Friday, August 31, 2012

When the cupboards are bare

Sometimes the budget gets tight, either because an unexpected expense comes up or we underestimated how hungry kids get over the summer (or both!).

We were two days from payday with very few dinner options. Rather than be completely discouraged, I tried to use what we had on hand.

We had:
2 potatoes
3 carrots
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup mixed beans
1 can corn
1/4 a red onion
Garlic
Tomatoes and peppers from the garden
Chicken bouillon

I also had flour, yeast, oil, water, and sugar.

I turned all that into this:


And had leftovers to freeze. I would eat that even if it wasn't close to grocery day :)

What have you thrown together from an "empty" pantry?

2 comments:

  1. I have a quick and easy recipe that the kids are sure to love when budgets are running low and pantries are about empty.

    1 Box Mac & Cheese(whatever kind you have)
    1 can tuna fish drained
    1 can carrots(diced up)
    1 can green sweet peas drained

    Cook Your Mac & Cheese like normally, then warm your peas & carrots in the microwave, mix it all together and you have a cheap, filling meal.If you have alot of people in your family just use 2 boxes of mac & 2 cans of tuna to double it.

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  2. It's interesting just what you can come up with when you think you are "out" of food.
    Of late I've really been in to my coupon shopping. The biggest problem with that is there isn't much in the way of fresh meats, fresh fruits, or fresh veggies.
    It is getting better though. I was able to get baby carrots on sale with a store coupon for just .59 a bag. We were able to get 3 rolls of turkey Italian sausage for just $1.09 each after mark down and coupon. Also some turkey thighs for just $4 after mark down and coupon.
    And...as I carry on..we bought 3 of the turkey tenderloins for just $3.49 each after sale and coupon.
    Oh yes...and we used the $1 Tyson ground chicken coupons and were able to get 3-1 lb rolls for just $1 each at Walmart!

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