30 Days Down

We've finished 30 days of our 40 day fast from the grocery store.  I have documented the 4th week of meals, Hannah's wrap up of being head chef in the kitchen, but I still have to price it all out, and that is very tedious.  There is no real plan for the next ten days, other than we are not going to the grocery store, or the farmers market, or the dairy.  Eileen was right.  I should have quit at 30. This is no-man's land! And, i am terrified!

      

So, for now, let me tell you where we stand as far as what we have on hand -

Fresh Produce: 

Cucumbers

1.5 lbs Carrots

2 Cabbage

5 Onions

8 Multi-colored peppers

One half of a precious little bunch of cilantro

Dairy:

1 and 1/2 gallon 2% milk

1 qt egg nog

4 lbs butter

10 slices provolone

8 slices Munster

2 cups mozzarella

1 lb fresh feta

1 cup cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Misc.:

Juice

Coconut milk

Mustard

Mayo

Salad dressing

Jam

Freezer:

2 loaves bread

Bananas

Spinach

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Green beans

Edamame

Pantry/Storage:

Canned - milk, peaches, pears, tomatoes, black/white/kidney beans

Dry goods - rice, wheat, flour, sugar, legumes, barley

Veggie oil, vinegar, peanut butter

Cake/corn bread mixes

50 lbs of pasta

8 boxes Mac & Cheese

20 packs ramen noodles 

2 bags of tortilla chips

Popcorn

Dried apples and bananas

Some almonds and cashews, maybe 2 lbs total

5 lbs honey

Other Stuff:

Potatoes, herbs and peppers from the garden

1 spaghetti squash, a few butternut squash

Eggs from the henhouse

Fresh Garlic & Ginger

Tons of Spices

Actually, now that I look at the inventory, I am not afraid.  We are going to be just fine.  I think being low on milk and cheese, not really having much in the way of snacky food, and having less fresh produce than we're used to makes me feel insecure.  Salad is usually a staple around here. But, seriously! Look how much food there is to feed our family!

KC, 16, is in charge for this two weeks+.  I am leaving town for one week of her stewardship in the kitchen. She gets no budget and can't go to the store until Saturday, November 15.  She is on deck from Nov 3-18th.  she gets an extra day because i will be gone.  So, she's planning on her wits and creativity alone for the first twelve days of the fifteen days in her meal prepping duties.  

Here's what she has planned for dinners.  I don't have pricing, but you can see it is all pretty cheap stuff.

Whole wheat waffles with sour cream sauce

Brocolli cheese soup 

Veggie Curry and rice x 2

Pasta and veggies x 2

Roasted veggies and bread

Saag Shorba - spinach soup 

Pizza 

Navajo tacos

Rice and bean burritos

Yakisoba and edamame (stir-fried ramen with veggies)

That is her 12 meals of No More Grocery Shopping.  She is not afraid.  this is KC, and this is not her first rodeo!

                      

After our 40 day fast is up, on November 14, she gets to finish her shift with a trip to the store and three days of who-knows-what-treasures procured from our local market (surely milk and salad greens will be on the list.) 

Today, though, and for the next 10 days, we are roughing it,  using only what's currently in the refrigerator and pantry.  Since people joke about eating lots of ramen when they are on a budget,  let me share our favorite ramen recipe with you.

                          

Yakisoba - Stir-Fried Ramen for 6, Under $0.40/serving

8 packs ramen noodles, par boiled - $0.80

1 med onion, diced $0.30

2 cups carrots, diced $0.30

2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced $0.30

2 tbsp canola oil - $0.10

3 tbsp soy sauce - $0.56

Fresh cilantro, sesame oil and siracha sauce as toppings, optional

$2.36

1. Open ramen packages, set flavor packets aside.  Bring large pot of water to a boil. 

2.  When water is boiling, add all the ramen together in the pot.  Par boil noodles until they are just cooked, but still a bit firm.  Drain, drizzle with oil to prevent noodles from clumping together.

3.  In a large frying pan or wok, sauté onions in oil over high heat.  As they are turning clear, add the carrots.  As carrots are beginning to soften, add the red cabbage and soy sauce, cook until all veggies are crisp but tender.  

4. Add noodles to sautéed veggies.  Stir in 5 of the 8 seasoning packets.  Serve hot with chili sauce, sesame oil or freshly sliced peppers and cilantro.

 

Inventory

In the spirit of full disclosure, in an effort to get organized, and in fulfillment of a promise I made, here is a cursory list of what I've got to work with beyond my cash allotment in a month.  It's a lot. Here's how it fits into the "Live On What You Give" experiment. 

We accumulated this stuff over many years, giving consistently all the time, living on it as we go, replenishing here and there.  For years we've given to the level that we gathered food storage.  All that food is not just for us, we share all along the way.  Now, we are going for a new level of giving and setting our cash for food at the same amount as the cash we give to meet the needs of people around us.  And, because of the habits we established to this point we can.

So, to be clear, this experiment isn't about how little cash we can live on with nothing else.  It's about living on the same amount of cash we are willing to give away.  Anyway, we've always been happy to share all this food, however, my big "little" brother often reminds me of the need for firearms to protect our stash.  The thing is, food is fleeting and guns are part of  a different type of experiment altogether.

Freezer
1 turkey
2 roasts
15 lbs. boneless skinless chicken
15 lbs frozen veggies
5 lbs. french fries
3 lbs. onion rings
3 pastry crusts
2 doz frozen cookies
several ready-made main dishes like eggrolls, taquitos and burritos

Pantry and Cold Storage
year supply of dry milk, flour, beans, rice, sugar, oats, wheat, potato pearls, dried spinach
20 lbs pasta ( I always feel more secure when I have closer to 100 lbs., so I'm running low)
2 doz cans pasta sauce (waiting to be doctored up)
4 doz cans broth
4 doz cans tomato sauce
Lots and lots of spices
20 lbs salt
40 lbs Steven's hot chocolate mix
2 lbs Powdered Parmesan
1 doz cans of meat (I know, sounds delicious, huh)
1 doz #10 cans of various dried veggies
1/2 doz cans dried fruits
45 lbs. barley
45 lbs. popcorn
20 lbs. banana chips
6 gallons juice
4 gallons vinegar
3 gallons oil
4 doz cans corn and beans
2 doz cans chili

Fridge and Garage Storage (also known as the second fridge in the fall and winter)
25 pounds fresh produce
3 gallons milk
1 gallon egg nog
10 lbs. assorted cheeses
2 lbs sour cream
3 lbs cream cheese
4 dozen eggs
More sauces and condiments than I can count

What is in your food storage?