1 can chicken breast, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes & jalapenos
1 pouch Mexican rice (the microwave kind)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp taco seasoning
any other spices or seasonings you like: cumin, cayenne pepper, etc.
Heat & Serve. Top with sour cream and cheese if desired.
It's amazing the things you can make when you are trying to empty the cupboards.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Whole House Challenge Update
The turn that cooking has taken since I started the whole house challenge has been interesting--and very simple. Since you can use only what you have in the cupboards and fridge already, you have to think of some interesting solutions to making simple food. I found something in the back of the cupboard that I had forgotten about: a box of "mashed potatoes." The box instructions called for 1-1/2 cups water (no problem), 2 tbsp of butter or margarine, and 1/2 cup of milk. I ended up stirring in 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth instead of the milk, and Parkay spray instead of butter. They tasted almost identical but had a slightly stiffer texture. With the potatoes, we had chicken that I stir-fried in the wok and steamed sugar snap peas.
It's amazing that I have been cooking without buying groceries for almost 2 weeks now. I had no idea how many boxes of pasta were in the cupboard and how much meat was in the freezer. Now I am finally down to my final bag of chicken breast tenderloins and my last 2 boxes of pasta, though I still have lots of other items. I also found some vacuum-packed beef--I'm not sure what cuts, though. I'm going to have to defrost it before I can know what to do with it. I also have 7 pounds of wheat flour!! Thanks to my bread maker I will be able to make bread for sandwiches (Rich will like that for his work lunches!) I have plenty of jam (4 jars of various flavors) but I will probably get some peanut butter. Based on the average amount we spend for groceries each month, I have saved about $265 in groceries alone in less than 2 weeks. Also (it's part of the challenge) we have not eaten out at all since January 26. We went out today to a burrito place with our friends and spent $20--and we have enough leftovers for Rich to have for lunch tomorrow. :)
Taking this challenge has made me realize something that I hadn't thought about. I thought the challenge was just about saving money and using up some extra food, but it has made me think about how much excess I actually have sitting in the house in the back of the cupboards, unused. I usually make a quick stop for groceries on the way home from work when I run out of "convenient" items instead of only buying what we will truly use up. A lot of the items I bought were on great sales, or buy-1-get-1, but it's only a deal if you use it! I'm actually excited about running out of everything in a couple of weeks. Then I can complete the final stage of the challenge: reevaluating what should actually be in my shopping cart when I do start shopping regularly again.
Happy Sunday!
It's amazing that I have been cooking without buying groceries for almost 2 weeks now. I had no idea how many boxes of pasta were in the cupboard and how much meat was in the freezer. Now I am finally down to my final bag of chicken breast tenderloins and my last 2 boxes of pasta, though I still have lots of other items. I also found some vacuum-packed beef--I'm not sure what cuts, though. I'm going to have to defrost it before I can know what to do with it. I also have 7 pounds of wheat flour!! Thanks to my bread maker I will be able to make bread for sandwiches (Rich will like that for his work lunches!) I have plenty of jam (4 jars of various flavors) but I will probably get some peanut butter. Based on the average amount we spend for groceries each month, I have saved about $265 in groceries alone in less than 2 weeks. Also (it's part of the challenge) we have not eaten out at all since January 26. We went out today to a burrito place with our friends and spent $20--and we have enough leftovers for Rich to have for lunch tomorrow. :)
Taking this challenge has made me realize something that I hadn't thought about. I thought the challenge was just about saving money and using up some extra food, but it has made me think about how much excess I actually have sitting in the house in the back of the cupboards, unused. I usually make a quick stop for groceries on the way home from work when I run out of "convenient" items instead of only buying what we will truly use up. A lot of the items I bought were on great sales, or buy-1-get-1, but it's only a deal if you use it! I'm actually excited about running out of everything in a couple of weeks. Then I can complete the final stage of the challenge: reevaluating what should actually be in my shopping cart when I do start shopping regularly again.
Happy Sunday!
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