Cooking from the Cupboard

I’m coming back down from a spendy long weekend: I was at the beach with friends for 3 days and also purchased a new pair of running shoes. Both were essential for me, in terms of mental and physical health; however, that doesn’t mean that I’m not still a little anxious about the hit to my monthly income. As I rummaged through my fridge and cupboards today wondering whether or not I needed to make a grocery run, I came up with a goal to make as much food as I can from what I have in store already.

Here’s what I found in my kitchen:

Freezer: 3 chicken cutlets, 2 chicken sausages, 1 pound of ground beef, half a package of Trader Joe’s Japanese fried rice, and 3/4 of a loaf of bread

Fridge: 6 eggs, hummus and tahini, 1 apple, lunch meat (turkey, roast beef), provolone cheese, red sauce, Siggi’s yogurt and leftovers from last night (whole wheat pasta with pesto, edamame, almonds and lemon)

Cupboards: whole wheat pasta, couscous, quinoa, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), dried fruit (currants, golden raisins), fig bars, asiago croutons, pretzels, a couple of granola bars, a can of tuna, chicken stock, oatmeal, 1 can each of black beans and white kidney beans

Here’s what I plan on making/eating:

• Continue eating my leftovers (2-3 more meals)
• Chicken cutlets with couscous
• Sausage with pasta
• Fried rice and eggs
• Tacos
• Sandwiches (for lunch)
• Granola (for breakfast)

I know I’ll need to stock up on some essentials, so I will budget $40 for them this week. Things I will probably need:

• Milk
• Salad greens and frozen veggies
• Fruit
• Peanut butter
• Taco fixings: cheddar cheese, salsa, avocado
• More bread

Keep in mind that I’m trying to stretch this food between two people! I’ll keep you all posted on my progress. If you have any suggestions for what I can make from my ingredients, leave me a comment!