Pantry Eating Challenge Day 10

The past few days I dug into the pantry and freezer and pulled out prepared foods.  Yes, I was not cooking from scratch.  The items had been bought either on sale, with coupons, on a whim in a moment of despair or had been given to me.  It is time to move through some of these items to purify my pantry.

First I took a box of cranberry quick bread and turned it into muffins.  I know my mother gave me this box because she was hoping I would make up a loaf for Christmas morning.  Mom was a working mom all her life and did not cook from scratch.  I am fortunate she accomplished all she did and made sacrifices so my brother and I did not miss out.  So I am not faulting her for her purchase just making a point that I now have learned to make a tastier healthier product from scratch at a lower price.

I added wheat germ, dried cranberries and almonds to the mix and the results tasted great.  Now there will be muffins the next couple of mornings to have with breakfast.

Then I took out a box of au gratin potatoes.  I don't think I purchased this box and am unsure where it came from.  I added frozen fresh peas from last summer's garden,  a bit of grated swiss cheese and some dried parsley and bumped up the final dish.  Not too bad but I wouldn't purchase the box again.

As I wrote in another article I did make my Grandmother's coffee jello recipe and had a nostalgic trip down memory lane savoring the flavor of strong black coffee in another form.  I like it best with just a dash of cream and a brief sprinklin of sugar.  I did not add sugar to the recipe.  I think that was because most of my family prefered their coffee strong and black.

There were some frozen prepared things best left unnamed as I really don't want to admit they were taking space in the freezer.  Let's just say they tasted salty and were unfulfilling. I am still planning on eating through the refrigerator freezer so I can begin again filling it with more healthy choices.  At the end of the weekend I can say I did not shop and buy food and I cleared out some items.  I am looking forward to cooking some better choices this week.