Saturday, November 11, 2017

Pantry challenge update + soccer Saturday

I was up at 4:45 & out of the house by 6:00 in order to get to a soccer tournament on time. It was either that, or staying overnight at a local hotel. I'm not opposed to the expense of a hotel (even though, $160 is crazy), but no one in my family sleeps particularly well all in one room, in two beds. So, from a sleeping perspective, it's just better to get up early. And the money savings is a nice bonus!

I managed to pack lunch, snacks & beverages last night & this morning, saving us everything but a small amount for "brunch" for the kids between games. Under $5. M & I ate sandwiches in the parking lot. We're very glam. ;-)

I also packed my running stuff, and went for a quick run during warm ups for the first game, and went for a walk during warm ups for the second game.

It was super foggy at the first game, as you can see. . .  We played the top team in our 64 team bracket this morning (lost, 1-4) & then beat a mid-range team this afternoon in a 2-0 shut out. Ahh, the joys of youth soccer.



I also wanted to post an update on my pantry challenge, as I've made a bit of progress. 


  • An enormous (25 oz) jar of green olives. Side note: what was I thinking?
  • 1/3 or so of a package of chocolate breakfast cereal. This is nothing we would allow the boys for breakfast, but I'm open to using it in something a little more snack like. One of our house guests brought this. - used, in a batch of granola bars!
  • The end of a bag of pretzel chips. Used these for these delicious granola bars. 
  • Two 1/2 used boxes of lasagna noodles - Used one 1/2 box, so down to the other half
  • A 1/2 bag of pine nuts. -  Used some for homemade pesto, but only had enough basil to use a bit. 
  • Most of a container of almonds - used all of it! In pilaf, plus almond butter. 
  • Most of a container of cashews . . . ditto the almond butter. Used about half for cashew butter, to replace peanut butter. 
  • A few bits & bobs of trail mix used, in a batch of granola bars!
  • Most of a large bag of sourdough stuffing. - haven't used it up, but perhaps for Thanksgiving? 
  • The last of a bottle of green chile sauce (from the fridge) - used up in chicken fiesta rice!
  • An unopened jar of Nutella turns out this was expired (& had a funky taste), so unfortunately, it was tossed. I have no idea why M bought this way back in the day, but it will never make it on another grocery list, so I feel like we can avoid this type of waste moving forward. 

I'm going on a hike with a friend tomorrow, and then plan to spend the rest of the day "getting things done." Making meals, prepping food, cleaning the fridge, etc. I have been using my freezer stash extensively since my last business trip, so I need to build things up before my next one.

What about you? How do you plan to spend your Sunday? Any fun plans?

2 comments:

  1. I remember those days of travel ball. It was fun and I am glad we did it, but also glad it is no longer a part of our life. It ate weekends up!

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  2. I miss and don't miss weekend soccer! Great uses of your pantry. More home stuff today.

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