This week, I am working on using up a bunch of items in our back-up or surplus food storage.
As I shared previously, A. and I are working on a basement renovation. We gutted the basement in the house we purchased last year and have been gradually working on turning it into a finished space with an in-law suite.
Well, we are also still using the basement during the renovation (because our laundry is down there and we use the space as a playroom and storage area too).
This has meant a lot of moving the same items from one side of the basement to the other as we work on different parts of the renovation.
Since we are getting close to tearing out the old laundry area (which has also become the home for our temporary food storage shelves), I really wanted to focus my efforts this week on using up much of the canned and jarred items there.
What I Made
Sweet Potato Pancakes
I found a recipe that used canned sweet potatoes (I had three) and pancake mix – score! I also had a family size box of Bisquick that I had picked up. I love a homemade pancake or biscuit, but there are times when a box mix is just what you need.
The pancakes came out great! I added white chocolate chips to some and put those in the fridge for easy breakfasts throughout the week and left the rest plain; those plain pancakes will go in the freezer for a later time.
Ramen
As I said to A., I am not usually one to toot my own horn, but this came out amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t follow a recipe so I will likely never be able to replicate it! If I do, I will return with a recipe post!
This used up a few quarts of shelf-stable chicken broth, part of a can of corn, and some packages of noodles.
I added broccoli and mushrooms from my fridge that needed to be used plus a block of tofu that I cubed and roasted in the oven with the veggies.
(I ended up making ramen several times this past week!)
Sweet Potato Muffins
I essentially made a similar batter to the pancake mix but added some sugar and then stirred in frozen unsweetened cranberries and more white chocolate chips.
I think they turned out beautiful (in appearance) and also had a subtle sweetness, a moist crumb, and a hint of tartness when you bite into a cranberry!
Chili
Chili is one of my favorite canned good meals. You can make a great chili using nothing but canned or jarred products, in my opinion!
This version, which was really a “dump-and-stir” meal that I didn’t use a recipe for, ended up using up a ton of shelved items!
A can of corn, a jar of diced tomatoes from our garden, a jar of tomato juice I had canned, a can of enchilada sauce, two cans of beans, and half of a jar of my canned homemade salsa.
I added in some grated tempeh from my fridge plus a ton of spices and some water and set it to cook in the InstaPot.
BBQ Jackfruit
I had a massive can of unripe, green jackfruit on the shelf and some ketchup, which inspired me to make a dish A. always enjoys – BBQ jackfruit.
This is a super simple “dump it and forget it” kind of meal. I drained and rinsed the can of jackfruit, dumped that in my InstantPot and cooked it until the jackfruit pulls apart like pulled pork or shredded checking. Once tender, I added in some ketchup, spices, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and a can of tomato soup (to use another can off the shelf!) to make a BBQ sauce.
I served the jackfruit on buns the first night and then A. had leftovers on flour tortillas and roasted potatoes later in the week.
Enchilada Quinoa
I shared a similar recipe with you previously, but I made a version of this crockpot enchilada quinoa dip for dinner this week. The recipe uses canned enchilada sauce, canned corn (the rest of what I opened for the ramen), and some canned beans – plus other items that I pretty much always have on hand.
We ate it with tortilla chips and boom! More items cleared from the pantry shelves.
Canned Soups
I always keep a few back-up soups on hand for emergencies or quick lunches when the fridge is empty. I figured I could clear these out this week by just opening them up for lunch for my kids.
We did manage to use up all but two cans of lentil soup, but I am reminded why I don’t really love canned soup. There wasn’t a ton of flavor and the texture was pretty mushy.
Canned Fruit
Lastly, my kids were very happy that I let them have free rein on the canned fruit (usually reserved for weeks when we run out of fresh fruit faster than I anticipated). I had a ton of applesauce and pears in cans, so we worked through a bunch of these during the week.
Conclusion
Interestingly enough, we had to move the shelf early because the timeline for one of our slated projects got bumped up! So I still had to empty the shelving unit and move everything. For now, I stuck the canned goods and jars from the shelves into reusable shopping bags and crates and didn’t even bother to reload and reorganize the shelf. I’m sure we’ll be moving it again shortly!
I’m still glad we focused our attentions on eating off the shelves this week. It’s always a good practice now and then to ensure food does not spoil!