This week is the end of no-spend/shelf-cook September, and I am honestly a little sad!
I am looking forward to my October challenges, but I definitely still have items in my pantry and freezer that I need a little push to use up; I may need to resurrect shelf cooking for the first few weeks in November too!
What I Bought
I kept it simple again this week and picked up my groceries from my local wholesale club. Less temptation, less time, and I can play around with my shopping list in advance to keep my costs minimal.
Here’s what I got:
- 3 lbs red grapes
- 6 lbs bananas
- 5 lbs carrots
- 5 lbs green apples
- 4 English cucumbers
- 1 large watermelon (a last hurrah to summer)
- 6 hearts of organic romaine
- 1 24-oz pack of Bella mushrooms
- 2 lbs celery
- 1 lb already peeled garlic (a luxury item, I know)
Cost: $51.16
My Plan for the Week
I started the week with a fair amount of leftovers in the fridge. Here’s a sampling:
- Already cooked steel cut oats
- Chopped kale
- Leftover bell pepper and baby carrots from the weekend
- Spinach-artichoke dip
- 4 quarts homemade tomato soup
- Thawed mixed berries and kale blend
What We Ate
Monday
Breakfast: leftover steel cut oats with almond milk and a chopped apple; a dollop of almond butter
Lunch: Big bowl of massaged kale, a little chicken and rice given to me by a coworker, and a bowl of tomato soup
Dinner: leftover spinach artichoke dip with crackers; zucchini oat bites I made using pantry ingredients for my ladies’ Bible study
Tuesday
Breakfast: tomato soup
Lunch: smoothie bowl topped with some coconut chips, flax meal, cacao nibs, and the last of the granola
Dinner:
Wednesday
Breakfast: last of the steel cut oats mixed with extra cocoa powder and almond milk and topped with cacao nibs and shredded coconut
Lunch: a large romaine salad with various veggies, sauerkraut, and an old jar of pickled radishes that I finally opened; a dollop of hummus on top
Snack: red grapes and a green apple
Dinner: rest of the tomato soup; some crumbled tempeh and peas (both freezer steels)
Thursday
Breakfast: leftover frozen smoothie from Tuesday (I freeze extra smoothie when I have it and it eats like sorbet or ice cream!; some zucchini oat bites
Lunch: ndengu (coconut mung bean curry) and brown rice; watermelon
Snack: green apple and celery with peanut butter and raisins for the kids
Dinner: romaine salad with veggies; red beans and brown rice
Dessert: crabapple nut muffins
Friday
Breakfast: more muffins and cold oats I made for the kids (chunky monkey style with peanut butter and banana sliced on top)
Lunch: thawed vegan burritos (stuffed with tempeh, corn, vegan cheese, and zucchini)
Dinner: “Dump the fridge” night = Focaccia bread with a little chickpea cauliflower curry (thawed from freezer) and some leftover red beans and rice
Snack: Ants on a log
Saturday (technically October 1st)
Breakfast: Cucumber spears for me; kids had “chunky monkey pizzas” (leftover pizza crusts smeared with peanut butter and topped with coconut, chocolate chips, sliced bananas, and a drizzle of honey
Lunch: Romaine salad topped with kidney beans and salsa
Dinner: One small bowl each Hungarian mushroom soup and creamy kale-potato soup
Reflecting on No-Spend / Shelf-Cook September
I loved how shelf cooking this month helped me to use items that had been hanging out on my shelves or in my freezer for some time.
We consumed more leftovers and got creative.
I recognized how spoiled we are and how many options we have on a regular basis – and some of the consequences of giving my kids this many options for meals.
The month inspired my October challenge (minimal meals) and motivated me to look to my pantry and freezer more often in the future before buying new groceries.
I do my best to avoid food waste all the time, so I won’t let the new challenge for October prevent us from finishing up odds and ends that might spoil or go to waste otherwise. But I am looking forward to seeing how reducing the number of dining options we have each week impacts our overall mindset toward food.
I’d love to hear any thoughts you have about the no-spend challenge or any of the shelf-cooked meals I shared. Leave a comment!