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2/1/11 11:02 A

here, move to new thread

Okay everyone, thanks for signing up and expressing your interest, let's chat up a storm on the new thread and really start DOING this! Now let's move our conversation over to the Pantry Challenge thread, here's a link, all are welcome whether you signed up here or not, please join us:

www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_messagebo
ard_thread.asp?board=5025x5523x39585142

Edited by: CAROLFAITHWALKR at: 2/1/2011 (11:05)

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1/31/11 8:56 P

Thank you very much. I got a totally wrong impression of what it meant when I first joined and was checking things out but as I've been on and exploring for a while I had started to wonder if that was really what it meant because none of the topics seemed to be terribly controversial.

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1/31/11 7:34 P

A topic that a group leader puts up and leaves up for a period of time.

Edited by: -WRKNG2ABTTRME- at: 1/31/2011 (19:35)

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1/31/11 7:11 P

I will see what I can do, but, lately I find I"m not able to get in to Spark People every day. But, do like the idea of the recipes, as I do a lot of cooking soups this time of the year.

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1/31/11 7:07 P

So since you brought it up, we've had this question in another of my groups...What's a "sticky" topic? Is it one that's controversial and sticky in that sort of way? Or is it sticky like a sticky note, a topic that a group leader puts up and leaves up for a period of time?

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1/31/11 4:12 P

Wow looks like I hit a nerve. This is great! I love everyone's enthusiasm!

So the challenge is definitely on for February. I'll post a new thread for those of you who want to begin posting your recipes and menus and questions before the first, and will make it a sticky thread on Tuesday the first.

I actually tried to do this during January, as someone else mentioned, so I am soooooooo glad someone else wants to do this! I need you all! We need each other.

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1/31/11 3:36 P

Sounds like a great idea! I'm in!

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1/31/11 3:14 P

Yes, I would love this! Where do I begin?

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1/31/11 2:45 P

Count me in. But I'll be the needy one. ; )

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1/31/11 11:40 A

I'm in, love this idea. When money gets tighter, I call it 'living off the land', we create meals with staples on hand already.

I actually went through the deep freeze last night. Have lots of veggies, a left over turkey carcase and a ham bone. Can very easily make soups in the crock with both. Also have lots of dried beans I would like to experiment with... by dd won't eat but my dh and I will enjoy.

Stew in the crock now, can't wait to get home and enjoy the beautiful smell!

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1/31/11 9:37 A

Such a great idea! During the month of January I had already begun thinking like this. My pantry is overflowing with canned and packaged goods. Grocery shopping for February at my house will only include bread, eggs, milk and fresh fruit and vegetables as we begin to eat ourselves out of house and home!

Tonight its a fusili pasta and meatballs for two - using up pasta, sauce and frozen hamburg meat. And later in the week I hope to make a pot of baked beans in the crockpot.

Can't wait to hear everyone's plans!

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1/31/11 9:14 A

I love this idea and can't wait to see what you guys come up with... looking forward to cleaning out the pantry too, I have NO idea what's in there!

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1/31/11 6:12 A

I had several boxes of Uncle Bens Flavored Rice and I stacked them according to expiration date. The one nearest its date got eaten last night.....Thanks for the boost I need. No trips to the grocery for me this week.
T

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1/31/11 2:18 A

Glenna, you can use the mashed potatos as thickener in gravies and soups. You can make potato pancakes. I've made them up fairly thick, added seasonings and cheese and formed them into little balls and baked them until they're browned. Mix them into meat loaf as an extender.

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1/30/11 9:02 P

I'll give it a go

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1/30/11 4:43 P

Anybody have any ideas for instant mashed potatoes? I got a couple of #10 cans for $2.50 each and need some help. I got one and we tried them and dh said they were good. Then later he decided he didn't care for them. So I need to doctor them up somehow!

Glenna

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1/30/11 4:22 P

I'm in! We just have the small fridge-top freezer, and less stuff in the cupboards than we used to, since all 4 kids are fledged and we've moved into a smaller place. But the cupboards are still crammed with jars of this-and-that, including TVP from the vegetarian and channa flour from the aspiring Indian cook... not to mention that the freezer has leftover roast goose from Christmas and some deer and moose meat that were given to me. (In fact I've already begun this challenge: we had deer steaks for our Sunday dinner instead of buying yet another roast.) I don't know if I'll ever get around to using the can of quail eggs though?!?

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1/30/11 4:04 P

I'm in... I bought a bunch of free-range meat a couple of months ago and it's been languishing in my freezer... Any ideas what I can do with Beef Shank?

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1/30/11 12:19 P

I'm in!
I started a menu planning thing at the new year - one of my resolutions - and also making more use of my crock bot - so i'm ahead of the game - let's see if i can stay that way!

FEARLESSLIFE: I found this recipe in CL and it's amazing on pasta - good luck!
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1393457

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1/30/11 6:32 A

I'm in!!
T2

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1/30/11 3:58 A

Great idea. Count me in!

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1/30/11 3:46 A

Sounds good. I'm in.

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1/30/11 2:03 A

I think I still would have used couscous (or pasta) that was that close on expiration. It just takes a little longer to cook.

I wish this challenge had been for January! It was a lean month so I used up all my stockpile. I'm down to a package of chicken breasts and 2 quarts of home made chicken stock...

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1/30/11 12:43 A

Make sure to check expiration dates... I had to toss out 3 boxes of cous-cous today, all dated Oct/2010...

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1/29/11 10:55 P

Sounds great to me!

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1/29/11 8:38 P

I'd sure like to give this a try. I have quite a stock pile. I have a cellar full of home canned goodies.

Glenna

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1/29/11 8:07 P

I'm definately in..

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1/29/11 7:57 P

This would have been a good challenge for me last year...but in November we had to move in one week and ended up leaving half of what we owned behind, including a lot of our larder items that we couldn't get moved in such a short time. I think the only things I've got left that need to be used up are a bunch of spices and some canned tuna. But I'll be very interested to see what others come up with because it may very well help me in the future.

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1/29/11 7:47 P

For myself I'm not very good at this but want to get good at it. I'm definitely going to do it and hope I have some SparkFriend company along the way.

I discovered I have a BUNCH of pasta; a ton. It must have multiplied on the back shelves in the dark when I wasn't looking. Also some white rice, too much; but a ton of pasta! I guess I haven't been eating pasta & rice for awhile, or very little, while pursuing healthier alternatives. I am sorting the pasta by expiration date to use the oldest first. I am SURE I will have some, actually plenty, of pasta still leftover on March 1st.

So I will be interested in lots of pasta recipes, crock pot lasagna, mac & cheese, and if possible your healthier ideas of pasta cooking in February. Pasta is a challenge in the crock pot, so that will be interesting to hone those skills, as well.

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1/29/11 7:45 P

I'll give it a shot...BUT...I have 2 big chest freezers(full)...besides the freezer with my refrigerator. Not sure how this will turn out.

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1/29/11 7:40 P

Let's have an eat-down-the-pantry challenge for the month of February! The holidays are over, and in March there will be lots of frozen food sales going on because March is 'Frozen Food Month' in grocery stores due to the cyclical nature of frozen foods production.

So why don't we save a pretty penny by making use of what we've squirreled away, clean out our freezers, pantries, and kitchen cupboards; use up the old, and make room for the new?

You know that mystery package in the freezer you've been shoving to the back because you don't want to deal with it, and those dust-covered items in the pantry?

Yep, we all have'm; time to dig in, search for expiration dates, open up and inspect, etc. We'll Spring Clean our pantries, shelves and freezers in the process.

We will focus on what we have at home, first, and shop from our own pantries first. Then supplement at the grocery store only as needed. Between that and menu planning, we will save a BUNDLE in the month of February, eat out less, and lose weight more!

Some of you who do this regularly already may be thinking there's not much to find challenging; please join us so we can make use of your experience! We need you!

This thread is to gauge interest; if there's enough interest we'll definitely do it the whole month, and/or til interest falls off, whichever comes first. Some of our weekly topics will be (all optional of course):

- Pampering Rewards or Charity: post what you will do with the $ you saved in grocery buying and eating out. Will you give yourself weekly pampering rewards, or donate all or part of your monthly savings to a community or church food bank? Pay down debt with the savings?

- Posting Our Pantry Recipes (not all will be CP & that's ok)

- Posting Our Menu Planning

- Posting Our Starting and Ending Weight for the Month

- Slow Cooking with Chinese New Year in mind

- Batchcooking Meats

- Slow Cooking with Saint Valentine's in Mind

- Batchcooking Sauces and Broths (Italian, pizza, chicken, beef, veggie)

- Batchcooking Dried Beans

By the end of the month we might have only oddball things left to use up. That's fine, we can search SparkRecipes and other sites like AllRecipes for just that one item, or bounce ideas off of each other until we find a crock pot recipe for it.

Who's in? Hit the Reply button and sign up if you want to; if enough people sign up then I'll post weekly overviews plus daily stuff in a new thread beginning Monday Jan 31st (everyone will still do their own menus and recipes, of course), and I'll add The Pantry Challenge to team page as a Team Challenge.

current weight: 262.0

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