|
Post by aa on Nov 5, 2015 10:11:17 GMT -5
I ordered some 16 oz plastic freezer-safe containers. That should be a very good portion size for soups. I ordered THESE. At less than 50 cents each, I won't feel bad if DH loses them at work, etc. I also got something I had meaning to buy for a long time: FREEZER TAPE!!!. I purchased the ingredients to make Taco Soup in the crock pot. It makes a lot, so I will immediately portion out and freeze about half of it. Taco Soup Recipe Ingredients:--2(15-ounce) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed --2 (15-ounce) cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed --2 (15-ounce) cans of corn (WITH juice!!) --1 large can (26-ounces) of diced tomatoes --1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and chilies (Rotel) --1 packet taco seasoning (if you are gluten free, stick to McCormick) --1 packet ranch dressing mix (make sure there isn't hidden gluten, I went with Hidden Valley) --1 pound browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.) --shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment Directions:Use the largest slow cooker you have in the house --- this is a BIG recipe, you need a 6-quart or above. --brown meat if you are going to use it --drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.) --sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat --drain and rinse the beans and add --add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans --stir. cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. I think the longer you cook soup, the better, so if you have the time, opt for cooking on low. Stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I think I'll make this tomorrow - I can brown the meat and get all the ingredients in the crock pot tonight and then put it in the fridge. Tomorrow I'll just need to pull it out and turn on the crock pot. I can also make the corn bread tonight and just reheat tomorrow. Tonight I think I will make a Baked Denver Omelet. That will use up some of my excess eggs.
|
|
|
Post by dtesposito on Nov 5, 2015 23:08:45 GMT -5
Mmm, taco soup (without the meat for me) and squash dressing--yum.
I caved tonight and bought a package of bagels at the store, when I went to pick up library books. I've been out of bagels for a couple of days and they're sort of a staple for me, but I was going to do without them. After all, I don't NEED bagels. On the other hand, there really isn't a substitute for a bagel--they're kind of unique...so I bought a package. The good thing is that I never waste them--the ones with preservatives last a long time in the fridge and I always eat them up.
For lunch I had a toasted cheese sandwich and chips--the cheese was from some "gift" type cheese that my sister got a few months ago and didn't want, so she gave it to me. It was 3 mini-bricks of 3 different kinds. I put them in my freezer because I knew I wouldn't eat them right away, but I'm going to use them up now.
For dinner I had the leftover salad, which was not as tasty now that it's 3 days old, and...a bagel, because I really had a taste for one.
So, not great, but not too bad.
I think tomorrow's menu will have to include hummus, because there's a partial container of it in the fridge that should be next in line to use.
Diane
|
|
|
Post by aa on Nov 6, 2015 9:25:16 GMT -5
The Baked Denver Omelette was really good last night. I made it in a round cake pan and cut it into 8 wedges. I ate 2 and my husband ate 3, so that left 3. I put them in a bag and put them in the fridge. That's a bit of a weird number left over and we aren't sure how they will reheat. I'll have to stay on top of them to either eat them or feed to the dog or chickens before they go bad.
I made my cornbread muffins last night. Taco soup cooking away now while I am at work.
|
|
|
Post by dtesposito on Nov 6, 2015 21:49:44 GMT -5
Aa, I think all your posts will be making me hungry!
Another good day today, for lunch I had some of the crockpot dish, and for dinner, hummus on toasted rye bread. I have a lot of this combo, so I'll be eating it several times over the next week or two. The rye bread (like most of my bread) was given to me by my sister--she lives near an outlet store that has amazing sales on bread that's nearing the expiration dates, so she's always buying it for me. Everything she buys tastes perfectly good and keeps a long time in my freezer. However, it's partly why my freezer is always full.
Diane
|
|
|
Post by aa on Nov 6, 2015 22:24:46 GMT -5
As an FYI, the taco soup was delicious! And the cornbread muffins heated back up great - wrapped a few in foil and put them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.
I filled 5 of my 16oz containers up with what was left. Three immediately into the freezer, two into the fridge for now.
|
|
|
Post by europegirl on Nov 7, 2015 14:04:50 GMT -5
I just emptied my entire frigde + cleaned it inside. It took less than 20 minutes because my fridge is not big, and it was not dirty at all. My tips for keeping the fridge from getting dirty inside - and to keep it free of smells - is to keep all food - including plastic boxes, dressings, salad bags and butter wrapped up in new transparent plastic bags. It feels like a "waste" of plastic bags, but it's still far better than a dirty fridge, and having to toss food because of smells or spills. I cleaned it with bleach inside which I always do. Not sure if that is good or bad to use bleach, but I've just always done that...
|
|
|
Post by Arid on Nov 7, 2015 14:30:16 GMT -5
So, late last night/very early this morning (however you want to look at it!), I decided to get some hotdogs out of my basement refrigerator freezer compartment to thaw. I believed that there were some that were older than the ones that were in the front; so, I began *trying* to dig around for them. Have I mentioned that my freezers are very, very full?!! Well, as I did my "search," items began sliding out of the freezer towards me. (Needless to say, the freezer compartment is *ABOVE* the refrigerator compartment; hence, it is slightly above my head in height. I have to stand on "tippy toes" to reach into it.) I put the items back as best I could. Then, something else would slide out towards me as I shifted things around in my search. I kept putting things back. Then, when I finally decided to take one of the packages of hotdogs from the front area of the freezer, things began sliding out towards me at a faster and faster clip! The more I put back, the more that slid forward, ever more quickly! *THEN,* I began to get "the giggles!!" I told myself firmly, "NO, ARID!! If you get "the giggles" now, you really *WILL* have an avalanche on your hands!!" (My sister and I always have had a bad habit of "getting the giggles" at inappropriate times--funerals, vesper services, you name it! Our horrified mother would whisper, "Girls, girls,--now stop that!! That usually just made us laugh all the harder!! Poor Mommy!! She tried so hard to raise "ladies!" !!) Anyway,--I finally resorted to setting aside three frozen pizzas. That allowed me to get everything else (minus the one package of hotdogs) back into the refrigerator freezer compartment to stay "placed." I was able to put the three pizzas into my big upright freezer since I've been making a concerted effort to use up items from it lately. WHEW!! I'm glad that this happened, in a way, though. Having this experience proved to me that I need to "turn a blind eye" to all those great grocery store sale specials that are going on this week . . . I have MORE than **ENOUGH!!** Arid P. S. I always use baking soda when I wash out my refrigerators and freezers. A.
|
|
|
Post by dtesposito on Nov 7, 2015 21:46:45 GMT -5
Hello europegirl, long time no see! Arid, I loved picturing your midnight frozen food avalanche--good thing you didn't have a 20 pound turkey in there or you would not have lived to tell the tale! And yes, it's a message to use some food up before you buy any more. I got the same message today, my dinner plan was to use some of the 2/3 jar of spaghetti sauce that was in the fridge. Well, I opened the jar and there were a couple of spots of mold on top---so, more money wasted. So it's really good that I'm doing this challenge, because I'm SO SICK of wasting food and money. NO MORE! Instead of using the spaghetti sauce, I just had cheese and crackers for dinner. For lunch I had the crockpot dish again. Good thing my crockpot dishes are always nutritionally complete--that way I know I can have a bowl of whatever I made and it's a complete meal. On the plus side, there was actually a square foot of shelf space free in my pantry today! Of course, I filled it up right away with something that had been in a bag on the floor, but still--it means I'm making progress! Diane
|
|
|
Post by dtesposito on Nov 8, 2015 22:50:27 GMT -5
I didn't eat from my stock of food today (well, not my old stock of food). The only thing I ate that I'm trying to get rid of was the last of the cheese from the open house. But, at least I didn't buy anything new! Diane
|
|
|
Post by Arid on Nov 9, 2015 18:39:36 GMT -5
Actually, Diane--I *DO* have a turkey breast stashed in that freezer compartment! Luckily for me, it is stashed in the very back, at the very bottom. **IT** wasn't going anywhere! !! Arid
|
|
|
Post by imamess on Nov 9, 2015 19:13:47 GMT -5
I had more of the crockpot beans tonight for supper, just warmed them up since I really didn't feel like cooking.
|
|
|
Post by shellsncheese on Nov 9, 2015 19:45:22 GMT -5
Had leftovers for lunch, wasn't hard as they were delicious and I was looking forward to them. I need to find a way to use up the cabbage in my fridge.
|
|
|
Post by imamess on Nov 9, 2015 19:57:59 GMT -5
Shells, do you like cooked cabbage? I love it with hot cornbread. In fact, you have made me hungry for cabbage. I'll have to put it on my grocery list.
|
|
|
Post by shellsncheese on Nov 9, 2015 20:15:26 GMT -5
imamess I'm not particular fond of cabbage, but like to eat it as I know it's good for me. I like it added to a salad mix, but the weather turned cold and I haven't ate much salad lately. I think I found a recipe that looks okay.
|
|
|
Post by dtesposito on Nov 9, 2015 21:27:19 GMT -5
Shells, I find myself eating less salad when it gets cool also--I wish I didn't, I would like to eat salad every day!
Today I had a weird collection of things for lunch--I had a small container of black beans left over and wanted to use them. So I added half a chopped tomato, half a small zucchini, shredded, and some cheese and cumin--melted it all up and was going to eat it with leftover tortilla chips, but the chips tasted stale to me so I put them in the bag to throw out for the birds to eat. It actually tasted really good, I just was aware that I put some very strange meals together.
For dinner I had a veggie burger sandwich from the freezer, with the other half of the tomato.
This evening I was looking into my pantry and realized that I have a little shelf thing in there that isn't very efficient. So I took it out, substituted some little storage cube things, and moved the shelf thing on top of a book case. In the process of doing this, I found about a dozen other partially used food items I knew I would not eat, so I threw them all out. At this rate I should have plenty of pantry space soon! And I SWEAR this is the LAST time I'm going to do a mass clear out of food!!
So, today was a pretty good day.
Diane
|
|