Week 2: The "eat-what-we-got" challenge

Do you want to know how much I love you, Internet?

My Internet is down and I’m at Qdoba to blog. The irony isn’t lost on me. Ryan agreed to bring me to Qdoba to get a burrito (not really on the “eat-what-we-got” plan) and use the free wireless internet for blogging (about our “eat-what-we-got” challenge).

Outside of this Qdoba run, the “eat-what-we-got” challenge is going really well. While I’ve never been a strict menu planner, it really does help me to stay on track. We did stop at the Farmer’s Market and Aldi for some fresh produce, orange juice, etc. Ryan also brought home a ton of free sweet corn, so that will need to be eaten in the next week or two.

But we definitely spent a ton less than usual over the past two weeks, and it seems like our pantry and freezer are beginning to look more empty. And we’ve eaten at home so much this week, despite having a crazy busy week. We actually ate two additional meals at home than what were on last week’s plan.

So, go us. (What’s the use of having your own blog if you can’t toot your own horn?)

Last week’s meals
Monday – Slow cooker beef roast (Easy and tasty, 4/5)
Wednesday – Creamy tomato basil pasta (This did not turn out nearly as great as I hoped, 3/5)
Thursday – Slow cooker baked potatoes with toppings (Love making these in the slow cooker and had leftovers for a great lunch, 4/5)
Friday- Black beans and rice with guacamole (Our favorite, 5/5)

Sunday lunch – Italian sausage with corn on the cob (So delicious, 5/5)
Breakfast – homemade breakfast sandwiches (Disappointing and definitely no McDonalds, 2/5)

Pretty close to plan. Ryan brought home some Italian sausage, so we did eat that. And we added lasagna on Saturday night.

This week’s meals
Monday – Corn on the cob and/or leftovers (lasagna and black beans/rice)
Tuesday – Mexican rice bake (idea via Mandy at Southern Gnome)
Wednesday- Fried green tomatoes with pasta
Thursday – Julia’s easy slow cooker chicken
Friday – Chicken/fish on the grill with hash browns and corn on the cob
Saturday – Homemade pizza

And here’s the pantry list. I’ve colored the items I’ll be using this week in red and crossed out the used items, which will disappear in future weeks.

Meat
Pre-cooked ground sausage (ate some, but some is still left)
Chicken tenderloins
Chicken breast
Ground beef (1)
Breakfast sausage
Beef roast
Pre-made lasagna
Chili (2)
Salmon
Tilapia

Vegetables
Frozen corn (4)
Frozen mixed veggies (2)
Frozen snap peas
Frozen peas
Frozen shredded zucchini and squash
Frozen Asparagus
Frozen winter squash
Potatoes
Hash browns (4)

Fruit
Strawberries
Peaches
Rhubarb

Cheese
Cheddar (4) (3)
Mozzarella (3)
Italian blend
Mexican (2)
Cream cheese (4) (3)

Pasta
Penne (1)
Macaroni
Lasagna
Fettucini (2)
Linguine
Spaghetti (3)
Egg noodles (2)

Canned goods
Black beans (5) (4)
Diced tomatoes (2)
Mexican diced and whole tomatoes (5) (4)
Tomato sauce (6)
Tomato paste
Pizza sauce (2)
Spaghetti sauce (4)
Mushroom
Tuna (2)
Corn
Manwich (2)
Cream of mushroom soup
Cream of chicken soup (2)
Baked beans (3)
Olives (1)
Artichoke
Enchilada sauce (4)

Misc.
Eggs
Bisquick
Taco seasoning (4)
Tortillas (1)
Beef stew seasoning
French onion soup mix (2)
Italian seasoning (3)
Corn bread
Walnuts
Brown rice
White rice
Raisins
Peanuts
Pecans
A variety of baking supplies, including flours, sugars, etc.

Any other ideas for next week’s meals?