Each month, my family participates in a pantry challenge to save money on food and cut down on food waste. We eat well based on what we have and avoid the grocery store as long as possible!
What is a Pantry Challenge?
A pantry challenge is when you don’t go to the grocery store when you normally would and instead, challenge yourself to use what you have on hand for as long as possible. In my most recent challenge I went 4 days but I’ve done up to 10 before.
Why Do a Pantry Challenge?
I love to do a pantry challenge for two reasons:
- It’s a great way to spend a little less and stretch your grocery budget further.
- It reduces food waste by ensuring proper use and rotation of items in the fridge, freezer and pantry.
We try to participate in a pantry challenge at least once a month, even if it’s just for a few days. It saves us a little money and helps me keep things moving in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. This way things don’t expire or get so old I don’t feel comfortable using them anymore.
Step 1: Take Inventory
#1 Shop your fridge: You want to do this first because these are the items that will go bad first. Utilize meats and dairy products first. Take note of condiments that need to be used and write down some meals you think you could make with them.
#2 Shop your freezer: I’m a strong believer in using your freezer as temporary storage. Most meats and other items last about 12 months in a freezer and I personally get a bit weird about them after about 6 months. I feel best when I use the meats within a month or two. Using items in my freezer regularly keeps things in rotation so I almost never feel weird about using them. Using frozen items within a few months makes me feel like they are “fresh.”
#3 Shop your pantry: This is last because shelf stable foods tend to last the longest. I still stick with the first in first out method and make sure I try to use the oldest items first. Canned items last years so there is less pressure to use them fast.
Step 2: Make a Plan
After I have a solid inventory, it’s time to figure out what I can make out of the items I have.
Guiding Principals:
- Be mindful of your schedule – what do you actually have time to cook? If I am to aggressive with really intricate meals, I find myself caving and buying convenience foods, or ordering takeout.
- Choose meals you know and your family will eat – being too optimistic about taste preferences can be a recipe for disaster. And when you don’t have a lot of backup items or snacks, this can lead again ordering takeout or having hungry family members. While I love trying new things, I recommend saving the adventure for when the fridge is well stocked!
- Utilize canned and frozen veggies – in a pantry challenge, fresh fruits and veggies are hard to come by. I make an extra effort to utilize canned and frozen veggies with each meal so that the meals are well rounded and we are still getting the proper vitamins and minerals even without the fresh produce.
- Bake when possible – Making fresh bread, muffins, desserts, or bars can be a saving grace when trying to avoid the store. I often utilize half priced mixes I already have, my bread machine, or freezer bananas to make our favorite blueberry banana muffins when we are doing challenges. Having homemade treats makes everyone feel special during a time when extra snacks might feel hard to come by.
Questions to ask while meal planning:
- What sauces will go well with what meat? I really try to use up half used condiments when participating in a challenge like this. Condiments aren’t cheap and using only half of them can be such a waste.
- What meals will be best based on my schedule? Pick busy days for make ahead or slow cooker meals and plan more complicated meals for nights when you have more time.
- What are 1+ meatless meals I can make? Meatless meals are often the best ways to utilize pantry ingredients. Keeping things simple like pasta and sauce or rice and beans are very frugal and can help to stretch a pantry challenge even longer.
- How can I utilize leftovers? In other words, is there value in cooking up 2lbs of ground beef vs 1 and using the second pound another day. Or can you cook up 1lb of dried beans and us it for multiple meals? Can leftovers be used for lunches?
How to Meal Plan:
Start by writing down all the meals you can think of making based on what you have. If you have half a recipe, that’s ok, try to think of how you can modify by using something you do have (Think, milk for cream, or spinach for broccoli. It’s ok to get creative!).
Don’t forget to list out the meal possibilities for breakfast and lunch too! It’s important to eat 3 meals a day and these meals are included in the pantry challenge. A pantry challenge is a great time to use pancake mix and oatmeal that have been in the pantry for a hot minute.
To make the final meal plan, refer back to my guiding principals and choose meals from the list you made that fit your schedule and you know your family will eat. I also recommend writing a list of breakfast, lunch, and snack options so you can refer to them if a family member is hungry. The lists are immensely helpful and the meal plan itself will keep you on track until it’s time to hit the store again.
Step 3: Execute
All that is left to do is eat and cook! I always recommend meal prepping as much as possible, even if it’s just for an hour on Sunday. Any time you can save yourself in the future will contribute to your success.
Here is an example of the most recent pantry challenge we did. (There are 5 people in my family – Myself and my husband, our 8 year old, 6 year old, and 2 year old). I don’t have every single meal written down but I did my best to give a play-by- play.
Note: My husband works outside the home and does often buy breakfast on his way to work or lunch, if he doesn’t have leftovers.
Meal Plan Example:
Night 1: The kids had chicken sandwiches using Weaver bagged chicken patties and leftover buns from a camping trip with grapes. My husband and I had protein shakes. (This was after a long weekend of camping and we just wanted something easy and light)
Day 1:
Breakfast – McDonald’s Sausage Burritos – The recipe can be found in this post.
Lunch – I went to my moms house for the afternoon and brought some food to share. I brought an Air fried artichoke salad. Utilizing lettuce and canned artichokes I already had on hand. You can get the full printable recipe here!
I also made a Key lime pie simply using the recipe on the can of sweetened condensed milk. The only thing I like to do different is using fresh whipped cream. I highly recommend this hand mixer to make homemade whipped cream and this citrus press to get fresh lime juice easily!
Dinner – We ended up staying at my mom’s for dinner. My husband had to work late and had dinner on the road.
Day 2:
Breakfast – The kids had leftover sausage burrito mix with fruit. I had one of these healthy cottage cheese bowls (these tend to me my go-to breakfast or snack).
Lunch – I served my kids Spaghettio’s and and I had a protein shake.
Dinner – I made these Shredded Mexican Beef Tacos in the slow cooker. They are so amazing and a great way to use chuck roast or stew beef in the summer time!
Day 3:
Breakfast – The kids had leftover sausage burrito mix with fruit. I had one of these healthy cottage cheese bowls (these tend to me my go-to breakfast or snack).
Lunch -We went on a hike so I packed lunch boxes with sandwiches and leftover snacks we had. I always cut up bits of fruit and veggies to use the last bits of what we have on hand.
These are the best lunch boxes, I use them all the time! I have two that are this sprout brand and one that is bentgo box. Both are great in their own ways and fit into a larger insulated lunch box with a cold pack well. I really like them because I can separate each snack and sandwiches don’t get smushed. I’ve had them for over a year and they are as good as new!
Dinner – I made one of my favorite casseroles, Million Dollar Spaghetti. I’ve made this many times with ground beef but tried chicken sausage from the freezer this time and it was still delicious!
Day 4:
On this day I started making 2 new loaves of sourdough bread. I have shared my full recipe here. If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can buy a dehydrated one here or use this recipe to make your own. All you need is flour and water!
If you are looking for a recipe that requires only bread flour, I have linked one here for you.
Breakfast – The kids had leftover sausage burrito mix with fruit. I had one of these healthy cottage cheese bowls (these tend to me my go-to breakfast or snack).
Lunch – We packed lunch boxes for a day at the park. I made sandwiches and leftover snacks we had. It’s always nice to cut up bits of fruit and veggies to use the last bits of what we have on hand.
Dinner – I made these Tropical pulled pork sandwiches with sourdough discard hamburger buns. This tropical pulled pork is a great way to use pork tenderloin and canned pineapple.
These sourdough discard hamburger rolls are absolutely delicious and a great thing to make when you’re trying to avoid the store!
Tips and Tricks
#1 It’s ok to cheat! If yo need to grab and item or two at the store, that’s still so much better than stocking up or doing a full grocery shop during that pantry challenge. Don’t be so hard on yourself! You’re already doing a great job by even attempting a challenge like this!
#2 You don’t need to live/die by the meal plan! Be flexible, switch days when your schedule changes. Make something different if you aren’t feeling what you initially planned. It’s ok to make changes when needed!
Watch This Entire Pantry Challenge Step By Step!
You can watch me make all of these pantry meals in this Youtube video.
And for more pantry cooking check out these videos:
- The Ultimate Pantry Challenge
- $0 Meal Prep (meal prepping straight from the pantry)
- 4 Shelf Stable Meals
More Pantry Friendly Recipes To Try
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