Waste Not Want Not

After I rearranged some cupboards I went to Church and listened to a homily where thankfulness was mentioned. Watching the school kids after Mass diligently hold out their pots to collect money for their annual “Souper Bowl” hunger charity, I have come to the conclusion that I MUST use my pantry items. These topics may seem unrelated but they aren’t. We are so fortunate with what we have that it would be a sin to let the food in our cupboards go to waste. My house is abundant with food at a time when people in our country and around the world struggle to feed their family. Not only do I bulk buy and freeze meals, I don’t always get to every new recipe on my menu. We usually luck out and have a couple extra leftover nights in the month but because I have done my once a month non-perishable shopping I end up with some extras. Thanks to my freezer inventory I am good about using what I have with regard to meat and other things that I freeze. I look at my freezer inventory as I make out my menu each month. I do not keep an inventory on my pantry items and such because it fluctuates too much and I can see what is there easily. However, for March I will jot down a list of the items in my pantry so that when I sit down at my computer to make out my menu I will either finally cook the entrees that I never got to that made me purchase the pantry items on my list or I will research a new recipe that uses up my pantry items. Hopefully this will be good on my grocery budget since I am $200 in the red due to Christmas festivities. I was $300 in the red but skimping in January got me $100 out of it but there is still a ways to go to break even. So, my promise to myself and my budget and my cupboards for March is to come up with a creative menu that will use up what I already have.