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My daughter said once that we have lots of adventures...so grew New Leaf Nickie, the blog intended to capture most of our adventures. If you've landed here, welcome to life with New Leaf Nickie on Havoc Hill Farm.







Showing posts with label Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenge. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Freezer & Pantry Inventory

When I got home last night, I took the plunge and took inventory of my freezer and pantry.  The following horrid list is what I have to eat from beginning Friday.  The amount of food is definitely enough to feed us for the month, especially with the kiddos at their dad's for two weeks.  This list does not include food that is already unpackaged and sitting in the snack cabinet or the breakfast cabinet.  This is only food that is unopened and stored.

Freezer Inventory

Meat
2 cooked chicken breasts—U
2 cups cooked veggie meat – U
1 cup cooked taco meat – U
1 pk sliced turkey – U
1 pk sliced ham – U
2 pk bacon – U / D
1 bag veggie meat – U
6 tilapia fillets – U / D
2 lbs hamburger – D
1 pkg shrimp – D
2 salmon fillets – D
1 pork roast – D
1 bag chicken breast fillets – D

Vegetables
½ bag shredded hashbrowns – U
2 boxes veggie sides – U
2 ½ bag frozen broccoli – U / D
½ bag carrots – U
½ bag peas – U
1 bag steak fries – D
1 box chopped spinach – D
1 bag mixed veggies – D

Breakfast
6 waffles – U
1 box Toaster Strudel – U
1 box Toaster Strudel – D
1 box pancake mix – D
2 Kashi Go Lean cereal – D
2 Fiber One cereal – D

Frozen meals
3 burritos – U
2 pk deep dish pizzas – U
1 Kid Cuisine fried chx dinner – U
1 serving chili – U
8 cups chili – U
4 boxes Bagel Bites – D
2 boxes “chicken” nuggets – D
2 Fettuccini Alfredo – D
2 Pizza Rolls – D
1 fish stick meal – D
3 pizzas – D
6 cups veggie soup – D
1 Kashi Chx Florentine – D

Snacks
1 bag mozzarella bites – U
½ bag mozzarella cheese sticks – U
1 Savorings – D

Cheese
2 pk cream cheese – D
1 ½ bag shredded mexi cheese – D
1 bag shredded Colby/jack cheese – D
1 bag shredded cheddar – D
1 ½ block mozzarella cheese – D
1 block cheddar cheese – D
1 block Monterey jack cheese – D
1 bag Italian shredded cheese – D
2 packs Singles – D

Sweet Stuff
Italian ice – D
3 boxes fruit chillers – D
1 box Dibs – D
3 bags chocolate chips – D
2 lg chocolate bars – D
2 pie crusts – D
1 peach pie – D
1 cherry pie – D
1 apple pie – D
4 cake mixes – D

Other
1 box taco shells – U
8 cups vegetable broth – U
1 ½ bag sliced almonds – U
½ loaf French bread – U
1 loaf bread
6 boxes Texas toast

Pantry Inventory

Pasta
6 boxes mac n cheese
1 box lasagna noodles
1 box elbow macaroni
3 boxes spaghetti noodles
1 bag egg noodles
2 Hamburger Helper cheeseburger macaroni
2 Chicken Helper Alfredo
1 Chicken Helper Lo Mien
1 Sesame Teriyaki
1 box couscous
4 jars pasta sauce

Canned Goods
3 jars salsa
1 can pumpkin
2 cans cherry pie filling
2 cans olives
1 jar artichokes
1 cranberry sauce
3 cans evaporated milk
3 packs fruit cups
2 canned diced potatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can baked beans
1 can refried beans
2 cans enchilada sauce
3 cans corn
1 can peas & carrots
9 cans peas

Breakfast
3 Kashi Go Lean
1 Kashi Honey Sunshine
1 Honey Nut Cheerios
1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch
1 Smorz
1 Honey Kix
1 Kashi Autumn Wheat
1 Poptarts Brown Sugar Cinnamon

Condiments
1 jar vinegar
2 jelly
1 A-1
1 syrup
1 ketchup
1 box onion soup mix
1 veggie soup seasoning

Snacks
1 Fruit Snacks
1 Yogos
1 Nut Clusters

Soup

2 cartons chicken broth
1 can chicken broth

2 cartons veggie broth
4 cream of mushroom

2 cream of chicken
2 tomato

1 R2E chicken noodle
1 R2E tomato
6 R2E veggie soup

Ready to Eat
1 can chili
1 can spaghetti-O’s
1 bag Ready Rice

Other
3 jars peanut butter

So there it is....I'll keep posting on menus and meal ideas.  I see there's lots of pasta in my future that's for sure!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Personal Goals for 2010



OK...so, it's time to start thinking about personal goals for the new year.  Let's see...has this EVER worked out for me before?  I'll go ahead and answer that...nope.  Not once.  I've never actually accomplished the things I've set out to do at the beginning of a year.  HOWEVER, (and we all knew that was coming or I wouldn't be writing this entry) this past year -- 2009 -- was a very different year for me.  I didn't set out at the beginning of the year striving for change, but change is what I got.  In the past 6 months (after discovering couponing), I really have changed.  I've become one of those people that I've read about who say that blah, blah, blah...I've realized that the most important things in life can't be bought...blah, blah, blah...my kids are learning the value of a dollar...blah, blah, blah and a yada, yada, ya... I won't bore you the details...just know that I really have made a change in my life and it's been a blessing.

Now, on to the personal goals for 2010:

1) At the beginning of each month I will set a challenge for myself which will make a positive change in my life. 

That's it...just one.  Can't go wrong with that, can I?  (Actually I can, but we won't go there right now.)

They say it takes 30 days to develop a habit, so engaging in a challenge once a month should provide me with 12 positive changes throughout the year, right?  We'll see.  Here's a non-complete list of some of the challenges I'd like to set for the year, although I won't make a decision until near the beginning of each month.

Eat from the pantry / freezer only
Read an entire book from my book collection...no purchasing or borrowing a book to read
Engage in 30 minutes of physical activity everyday (walking up the stairs at work DOES NOT count)
Beautify my yard using non-purchased manual labor only
De-clutter and create positive organizational spaces (get back to FLYing with the FLY Lady)
Finish my group exercise instructor certification
Learn to use a budget
Teach my kids things they will use for the rest of their lives

So, there's the beginning of my list.  As I've already posted, the January challenge is Eat From the Pantry.  Wish my luck!

January Challenge: Eat From the Pantry!

So, I've decided to team up with Crystal of Money Saving Mom and Jessica of Life As Mom in their Eat from the Pantry Challenge.  This is NOT a competition, but a self-challenge! 




January has typically been one of the most financially difficult months of the year for me.  I guess it's when the December gifts catch up to me.  It's also a great month to take inventory, make goals, and move forward; perfect for the kitchen as well!

So, in the spirit of being a good steward of my pantry stockpile I'm accepting the challenge! While this will take a little more planning and creativity on my part I'm looking forward to using up some long overlooked items in the pantry/freezer!

The best part of this challenge is that you can set your own rules and limits. The goal is to cut back on spending and use up what you already have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.

My Goals in the Challenge:

1.) To inventory items in the pantry and freezer.

2.) To reduce our grocery spending in half, allocating only $40 for the month of January. This $40 will be available to purchase eggs, milk, and fresh produce as needed. I'm also allowing myself to purchase items at the grocery store that are free or at "stockpile prices" as long as it doesn't exceed the $40.00 limit.

3.) Create a monthly meal plan with existing items from our pantry.

We sometimes eat out at family's house, so we will still continue to do this when invited, but there will be no buying lunch or dinner at a restaurant!  January 1 is the official start date for me!  I'll keep you posted on my efforts!


Want to join me in this challenge? You can offically join here, and please let me know if you're participating!