Day 3: 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero!

For yesterday's assignment I was to make an inventory of what I had. Whew... This is a lot of work! So here goes my list...

Black beans
Diced Tomatoes
Green Beans
Canned Corn
Red Potatoes
Russet potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Oranges
Bananas
Apples
Cucumber
Mini Wheats
Granola Bars
Goldfish Crackers
Spaghetti Noodles
Pineapple
Chicken: fresh, canned and frozen
Pasta Sauce
Grapes
Tuna Fish
Mandarin Oranges
Canned Salsa
Olives
Canned Potatoes
Rice- a variety of types
Boxed mac and cheese
Yellow cake mix
Instant potatoes
Jalapeno Peppers
Artichoke Hearts
Evaporated Milk
Parmesan Cheese
Canned Mixed fruit
Garbanzo Beans
Chipotle Peppers
Tomato sauce
Split Pea soup
Tahini
Popcorn
Coconut milk
Diced Green Chiles
Chicken noodle soup mix
Potato soup mix
Honey
Maple Syrup
Agave
Coconut Oil
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Vinegar
Bisquick
Oatmeal
Ramen Noodles
Egg Noodles
Tortellini
Raisins
Cranberries
An assortment of nuts
Milk
Eggs
Butter
Bread
Jam
Peanut butter
Mustard
Pickles
Lemon juice
Mayo
Worcestershire sauce
BBQ Sauce
Ketchup
Beef
Smoked Sausage
Hot dogs
Cheese
String cheese
Carrots
Iceberg lettuce
Romaine  lettuce
Cilantro
Red onions
Yellow onions
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Milk
Salad Dressings
Sour Cream
Yogurt
Canned Pears
Bread crumbs
Apple Sauce
Cream Cheese
Ice Cream
Root beer
Frozen peas
bell peppers
bacon
tater tots
frozen fruit
chicken nuggets
Pot Pies
Tilapia Fillets
Apple Juice

And that pretty much covers it. In some ways I feel like I have a ton of food and then in others I feel like I have no idea what meals I will make from it. The idea of just shopping from my cupboards for a month is a little daunting. I feel a little anxious that I am not able to go to the store to pick up a missing ingredient for dinner. But then again I do have a lot of food around at the moment. I think my strategy will be to keep the meals simple and only use a few ingredients for each in order to stretch the food I already have.

For today's assignment I was to brainstorm meal ideas. Here is what I came up with..

-Mac and Cheese (first on my list because I just love Mac and Cheese and it's always on my mind)
-Burrito Bowls
-Eggplant pizza
-Rosemary Chicken
-Smoothies
-One pot pasta
-Quesadillas
-Tortellini Crock Pot Soup
-Cob Salad
-Santa Rosa Salad
-Potato Salad
-Rosemary potatoes
-Tuna fish sandwiches
-Mediterranean wrap ups
-Crock pot freezer meals I have in the freezer already.
-Nachos
-Tilapia Bowls
-Cauliflower Chicken Alfredo
-Beef and broccoli Stir Fry
-Backed potato soup
-Chicken and broccoli casserole
-White Chicken Enchiladas
- Oven Fajitas
-Chicken Caesar Salad wraps
-Spaghetti Squash Enchiladas
-Spaghetti
-Artichoke Spinach Lasagna
-Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad
-Coconut curry
-Zucchini Squash tomato bake
-Spaghetti Squash mac and cheese
-Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
-Buffalo Chicken
-Thai Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
-Pizza
-Slow cooker coconut curry chicken
-Kind Bars

I already know that some of these call for ingredients I don't have but it was a good exercise for me to see the meals I can make for the future. This list will surely make things easier to come up with whats for dinner in the future.


Today's recap: Today was a really easy day and I didn't spend any money! It helped that I walked to the park in the morning and just hung out around home in the afternoon so I didn't use the car all day! If I don't put myself in situations where I could spend, I won't/can't spend. But not all day's will be this easy. It's when I'm out and about when it'll be a challenge.

Tomorrow I'm taking Jack to an opening for some new parks and housing developments where they are going to have a bunch of free activities and food. I thought it would be a fun free activity. But I know since I'll be passing the stores I like and there will be tons of signs for yard sales, I will be enticed to spend just a little or even go browsing. But I'm gonna make a plan and not take any extra stops along the way. If I stop the probability of spending just increases. :)

What are some free activities you like to do with your family?