This week, I attempted to make something out of nothing.
This was one of those weeks when it felt like there was not enough food in the fridge or pantry – and not enough money in the grocery budget to accommodate another trip to the grocery store.
Last week, I had two large grocery orders to stock up on a variety of essentials and bulk items that we had run low on or run out of entirely.
Next week is Thanksgiving, and between the two celebrations in our family, the groceries are going to get expensive.
So, when I looked in the kitchen late Saturday and saw this…
…I knew I was going to have to get creative.
There’s always more than you realize
Sometimes, it feels like there is not enough food in the house to last the week, but more often than not, there is more than you realize!
We eat a ton of fresh produce each week, so when I see my produce drawers and baskets with only a bag of onions, a few apples and bananas, and one pineapple, I get very nervous!
In moments like this, I try to embrace the frozen and canned produce I have.
Our nutrition this week won’t be what I usually strive for, especially since I much prefer to feed my three boys raw vegetables and fruits for snacks.
But here’s what I came up with!
Breakfast: banana baked oatmeal with peanut butter and the last chocolate chips in the pantry
Snacks: canned peaches and applesauce, the last few fresh apples in the fridge, pineapple; sadly there will be no raw veggies this week unless I cave in and do a small grocery trip
Kid Lunches: mac and cheese one day if I can stretch the two boxes I have; tuna; maybe PBJ
Adult Lunches: Thai noodles and edamame I found in the freezer or fried rice (with just canned corn, onion, and edamame)
Dinners: whichever option doesn’t get eaten from the adult lunches; tempeh chili; falafel patties I found in the freezer; and potentially pancakes and/or spaghetti with jarred sauce
Meal Prep
Tuesdays are my usual meal prep day, so this week, I focused on the baked oatmeal and the adult lunches (so I could have them packed and in the fridge for busy days at home or days when A. or I need to go into work).
I also pulled a block of tempeh out of the freezer to thaw so I could make chili later this week; dug out a container of falafel patties I had made previously; and turned a bag of frozen tomatoes into soup for a potluck at my work.
I dished the fried rice up with a few extra edamame pods for my own dinner, and it was pretty good! Not as exciting as my usual veggie-packed fried rice, but it will meet our needs this week.
The kids’ lunches should be pretty quick and easy to make later in the week, and I’m going to see how far we get with the leftover plain pasta I had after making the Thai noodles (yes – I subbed spaghetti for rice noodles), the falafel, and a “just-add-water” pancake mix I have in the cupboard.
I really felt like I made something out of nothing this week as I looked at my fridge post-meal prep. (I did use a coupon I had that was set to expire on three containers of fresh berries!)
