Trying Cheryl's Challenge (In Theory)
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| A random unorganized pantry shelf. |
I'm on a roll blogging this week, pure avoidance of housework mode. I am caught up on laundry but thats the only thing I can claim I'm on top of. Cheryl posted a challenge the other day and as I'm a list maker anyway, it got my brain churning. I'm paraphrasing but it was how long could you go without need to go grocery shopping. I think I could easily go two weeks with nothing unique with basics on hand but beyond things will get interesting, as you start seeing below. Carbohydrates wouldn't be an issue but fruit, veg, and dairy would be lacking pretty quick.
This is what I came up with as of Tuesday April 7th, the day of her post. For simplicity I'm repeating after the other if I'd make more than once. This doesn't include leftover nights though leftovers are mostly need for lunches. I've also not added breakfast items like oatmeal cereal and muffins I could make.
- Turkey meatloaf, mash steamed carrots
- Penne with bolognese
- Fried ham broccoli pasta
- Ham, pea, cheese pasta salad
- Ham, cheese, spinach quiche
- Sausage and dirty rice
- Sausage and dirty rice (2)
- Pork loin, sweet potato mixed veg
- Pork, rice, and green bean bowls
- Chicken tortellini Alfredo soup or pasta
- Chicken tortellini Alfredo soup or pasta (2)
- Chicken Caesar salad with garlic bread
- Tuna hotdish with peas
- Tuna hotdish with mixed vegetables
- Bean and ham soup with hot hoagie sandwich
- Tuna sandwich with chicken noodle (canned) soup
- Grilled cheese and TJ tomato soup
- Homemade flat bread with mozzarella and ground Italian sausage
- Chana Masala with rice
- Sweet potato, rice, and black bean burritos
- Rice and cheese hotdish with sautéed spinach
At this point I'd just have random bits, though still food, that would feed us should the orange want to be dictator mess up the world any further. Those breakfast items would work in a pinch. I'd make a lot of rice bowls, bean/chickpeas soups and pasta dishes and top with any oddities left until the cupboards are depleted. Coffee would be gone and that would hurt. It was an interesting exercise that maybe taught me I should stock more basics like canned goods in all food categories and shelf stable milk. It's a reminder mostly that I'm very fortunate. If things get this bad, many people will really be hurting. Some families and households simply do not have enough resources to have weeks of food in reserve no matter how frugal they might try to live.
I figure we could eat for several months if we needed to. It would not be what we always wanted and it might not be but 1 meal a day, but I honestly think we should be able to eat for at least 4 months
ReplyDeleteSorry Anne in the kitchen. I have no clue why that posted as anonymous
DeleteI certainly could eat less too but with my son, he's quite lean already and active.
DeleteWe would be out of fruit & veggies very quickly, as we do not buy canned or frozen. This was a good thought exercise as to whether we'd want to stock up on more frozen of both. We'd be fine with shelf stable oat milk (me), although we should probably get more coffee. I could suffer through a lot of missing fridge & pantry items if I still had enough & had coffee! - Hawaii Planner
ReplyDeleteI buy frozen because quite frankly past early fall, we just don't have great produce in Minnesota. Coffee would be tough once out.
DeleteI think I could go 3 weeks, maybe a tiny bit more. But I would be drinking terrible instant coffee or worse, tea. And eating some strange combos, too.
ReplyDeleteI think the above wasn't too strange yet, but after 3 weeks it's going to be whatever is available.
DeleteThat is a great list of dinners - love that you are giving the challenge a try. Not only does it use things up that we may otherwise just let sit and it saves a few dollars. Sounds like you will be eating good.
ReplyDeleteIm thankful I haven't had to do in reality. There was a time in life, several, where this was needed.
DeleteDefinitely be out of fresh fruit and veggies here, and while I do have some frozen of each, there really isn't enough to keep us going beyond the two week period. Meat wise I could probably last two months, though meals could get plenty monotonous. You did very well. Since I have severe osteoporosis I would need to shop for calcium enriched foods every two weeks or so.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Fresh dairy would be tough on me too. I do t do to much but we like cheese and have a history of severe osteoporosis in my family.
DeleteInteresting post. I think I could go about 10 days feeding the guys. Probably 2 weeks for me. I wouldn't like it, repetition and going without some things, but I could do it for I had to.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind repetition if things I like but fresh food woukd be missed. My son is a big eater, but lean so needs the calories.
DeleteI was down to four months supply of dried beans and quickly stocked up this month to a years supply to eat one serving a day of cooked dried beans. I have six months worth of cornmeal, oats, grits, rice for one serving a day. I have enough peanut butter and jelly for one serving a day four days a week for a year. The problem with that is that I don’t have the flour supply to make the sandwich bread…. Ooops! I have enough canned vegetables to eat one serving a day for six months, longer if I make soup with it. So after six months I would basically be down to one serving a day of cooked dried beans and I would probably make a bean soup with that to stretch it to two meals a day, and eat whatever dandelion greens I could find in my yard. I really need to increase my stocked water supply to two weeks. I only have a couple to three of days of clean water. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteNow with the water system, it should be endless clean water. But, the system requires filters and the softener salt so thise still are needed annually.
DeleteIt’s interesting, albeit a little scary, to think about. We do keep a stash of canned goods along with pasta and rice. It’s the fresh stuff we’d miss the most of course……….and decent coffee.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
The stupid man in Washington has messed everyone's life up, even those in denial, so I think Cheryl got me starting to think. It is scary.
DeleteHow can one idiot wreak so much far-reaching chaos? Its an interestimng concept. I'm sure we culd survive for a few weeks if we really had to but it would be a miserable and unhealthy existence without fresh fruit and vegtables. xxx
ReplyDeleteI think it was a worthwhile activity, but I'm with you. I love fresh food and trying to invest in better food with my dollars. The chaos he's caused, then claiming he's fixed things is insane. People who have any trust in him, need mental health care.
DeleteThat Is a great list of dinners, Sam. Let's hope and pray it doesn't get bad b3ecause it will be hard on a lot of people like you said.
ReplyDeleteIt's already so bad, but rich are getting richer. We all know groceries will never go back down with the exception of a few commodities ( like when there was an egg shortage). Gas may go down but farmers are hurting, truckers are hurting, and likely can't lower even when things , if things, get better.
DeleteCheddar Ceausescu is really trying his best to screw things up. It’s like he is stripping the U.S. to sell off the parts and leaving its people to deal with the fallout, not unlike how he ran his businesses into the ground.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of food on hand, with little appetite these days!
-Meg B.
Wait...he'll take credit fir "fixing" what he dismantled if it ever gets put together again. Who were the morons that ignored this was his operandi.
DeleteWe just went through our freezer(s) and pantry and it was (as always) an eye-opener to what we actually have ON HAND already. Even with some upcoming "social" events coming up, I think we will do fine other than buying some fresh produce and (of course) more milk. That'S my goal this month!
ReplyDelete