My Freezer Challenge: Day 1

Today I went to Publix and Sam's. I performed my normal coupon shopping spree and made a quick trip to Sam's for ground beef for tonight's small group main dish. Of course, we were getting low on cheese and they had roast marked down so I had to get those, too. And then I saw ground turkey was also marked down...always wanted to see the difference so why not now? And oh! They've got Mrs. Dash! And sea salt, too! Love cooking with those and with this size I'm getting a deal and won't run out for a while...$80 later...I rushed home, got Baby L situated and began my “Sam's purchase freeze-a-thon”. When I went to put everything in the deep freezer, I noticed something. I have a problem. I have a serious problem. There are only two people living here (I'm not counting the baby since he currently is on a liquid diet) and yet we have a 15 cubic foot deep freezer that is almost full. It's stock full of veggies of all types, meats of all animals and cuts, breads, butters, sweets, and a whole section containing “bricks” of frozen breast milk (told ya I had a problem). The fact that my pantry is no different than the freezer made me realize....I really do have a problem. It also occurred to me that although the freezer and pantry are so full, I always go to Publix each week and purchase more food (granted, this is mainly because I get it so stinkin' cheap).

So...I'm challenging myself.

First of all, please know a few things about me: 1)I suck at self challenges. 2)I'm not disciplined. 3)I'm a sucker for excuses. I guess what I'm saying is...If I break it, sorry. Don't be disappointed in me.

So here's my challenge: I am going to eat out of my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator ('cause yeah, it's bursting at the seams, too). I will obviously have to venture to the store for milk, bread, eggs, fresh produce (although I do have a wonderful selection in the freezer)...things like that. I will find fun, different recipes that use the foods I already have. Should I need one thing (say a can of Great Northern Beans) and I only need one or two items, I'll go and purchase them. But for the most part, it's only what I've got in the house. Here's what I'm starting with...

I'll try to post routinely and be committed ('cause I know...it's been forever since I actually posted anything...again...Ryan's the one with discipline in this family). We'll see how it goes. Not sure how long it'll last...I'm hoping for a minimum of three weeks....maybe a month?

So here's my meal for Freezer Challenge Day 1:

We're having small group tonight and I'm signed up for the main dish. We're having mini meat loaves. Here's the recipe (doubled):

Mini Meat Loaves

2 lbs ground beef

1 tube crushed saltines

1 cup diced onions

2 eggs

2 cups salsa

2 cups shredded cheese

Mix first four ingredients together with 1 cup salsa and 1 cup of cheese.

Press evenly into 2-12 cup muffin tins sprayed with Pam. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.

Bake 20-25 min or until meatloaves are done (400 Degrees F).

Top with remaining salsa and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Except for the meat (which I bought this morning) I had everything already at the house (onion was already diced in the freezer, even!). And the recipe? Found it in a booklet I got from...Sam's! (Seriously, I love that store.)

ps: This challenge probably stems from a few things: 1)I've got one more month at home with Baby L and need “something” to occupy my time other than wiping butt and playing “who's got the diaper on their head?”. 2)Everyone has their “thing”...JC has traveling; JP has fitness; AP has photography; JW has writing novels; KL has scrapbooking...the list goes on and on. I have Sam's. And my freezer. And now I have a challenge.

Sigh....

I think I'll start freaking out now...and planning tomorrow's meal.