way of contacting you through the week to see how you are doing.

Now, since I typically blog on Thursday’s for At Home with GCH, I switched days with another blogger for just this week, so I could get this message out to you in time to accept this challenge, if you so choose.  With that said, that means that I will not be back again, until Thursday, February 7th.  Thursday is my normal blogging day.  I will check up on you then to see how you are doing, AND give you an update of how I am doing with the challenge, too!  Are You Ready?  Here we go….

 

Let’s do this together!

 

Have a GREAT week, Ladies!

Christi

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To contact Christi in regards to this blog, please email her at: 

Christi@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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At Home with GCH – Meal Planning 101 – Week 1

January 6, 2013 by

Hello, and Welcome to Meal Planning 101!

When I first began Meal Planning, I had no idea how much this new technique in my life would make such a huge impact!  Meal Planning is now part of my every week routine!

For some people, when they think of meal planning, they thing it is too time consuming.  What they don’t realize is just how simple, and cost effective, meal planning is!  When meal planning is incorporated into your home routine, you will see yourself with more time, and money, on your hands!  Meal Planning is so worth every step!

In this new GCH series, we’ll cover the reasons why meal planning is so important; building a menu planner binder; finding recipes that your family loves; coupons; and more!  I will also be sharing some free printables that I have found online that I use in my own home!!  I will share some other websites that offer some amazing tips, as well!  I’m no expert in this field.  I can only share what I have learned along the way.  That’s why I don’t mind sharing other websites with you to help you learn even more about menu planning!  It really is something that we all need to incorporate into our routines!

Let’s start this new series today by going over the reasons of why meal planning is so important:

Top 5 reasons why Meal Planning is a must in your home:

  1. Menu Planning saves you time!

Who doesn’t need more time each day?  As busy moms who are running from here to there taking kids to school, activities, church functions, and more, we need to make sure that we manage our time to the best of our ability!  Menu Planning can help you manage your time more wisely in the kitchen!  We will show you how in the upcoming weeks of this series.

  1. Menu Planning saves you money!

Who doesn’t love more money in our pocketbooks!  How many times have you made dash to the grocery store for a loaf of bread and gallon of milk, and came home with over $100 in groceries you had not planned on spending?  Menu planning can help not only save money, but it can also help you stick to a budget better!  We will also cover some tips on using coupons with your grocery shopping! We will show you how in the upcoming weeks of this series!

  1. Menu Planning cuts back on waste!

Menu planning helps you buy just what you need, leaving less room for more leftovers that end up getting thrown out at the end of the week!  Again, we will show you how this cuts back on waste, as we continue with this series in the upcoming weeks.

  1. Menu Planning helps your family eat healthier!

This is a big one!  Menu Planning helps you stick with healthier meals by not being so stressed out at the end of a work day, there is no time to cook, and you end up heading out fast food!  Menu planning helps you keep healthier meals on the table!  We’ll show you how in the upcoming weeks of this series!

  1. Menu Planning adds more variety to your meals!

How many times have you heard “Not meatloaf AGAIN, Mom”?  Tired of cooking the same old thing over and over again?  Taking the time to plan your meals adds more variety to your meals, and leaves less room for boredom!  We’ll show you how in the upcoming weeks of this series!

So, are you ready to start learning how to plan your meals, save money, save time, and use coupons to get healthier meals at home?  I am very excited to share this series with you!  If you would like to share some of your own tips along the way, I would be happy to read them!  Be sure to share them in the comments section below!  The more we can help each other save time, money, and eat healthier, the better!!

Until next week,

Christi

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