Freezer cooking for a month? Anyone in?

[DawnM]

Our freezers and fridge are full.  I will need milk, bread, eggs, and produce, but quite honestly, the rest we have GOT to purge out of the freezer/fridge.

 

Anyone want to do it with me for a week, two weeks, a month, as long as you can?????

 

We may be moving and although it isn't for several months at the earliest, I plan to PURGE the fridge and freezer and start over with meal planning and being organized so I don't have a lot of surplus to deal with.

 

I am starting tomorrow, Feb. 20th and going at least until March 15th.

 

 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm intrigued by the idea.  Do you use recipes or a book or just wing it?

 

What do you use for storage containers?

 

 

[macmacmoo]

I failed misably at it. I guess I'm an instant gratification sort of person. Cooking/prepping all day and it all went into the freezer left me feeling tired and not productive. Once it came time to eat I felt the food was bland and I recalling how much work went into the marathon cooking day didn't feel the gains were worth the effort.

[Lady Florida.]

I thought Dawn is talking about cleaning out the freezer - IOW like pantry cooking but using what she has frozen - not cooking for the freezer. Did I misunderstand?

 

Anyway, I did try this (using what I have) and am still kind of working on it, but at times I give in and buy all the ingredients for something else. I might be in to try again if that's what you're doing.

[OneStepAtATime]

I am willing to try for the next week.  I'm not good at this sort of thing but DH and I realized our freezer is overloaded and it needs to be cleaned out.  I guess I'm in.  I will start tomorrow, if I feel up to it.  Been sick for a while.  Starting to feel better though and this may inspire me.  Looking at how jam packed that freezer is kind of depresses me.  It feels very wasteful since I don't even know what is in there anymore.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I thought Dawn is talking about cleaning out the freezer - IOW like pantry cooking but using what she has frozen - not cooking for the freezer. Did I misunderstand?

 

Anyway, I did try this (using what I have) and am still kind of working on it, but at times I give in and buy all the ingredients for something else. I might be in to try again if that's what you're doing.

 

LOL

 

Yeah now that I read it again, I think you are right.

[DawnM]

I thought Dawn is talking about cleaning out the freezer - IOW like pantry cooking but using what she has frozen - not cooking for the freezer. Did I misunderstand?

 

Anyway, I did try this (using what I have) and am still kind of working on it, but at times I give in and buy all the ingredients for something else. I might be in to try again if that's what you're doing.

 

 

YES!  This is what I am talking about, sorry for the confusion.  I have no desire to stand in the kitchen for 8 hours and cook the entire month's worth of food.

 

I can wing things!  Really!  

 

I use Allrecipes.com and plug in ingredients and see what recipes pop up.  Are there other websites?  I need some inspiration or something.

[rjand6more]

We have been doing this more or less since Christmas.  We are kitchen remodeling.  I have been using the Instant Pot almost daily. I have not been wanting to bring groceries into the house aside from fruits/vegs.  There is nowhere to put it!  We have what's left from 1/2 a cow(got it in August.) 10#chicken breasts, some frozen vegs.  We have been buying some frozen pizzas and burritos for busy days though.

 

I would love to "start over" in the pantry /frig/freezer in a month or two.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'll join in, and add my pantry as well. We're loaded with certain things (8 boxes of rice noodles that I have no idea how to use--thank you, Amazon!) and I really need to make some space. It doesn't help that BJ's and Costco are my local grocery stores! 

 

And for those of you who hate the other kind of freezer cooking, I've found that using my Instant Pot made that SO much easier. I hate cooking all day and then freezing, and then the reheated food never tasted good :( But with an Instant Pot, you can often freeze the food uncooked, then drop the frozen (or slightly defrosted) food right into the IP, which then cooks it perfectly :D That works a LOT better for me. Not every IP recipe will work well, but I'm working on developing a repertoire of recipes that do. For example, the honey bourbon chicken is perfect for this--mix all the sauce ingredients together, drop in the chicken, seal up the container and freeze. It's awesome. 

 

In the meantime, though, I need to divest myself of some of this hoarded food! I think I'll start by thawing a couple of chickens for use over the next week. 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[BarbecueMom]

Fair warning, I did a "clean out the pantry" thing in January. February 1, I spent $670 (argh!) at the grocery store and Costco replenishing what we ran out of. It was ugly.

 

ETA: For recipes with random ingredients (x), I'll sometimes search " x recipes" on Pinterest and keep looking through ingredient lists until I find something I have the stuff for, or can easily substitute. It's easier on Pinterest when you can see the lists without clicking through to the blog first.

Edited February 19, 2017 by BarbecueMom

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Fair warning, I did a "clean out the pantry" thing in January. February 1, I spent $670 (ha!) at the grocery store and Costco replenishing what we ran out of. It was ugly.

 

:lol: Yes, this is what I'm always afraid of. But at least it will be fresher food, and all the stupid little bits of random things will be gone.

 

What gets me every time is my food guilt. A couple of years ago we invested in a quarter pig from one of our local farms. Well, it turns out that not only do I really dislike pork in almost every form (except for bacon and ham), I also hate the smell of it cooking. I managed to get through heavily sauced pork chops and a pork loin or two (DH and the kids mostly took care of those), but we still have 5-6 cuts down in the deep freeze that I just can't quite bring myself to face :( It did turn out that the two ham hocks were still usable as of last year, though, and they made yummy bean soup at least. The rest...I think I'm just going to have to be strong and toss them  :crying:

Edited February 19, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

ETA: For recipes with random ingredients (x), I'll sometimes search " x recipes" on Pinterest and keep looking through ingredient lists until I find something I have the stuff for, or can easily substitute. It's easier on Pinterest when you can see the lists without clicking through to the blog first.

 

 

This is my plan for the rice noodles. When I got my Instant Pot, I came across some delicious-sounding recipe that must have involved rice noodles, and I got all excited and bought a 12-count box from Amazon. Now I cannot figure out what recipe it was to save my life. I'm going to have to branch out, I guess. I've always wanted to learn how to make Pad Thai...

[TammyS]

. Not every IP recipe will work well, but I'm working on developing a repertoire of recipes that do. For example, the honey bourbon chicken is perfect for this--mix all the sauce ingredients together, drop in the chicken, seal up the container and freeze. It's awesome. 

 

 

 

Recipe, please?  Maybe we need a thread of freezer instapot recipes?

[Lostinabook]

Recipe, please?  Maybe we need a thread of freezer instapot recipes?

 

 

Here are some from Once a Month Meals. So far everything I've made has been good, but sometimes the food needs to be thawed a bit before putting in the IP, or it either won't come to pressure or says it's come to pressure when it really hasn't.  https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/?serving_day=prog-pressure-cooker

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Recipe, please?  Maybe we need a thread of freezer instapot recipes?

 

This is the recipe itself:

 

https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/instant-pot-honey-bourbon-chicken-traditional-version/

 

But this will help you a lot too:

 

https://onceamonthmeals.com/menus/spring-instant-pot-mini-menu-vol-1/

https://onceamonthmeals.com/menus/fall-instant-pot-menu-vol-1/

https://onceamonthmeals.com/menus/winter-instant-pot-freezer-menu-vol-1/

 

And while I don't love plastic containers, since they don't get heated, I can live with using them for this. These containers freeze the food into pucks that drop right into the IP:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Freeze-Reditainer-Freezeable-Containers/dp/B008XLE0IQ/

 

7-cup glass Pyrex bowls are the right size too, but they hold a bit less, and there's a slight breakage risk because of the glass. I still use mine, but I only have one at the moment. I'm waiting for garage sale season to see if I can pick up more :D

[Artichoke]

 

 

 

And while I don't love plastic containers, since they don't get heated, I can live with using them for this. These containers freeze the food into pucks that drop right into the IP:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Freeze-Reditainer-Freezeable-Containers/dp/B008XLE0IQ/

 

7-cup glass Pyrex bowls are the right size too, but they hold a bit less, and there's a slight breakage risk because of the glass. I still use mine, but I only have one at the moment. I'm waiting for garage sale season to see if I can pick up more :D

 

 

This is genius!  Thanks for sharing ;-) 

[Artichoke]

Our freezers and fridge are full.  I will need milk, bread, eggs, and produce, but quite honestly, the rest we have GOT to purge out of the freezer/fridge.

 

Anyone want to do it with me for a week, two weeks, a month, as long as you can?????

 

We may be moving and although it isn't for several months at the earliest, I plan to PURGE the fridge and freezer and start over with meal planning and being organized so I don't have a lot of surplus to deal with.

 

I am starting tomorrow, Feb. 20th and going at least until March 15th.

 

 

I'd like to join you!  I have a lot of food left from last summer that I need to use.  I think we've gotten into a rut of the same old things and not using what we already have on hand.  

[Lady Florida.]

Tonight was too easy, but I'll take it. I had a couple of ham steaks and a bag of sweet potato fries in the freezer. That and a vegetable from the fridge and we have dinner. And I have two fewer items in my freezer.

 

BTW, I have three freezers - kitchen fridge, a refrigerator in the garage, and a chest freezer also in the garage. I have a lot to clean out!

[xixstar]

I am interested. I need to seriously rein in our food budget next month and I really need to eat through some of the massive stores of food we have. I want to defrost the freezer and it's be easier if it wasn't mostly full. :)

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

This is genius!  Thanks for sharing ;-) 

 

:thumbup:  I can't take credit for it, since I read it in a fantastically helpful post on the big FB IP group, but I'm glad it could help you! They're super sturdy, and you have to be careful not to crack them when they're frozen, but if you're careful, they're great containers.

[Baseball mom]

I'm in.   I have food that needs to be used and money it tight right now.  I know it will be rough later when I need to restock but I will worry about that later. 

[Baseball mom]

Been making a list of foods I have on hand.  Trying to find recipes or meal ideas to go with those foods.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I haven't done well the last two night because Sunday night was DD14's cooking night, and she's just a beginner (and kind of nervous about it), so whatever she wants to cook, we buy! And last night I was exhausted and we ended up using a gift card to get Moe's. BUT! I did thaw a chunk of beef for stew, a pound of ground beef, and I have two chickens slowly thawing as well. It's looking like beef stew tonight at least :D

[Hilltopmom]

We did this last month in prep for moving. It was great to use it up & save $.

Now though, no extra food here. Need to build it back up

[xixstar]

This week I need to inventory what we actually have.

 

Maybe after we eat it all, I will make a list of what I buy in the future so I can know for sure. So many times there is way more burries in the freezer than I realize.

Edited February 21, 2017 by xixstar

[DawnM]

My freezer is so crammed I can't even do inventory without pulling it ALL out.

 

Last night I cooked up the last of our chicken wings in a bag (Costco) and made a pan of hash browns, and a salad.  

 

I also did find a freezer meal I made a while ago and froze (not even sure what it is but it is for the instant pot) and put it in the fridge to cook up with rice for tonight.

 

 

[DawnM]

We did this last month in prep for moving. It was great to use it up & save $.

Now though, no extra food here. Need to build it back up

 

My friend, and the person I just hired to help me organize/purge does meal planning for just a week and only buys what she needs for that week.   As soon as I am through with this stash, I will plan to live that way until we move.  No (or very little) surplus).  That may mean no Costco trips for a while, but when the house is on the market, I don't want two months worth of chicken tenders.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Well, I meant to make my chicken to be able to pull off the meat and make a couple of different meals, but I had to thaw it enough to get the bag of giblets out, which took awhile. I ended up starting the chicken in the IP so late that I couldn't help falling asleep, and it overcooked. So now I have lots of delicious stock cooling in my freezer!

 

I did manage to use a pound of ground beef to make "hamburger helper" for dinner. 

 

My friend, and the person I just hired to help me organize/purge does meal planning for just a week and only buys what she needs for that week.   As soon as I am through with this stash, I will plan to live that way until we move.  No (or very little) surplus).  That may mean no Costco trips for a while, but when the house is on the market, I don't want two months worth of chicken tenders.

 

I keep thinking this as well. One of our biggest problems here is overeating, and because we're home all day and the house is FULL of food, we're able to eat constantly without even thinking about it. I want to get us purged of all the junk. And yes, BJ's and Costco are the main culprits. I can't ever buy a family serving of some treat--it's always 4 family servings! But they're so close and so convenient. The next closest affordable store is 10-15 minutes away, via roads with lots of traffic, more crowded, with miserable parking, while the warehouse stores are literally 3 to 5 minutes from our house via back roads. 

 

But things have to change here. They HAVE to. Hopefully this challenge will help with that. 

[Baseball mom]

I have cooked turkeys, deboned and put meal size portions in freezer bags.  Also cooked pork butt into BBQ and into freezer bags.  Browned any ground beef I had in there and it went into freezer bags.

 

Not exactly using them up but made more room in freezer and now have starter for quick meals. 

 

Tonight I used several things from the freezer :hurray:  I have a lot of sliced zucchini & yellow squash in there.  Tonight I sauteed some

onion then added the zuke and squash (cut in smaller pieces).  When they were about done I added a little sesame oil and then some soy sauce.   I liked it and ds really liked it.  :thumbup:

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't really done an inventory or made any plans based on what's in my freezers. I recently reorganized my pantry and made a list of what I have. I need to do that with the freezers.

 

In the meantime I'm winging it. Dh works swing shift on Wednesdays. I had just enough leftover chili in the freezer for two, so ds and I ate that tonight. Winter is over for us, but it was rainy and a little cool all day so it worked out to be a good night for chili. I have several batches of leftover stuff that won't feed the three of us so I have to plan those items for when it's just dh and me or ds and me. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Pizza last night because we had teens over. And one of the chickens I took out to thaw refroze in my wonky downstairs fridge, which is ancient and has a few cold spots :banghead:  So back to the drawing board on that one! We're going to be at MIL's tonight, so I'm going to have to make the beef stew to use up the chuck I thawed and save it for tomorrow. So far, I'm not making too much progress on the weird bits and pieces of freezer food, but it's a been a crazy week. As of Saturday, things should start settling down again.

[LuvToRead]

I think I will try.  I tend to buy a bunch when stuff goes on sale, and forget about it.  I have a ton of chicken and pork in the freezer.  I am running low on beef, but I buy a half at a time.  

 

[Lady Florida.]

Pizza last night because we had teens over. And one of the chickens I took out to thaw refroze in my wonky downstairs fridge, which is ancient and has a few cold spots :banghead:  

 

Our garage fridge is like that. There are certain things I can't put on the bottom shelf - anything that doesn't freeze well can't go there. It too is ancient and the controls adjust both the freezer and the refrigerator. So we can't adjust the fridge to keep stuff from freezing or it makes the freezer too warm. 

[cjzimmer1]

I've been working on this for the last month.  Over the weekend I took out a half a ham, a small pork loin roast and a 20 pound turkey to start thawing.  Made the ham Monday night, was suppose to make the pork loin Tuesday and the turkey Wed.  Unfortunately my oven died Tuesday so we ended up ordering pizza because by that point I was coming down with a nasty cold and couldn't even think well enough to figure out what else I could make.  So Wed I made the pork loin in the Instant Pot but I have no idea how to handle my now thawed turkey.  It's too big for the instant pot as is.  I suppose I'm going to have to figure out how to cut the thing up and do it in batches.  I've never hacked apart a raw bird before so that should be fun.  I'm not going to take anything else out of the freezer until my oven is fixed unless I know for sure I can make it in the Instant pot.

[Baseball mom]

 And one of the chickens I took out to thaw refroze in my wonky downstairs fridge, which is ancient and has a few cold spots :banghead:

 

Yeah I know that feeling.  It is my kitchen side by side fridge.   Freezer -- side things don't freeze on the top shelf or 2  and the bottom drawer of the fridge freezes everything :blink:  (unless you want it to freeze then it won't :001_rolleyes:   And the next to bottom drawer may or may not freeze things :willy_nilly:

 

So milk may be found on the top shelf of the freezer and frozen water bottles in the bottom of the fridge :lol:

[DawnM]

Ok, so the frozen bag was beef broccoli.  It was delicious.  I had frozen broccoli to add at the end of cooking and made a pot of rice.   It all got eaten.

 

Now to figure out tonight's dinner based on my current freezer.  

[DawnM]

Tonight's dinner was noodles and meatballs and sauce.  DH made it.  Easy meal.  YAY.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Finally managed to get my beef stew made, and I even used up a container of mushrooms I thought were a loss. Tonight I think we're eating out, or at least the kids are, because we have a bunch of appts and then a bowling event, but I'm going to make a plan and thaw some stuff for tomorrow night.

Edited February 25, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[DawnM]

I have to take something to a potluck tonight.  Everyone at that group has been bugging me to take my signature dish and I happen to have the ingredients on hand and I need to purge, so win-win.

 

Buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips.

 

Don't know what the family is eating, they aren't going.  But not my problem.

[cjzimmer1]

I got the smaller of my two freezers cleaned by moving everything into the big one (plus a cooler).  I've repacked the smaller freezer but I still have too much stuff in the big freezer to find cold spaces while I clean it so I need to do more whittleing.  It's particularly challenging since my oven went out this week and repair guy won't be here until Monday (and of course if he has to order parts it will be longer yet).

 

So for for the week I have pulled out to thaw,

A bag of frozen mashed potatoes.  I will make a turkey shepherd's pie for tonight.  (I have to go to church this afternoon and bake cookies for a bake sale tomorrow so I will throw my shepherd's pie in while I'm there)

a full pork loin that I found a recipe that looked for for the slow cooker that I will make tomorrow with some green beans in the freezer.

A chicken for Monday (either in the Instant pot of Crock pot)

Tuesday will make a stir fry with a piece of swiss steak and frozen peppers (other veggies I have fresh or will have to buy to add to it)

 

Monday and Tuesday's meals I would normally make rice but since I don't know if I will have an oven back, I may serve that over couscous (which is in my freezer so that's a win there either way)

 

I'm hoping my half of beef isn't ready until later in the week so I will have a few more days to get the big freezer empty enough to get it cleaned.

[Artichoke]

Thanks for the encouragement to clean out the freezer.  I've made this week's menu plan using only items from the freezer, except for milk and some produce.  I'm also going to finally cook the extra turkey that I bought at Thanksgiving.   Every year I buy an extra because of the price, and every year I hate to cook it.  Maybe I'll write myself a reminder not to do it again this year!

[Lady Florida.]

I hit the jackpot last night and managed to do both pantry and freezer cooking for dinner.

 

I tend to go overboard when my grocery store has my favorite dried pasta brand buy one get one free. I have a lot of pasta. I also had a can of chick peas. In the freezer I found just over a pound of ground pork plus a package of chopped spinach. 

 

Dinner was penne with sausage and spinach. I mixed Penzey's Italian sausage seasoning into the pork. Normally in a dish like that I'd use either cannellini or great northern beans, but the chick peas worked well. 

 

It was a big hit.

 

 

[anmom]

I did not see this thread at all and started something similar. We need a break in the budget and need to clean out our freezer and pantry so this has been good. Although, we are at the point almost where it is all random stuff now. Things might get interesting for a while!

 

I had a ton of ground beef for some reason. Tonight I made a cheeseburger pie since I also had a ton of cheese as well.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I managed to make a lentil dish I'd been wanting to make in the Instant Pot, so lentils and coconut milk used up. We all liked it a lot, so hooray! And months ago, I'd chopped up the remainder of a huge onion and frozen it flat in a ziplock, and last night I remembered it and it saved me from having to go out and buy onions when dinner was already running late :D

 

I did not see this thread at all and started something similar. We need a break in the budget and need to clean out our freezer and pantry so this has been good. Although, we are at the point almost where it is all random stuff now. Things might get interesting for a while!

I had a ton of ground beef for some reason. Tonight I made a cheeseburger pie since I also had a ton of cheese as well.

 

 

Looks like ground beef here tonight as well. I need to start using up some of the weirder things though. So far I've been sticking to our staples, but I have things like a sleeve of veggie burgers, the last few frozen steamed dumplings, a random bag of frozen corn, etc. I'll have to look after bowling today and make an actual plan for some of that stuff. 

[DawnM]

Stir fry chicken last night made by DH.  I went out with friends.

 

Tonight is chicken thighs, probably with BBQ sauce.  A starch on the side, and cut up veggies.

 

 

[Baseball mom]

Was getting together with a friend and her dc for lunch. I pulled some of the pulled pork BBQ I had cooked a few weeks ago out of the freezer and heated for lunch.  Quick and yummy.

[Lady Florida.]

I need to start using up some of the weirder things though. So far I've been sticking to our staples, but I have things like a sleeve of veggie burgers, the last few frozen steamed dumplings, a random bag of frozen corn, etc. 

So far it's been easy, but I also need to start using the the weird things - the odd bits and small amounts of stuff. 

 

Dinner is going to get harder next week when ds' night math class begins. It's a mini-mester (mini semester) class so it didn't start in January with the others. Mondays and Thursdays used to be the only nights we were able to eat together. Now Mondays will be out.

 

-Sunday - Dh is usually sleeping at dinner time because he goes to work at midnight. He eats whenever he wakes up. Ds has dungeons and dragons every other Sunday night.

 

-Monday - We used to eat together, but now ds will have a class on Monday nights. I'll fix something for all 3 of us but ds will have to eat it early. 

 

-Tuesday - Dh works 4 to midnight and just fixes himself a big late lunch (around 2-2:30). I cook for just ds and me. Occasionally ds cooks.

 

-Wednesday - Dh works 4 to midnight and does the lunch thing like on Tues., and now starting next week ds will be in class. I'll fix something for ds and me but he'll need to eat early.

 

-Thursday - We're all here and awake at dinner time! Woo-hoo! Once a month dh and I have a date night on Thursdays and eat out.

 

-Friday - Dh is sleeping, goes to work at midnight. Eats when he wakes up. Ds has a weekly game night and they all chip in for take-out or pizza.  I cook for just dh and me but we don't eat together. 

 

-Saturday - Dh is sleeping, goes to work at midnight, eats when he wakes up.

 

On dh' midnight shift nights I make something I can keep warm or that easily heats up, a cold dinner (sandwiches, salads, etc.).

 

Dh has been on this schedule for over a year. Ds' schedule changes each semester. Sometimes he has a night class, sometimes he doesn't. I should be used to both of their schedules by now but mealtimes are the only thing that still throws me off. I never know what to make that fits the need for keeping warm, reheating easily, or is no-cook. Freezer cooking and pantry cooking are both tricky enough for people who eat together. Add in our currently weird life and it's even harder.

 

[SamanthaCarter]

I'm not in a terrible situation, but definitely in that need to use the weird things stage. We are eating the last beef in the house tonight until I can get down to the farm to raid dad's steer freezer. That might be a while. I don't want to buy meat if I don't have to. I've got about a dozen whole chickens, a lb of chicken breast, a lb of ground turkey and two mahi filets (maybe a daddy's not home tonight dinner?) Staples in there are chicken broth, ice creams and sorbets, bread crumbs, coffee, yeast, pesto, pie dough, English muffins, popcorn. Odds and ends are lemon juice, coconut milk, some chopped cilantro and jalapeño, half a bag of blackberries and spinach and peas, random bits of colored icing.

 

Any ideas appreciated. I have pastas, rice, red lentils, pasta sauce in the pantry. [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited March 2, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Freezer cooking and pantry cooking are both tricky enough for people who eat together. Add in our currently weird life and it's even harder.

 

 

I totally hear you. Part of my problem is that I started a new diet/new way of eating, so I'm tracking all my food and putting recipes through a calculator so I can't kid myself about what I'm eating anymore. Throwing bits and bobs together doesn't really work for me at the moment, so I keep hoping the kids will use up these things for lunch, but that's not really happening either. Also, the kids have each taken a night to cook each week (one has Saturday, one has Sunday), and DH likes to cook one night. Except that freezer cooking is not exactly in their wheelhouses just yet! So it's been slow going here. 

 

Those veggie burgers might be OK for me for lunches over the next week or two--I'll have to look at the nutrition info. And I know someone posted a throw-together kind of "dumpling soup" they make. That might work well with my delicious homemade chicken stock :D

 

I did manage to start using up a big, unopened bag of almond flour today, as well as some blueberries that were on juuuust this side of usable by making some paleo scones. I messed them up, but they're still edible. On the upside, I may have created decent almond-flour blueberry cake! 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I've got about a dozen whole chickens, a lb of chicken breast, a lb of ground turkey and two mahi filets (maybe a daddy's not home tonight dinner?) 

 

 

:lol: I thought we were the only ones who do that! DH really prefers a put-together meal, so we often eat the last of things all thrown together when he's not coming home for dinner. 

 

Oooh, the red lentils and coconut milk should make for an easy dinner. I was really wanting red lentils last night, but I only had green. There are so many yummy-sounding red lentil recipes--soups and dhals, mmmm. Those could incorporate the spinach and the peas too. The blackberries and lemon juice might be good for some muffins or quick bread, maybe? You could make "hamburger helper" with the pasta and the ground turkey if you have enough cheese.

Edited March 1, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops