Pantry Clean Out Update - Week 1

 My pantry clean out challenge is off to a SLOW start!  I went out of town for several days this week and did not use up too many things!

I did receive a recipe suggestion from a reader to use with the frozen lamb... so I'll give more details when I actually USE it!

So... here is what I DID do this week:

On Saturday night, we had grilled chicken tenderloins.  I basted it with the open jar of Hoisin sauce.  The bad news is that I THOUGHT I had a half jar - but there was actually more than that... I NOW have a half jar of Hoisin sauce to use!  So - not much impact to the fridge here.

But I did use the half bag of wild rice and added one of the cans of water chestnuts to it.  Water chestnuts are a great way to add crunch without affecting the taste of the rice.  Two items out of the pantry!

I left town on Sunday and took that open jar of Kalamata olives with me.  The only reason these are hanging around is because I am lazy and they are not pitted.  I am working on those - but not finished yet.

The only other item I used up was a can of beets.  This is another one of those items that I like but nobody else does.  So...here we go!  I also like red beet eggs.... so I ate a few of the beets and then added a couple of hard-boiled eggs to the juice.  I'll enjoy these out of the refrigerator. (I also found another can of beets in the pantry so I will add that to the April Clean Out!)

I googled roasted red peppers and apparently I should be able to put them in a lot of different foods so I will be experimenting with them as the weeks go on

So - the list is still below - I didn't have much impact this week..... but have some plans for next week :-) I hope life cooperates!  I have until Saturday April 16 for my final report :-)


PANTRY

jar roasted red peppers
bag sundried tomatoes
4 cans water chestnuts (4?)
2 cans pumpkin
1/2 box barley
4 bags of cookie mix
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 jar wheat germ
***1/2 bag wild rice
***1 can beets
FRIDGE

3 open bottles lemon juice (3?)
the end of a container of bacon bits
corn tortillas
jar sliced hot banana peppers
1/2 jar Hoisin sauce
1/2 jar Kalamata olives

FREEZER

1 box Schwan salmon fillets
1 pound ground lamb
1 bag cranberries
1 bag of frozen tomatoes
1 bag Schwan tamales
1 package of Italian sausage
frozen orange juice (not to drink)

*** = used up!