We’ve almost made it through the first month of 2025. With economizing and getting control of grocery budgets in mind, I decided to cook with only what was available in my kitchen.
I carefully inspected my fridge, freezer, and pantry. Even though I thought I was on top of my grocery game, I discovered a few surprises.
Over the past year, I have ignored what I already had in my spice cabinet, which has resulted in unnecessarily buying two extra bags of dry mustard powder. Lesson learned: Don’t shop until you’re sure what you need isn’t already in your kitchen.
So, with the goal of using up what was on hand, I made a game out of how many meals I could make. As it turns out, I had everything I needed to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two weeks.
The leftovers from a beef roast became beef broth, beef barley soup, and an Asian beef and broccoli stir fry.
Pineapple, red pepper, ham, and mozzarella were placed on top of the homemade dough for a delicious pizza night without the takeout prices. A meaty ham bone became a hearty split pea soup which took me back to my childhood memories of when this was a go-to meal my father used to make.
I overestimated how much milk I would need over the holidays and ended up with the better part of four litres nearing its best-before date. Into the slow cooker it went along with a bit of plain Greek yogurt, and eight hours later I had a perfectly delicious homemade variety that rivals anything you’ll find at the store. I sweetened it with the maple syrup we make here on the farm and added some frozen berries that grow wild on the property. It’s delicious and so good for your gut health.
I had a look in my freezer and found what was left of a roast chicken. It became amazing stock once I added the onion skins, wilted celery, and carrot peelings I also keep frozen for this purpose.
Some of the broth then was the base for a thick and savory corn chowder with some of the left-over ham I had chopped and frozen along with potatoes and a can of creamed corn.
By the end of week two almost everything in the fridge and freezer had been used in 14 meals with no need to go to the store because everything the recipes called for was readily at hand.
A well stocked pantry you built with on-sale items, along with preserving leftover meats and vegetables, is the key to this way of cooking. Dice, chop, and freeze these ingredients for future meals and you will avoid having to shop for them later when they’re not on sale.
Often I am asked how to build a pantry that contains everything one needs to cook at home on a budget. It can be done for as little as $5 a week. You might think you don’t have an extra $20 a month to add to your grocery budget. Do you buy coffee or take-out lunches? If you opted to pack a lunch and a thermos of coffee, even one day a week, you’d be surprised how much money you will have to build a food pantry.
Start with pantry staples such as rice, oats, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, lentils, dried beans, pasta, and canned goods. Check your sales flyer to look for these items and when you find them on sale buy them to put up on your pantry shelf. You will be surprised how much of these shelf-stable foods you will accumulate over a month or two.
I learned the importance of having an emergency food pantry just after my husband and I were first married. An ice storm shut the province and much of eastern Canada down for well over a week. Since then, this province has had its share of weather-related emergencies. At times like these, it’s helpful to know you can at least feed yourself.
The provincial government advises everyone to have a 72-hour emergency kit on hand, including enough non-perishable foods to feed you and your family for that time. However, as we all have experienced in this province, storms can happen at any time and can result in power outages for a week or more.
Putting emergencies aside, with food prices steadily increasing with another three to five percent hike in food costs expected this year, building a food pantry is like a cushion against future price increases.
With some strategic grocery shopping and careful management of the foods you buy, you will have a well-stocked kitchen and be able to eat well without blowing your food budget.
Laverne Stewart has spent her entire career as a writer, journalist, and communications professional.She’s won multiple literary and journalism awards for her work. After a year in radio, she made the move to TV news, spending 11 years with CTV in Halifax, Saint John, and Fredericton. Stewart has also worked in government communications, most recently in the Office of the Premier. Stewart is a published author and now works on feature stories from her community and beyond. Her life is full and happy thanks to the people who are in it. She is married to her husband Robert. She is mother to Mary Louise and Nicolas. Also included in her family is Sally, a Labrador retriever, and three cats; Dusty, Joe, and Clancy. She can be reached at lavernestewart24@outlook.com.