Look At Your Pantry What Do You Really Have? U.S. Food Prices Sky Rocketing

In real life our pantries may look like these photos. A bit disorganized and haphazard. It's not do to lack of trying but busy lives, kiddos, or stress. Taking 15  minutes a day to work on your pantry will allow you to see what you really have. You might find you have bought the same thing many times over. Now you can really see what your family needs. Make a list of needed items to keep you on track while shopping. 

Sticker Shock

As you go to the store you see prices are rising and packages getting smaller in ounces or pounds. The level of stress rises a bit as you struggle with the amount at check out shaking your head. You begin to wonder if you will be able to make these choices stretch. Now, those fun go to items are not as many. You begin to watch the news to see what exactly is happening? Will this be a short time of increased food prices? The Answer No. Watch my video below.

Now that you have a clearer picture of what is happening in the world with farming, weather, cyber attacks, droughts, and inability to import enough. Now you find yourself making more meals at home. This may not be something your used to so you stress a bit it but push on. Important: if you lost your job/work part time/ or full time and cant make ends meet. Food prices are hurting your ability to pay other bills. Consider going to a food bank, church, food pantry or getting state assistance. Till you can get back on your feet. 

 I know I have given you alot to think about. Now is the time more than ever to go through your shelves and truly see what you have. Look for simple recipes of 5 ingredients or less. These can be found on the internet, magazines, cook books, and family/friends. Making a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner may help to guide your usage of pantry and time. Larger crockpot or pots of stews, soups, and other meals will carry over for a day or more. Have containers for left overs that can be used for other meals or in between snacks. Some may have box mixes that have sat unused. Pull them off the shelves and make those breads, muffins, biscuits, cakes, scones, cupcakes and cookies. These will hold over little tummies and provide a pick me up when times are hard.  Lastly, we will all have to rethink what we do and adapt to the ever changing times. You may run across empty shelves again but not do to Covid and unpreparedness. But do to inability to farm, inport/export shortages, weather, droughts and more. Be prepared buy a little more here and there and it will add up quickly. Check out my other prepping articles.

Herb Garden Forget the Grocery Store Fresh Is Best

 Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow. Being able to take a few steps outside your door to get fresh herbs is amazing. With rising cost for herbs this is a major money saver. Our meals are more flavorful and aromatic. 

Dollar Tree Prepping

 

Yes, you can prep at the Dollar Tree. Here in my video above you will see the items I bought for our prepper pantry.

Shelf Stable Gossner Milk and Almond Milk

Barilla Angel Hair Pasta

Barilla Thin Spaghetti

General Mills Cereals

27 Cans Campbells Soup (Chicken Rice, Tomato, Chicken Noodle)

Other Foods

Hungry Jack Dehydrated Hash Browns

Seeds

Children's Battery Operated Tooth Brush's

Regular Tooth Brush's 

Ropes (Hanging Clothes to Dry) or in a emergency a Dollar Tree Tarp and Rope use as shelter between 2 tree's

Mop Heads Cotton for Wicks in Oil Lamps

Mouse Traps (Just in Case)

Hand Soaps Name Brand

Cleaning Products

Hair Products Name Brand Full Size

Antifungal Foot Cream (Compared to Lotrimin)

Anti-Diarrhea Caplets (Compared to Imodium AD)

I always take advantage of great deals for home decor, books, along with crafting supplies as well. As I am a avid crafter this is greatly appreciated. I will be sharing in my next video 2 deals from CVS where I got Toilet for Free! Im always on the hunt for deals. I watch Youtube Couponers that list the deals and all you have to do is find them and make sure your coupons online/paper are clipped and go!

Home Series What I Do Every Month

                                                                 

The 1st day of every month is a fresh start for everyone. You can take time to reflect and re-group. Get your favorite drink find a cozy spot to sit get notebook and pen. Now with a clear relaxed mind write your goals and thoughts. Your list will change as you go and will be different every month. Depending on life and its events.

My goals and thoughts:

Time with God/Meditation: find a good time either during the day or night to dedicate at least 15 minutes

Organization: work in 20-30 minute intervals in certain sections of my home everyday 

Finances: set up my budget and goals

Health: continue to work on

Prepping: go through my pantry and storage see what we need to replenish

Business: work on my business(s) and it's passive incomes

Donate: every month (clothes, shoes, kitchen items, home decor misc)

Study: economy/agriculture and its effects on the world so I better prep at home

Home: change out decor, bedding, curtains, and candles to suit the weather and time of season with what I have at home.

Crafting: make time for my hobbies dollhouse miniatures, jewelry, wreaths and paper crafts

Recipe Books: pull some books out and do recipes

Prepping Dry Goods Low Cost & Easy

 

                                                Dry Goods 

You can prep with what you have economically. Most homes have rice, sugar, beans, corn meal, oats, and salt. Storing dry goods is easy. Using recycled jars from other goods like pasta sauce jars, jellies, coffee, or pickles. Wash them and dry thoroughly. Re-cycling glass containers are a cost free way to ensure longer shelf life. TIP 1: place your dry goods in the freezer for a few days before placing them in containers this will lessen the chance for weevils and insects.  TIP 2 Did you know dried bay leaf's help keep insects away. By adding a few dried bay leaf's in each container this can help keep insects and weevils at bay. The glass helps with rodents like mice. 

What are dry goods?

Rice   

if stored properly can last indefinitely in a cool dry dark place 

(White Rice) 

NOT brown rice this has a short shelf life. 

Oats

dry oats can be stored a long time if stored properly in a cool dry dark place

Sugar

if stored properly can last indefinitely in a cool dry dark place (never add oxygen absorbers this will turn the sugar into a hard block) 

Beans

if stored properly can last a very long time in a cool dry dark place

Wheat Berries (Flour)

if stored properly can last a very long time in a cool dry dark place

Salt

if stored properly can last indefinitely in a cool dry dark place

Pasta

if stored properly can last a very long time in a cool dry dark place

Corn

corn kernels can last indefinitely is stored in a dry cool place (never add oxygen absorbers the kernel needs the moisture to pop) 

Corn Meal

if stored properly it can last a long time in a cool dry dark place

 

Preparing For A Snow Storm

We have a Winter Snow Storm headed our way tomorrow.  I'm glad I went to the grocery store to get a few odd's and end's. The video below.

It feels good knowing my family is well taken care of. When simple things like making a meal, bread, or yummy dessert bring's smiles. I will be going through my stock pile and pulling out some Organic Tomato Soup that needs to be used. To complete with a side of grilled cheese. I have some ground beef I have been de-thawing. This will make a great meat sauce with  pasta topped with grated cheese and side salad. The remainder of the ground beef can be used for a meatball soup with some left over herbed rice. I always change up recipe's. I will add my herbed rice and only use beef for my meatball's. I don't enjoy celery so that will not be used. The base recipe is a great one with a few personal taste tweeks.

Here is a recipe by Rachel Ray that looked really good: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mini-meatball-soup-recipe-1941150

• Level: Easy
• Total: 47 min

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 27 min

• Yield: 4 big servings 
• Ingredients

Deselect All

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves, fresh or dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground beef, pork and veal combined

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

6 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettuccini or ditalini

1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches, recipe follows*

Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin

8 slices crusty Italian semolina bread

1 cup shredded provolone

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano

1 cup shredded Asiago

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Directions

1. In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.
3. Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread or grilled 4 cheese sandwiches.

Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches

1. In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.
2. Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

Cook’s Note

*All of these cheeses are available in specialty cheese case and dairy aisle already shredded

 

Prepping My Home A Different Way

 

When we think about Prepping we automatically think of water, food, medicine, and a means of self defense. I'm Prepping my home a different way for the next few weeks. These beautiful winter cottage's are by Thomas Kincaid. The warm glow from the windows and welcoming feeling seen from the outside of a chilly winter evening is inviting.

We can create our own ambiance and comfort in our homes. I made a few Amazon purchases Vanilla Lavender, Woodland Mystique, and Himalayan Magnolia Vanilla Air Wick Plug Ins. these will be placed through out my home. 

                  https://amzn.to/35XpvL1

                       https://amzn.to/2KEcFds

https://amzn.to/3iv9lhe

I will choose books that I want to read and set up warm blankets and pillows for special reading time everyday along with my children. This will be a family activity during these brisk cold days when the outdoors are not an option. 

Candles are another way I create ambiance. I purchase candles through out the year when sales pop up. So, when winter comes I am set. I purchased Yankee Candles, Bath and Body Works, along with Sonoma from kohls. On occasion I come across a great candle at Ross, Home Store, or TJ Max. Don't get me started with wood wicks they create the sound of a crackling fire. They are amazing. 

I hope you all are creating your comfort areas in your home and enjoying these chilly days with warm cozy slippers, fuzzy/flannel blankets, good books, warm drinks and scents. Do you do something special? I would enjoy hearing it. Please share down below.

Shopping Our Prepper Pantry and Food Menu 1 Week

 This week we are shopping our pantry. As many of you know my husband has suffered a heart attack. We are looking at quick easy no muss or fuss meals. He is still not home. The meals made for him will be different (specific diet plan). The ones below will be for the family in general. Here is our menu for the week:

MONDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad Baked Chips(options)

Dinner: Chicken Parmesan (spaghetti, chicken patties, sauce, cheese, seasoning) note: we had Tyson Chicken Patties in the freezer that need to be used. This is a great way to incorporate them in a meal.

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

TUESDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Vienna Sausages chopped up into pieces. 

Dinner: Surprise

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad, Cheesy Fajita Sandwich (options)

Dinner: Chicken Oven Roaster (Perdue) and Veggies

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

THURSDAY 

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad (options)

Dinner: Chili Dogs and Corn on the Cob/ or Canned

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

FRIDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad (options)

Dinner: Left overs use Chicken Roaster into soup/rice/veggies

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

SATURDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage, Pancakes, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad (options)

Dinner: Casserole

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)

SUNDAY

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage, Pancakes, Coffee, Yogurt (options)

Lunch: Sandwich, Soup, Salad (options)

Dinner: Surprise

Snacks: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Popcorn, Crackers w/peanut butter, Granola Bars, Cereal, Oatmeal (options)