I got an email on one of my homeschooling groups this week from a mom trying to stretch the foods in her pantry. She was in a pinch this month, and wanted to survive the month without going shipping.
She detailed the items in her pantry down to the number of eggs and how many pounds of meat. I didn’t sound like much. Still the group was able to come up with many meals that she could make without going to the grocery store. Here are some ideas for meals that anyone can make with nothing in the house but a few basic staples.
Chicken soup: Shred chicken from leftovers from any recent chicken meal. Throw in a two handful of vegetables, a can of stewed tomatoes or chicken broth, or both, and add a cup of cooked pasta or rice.
Fried Rice: Use 1 cup of cooked rice per person. Use 1 egg for every two people. Add some mixed vegetables and a 1/4 cup of shredded meat (Chicken, beef, smoked sausage, etc) per person. You will need a couple tablespoons of oil and say sauce to complete the meal.
Shredded meat sandwiches: Meat goes a whole lot further when you shred it. Cook 1 pound of chicken or beef in the crockpot until it falls apart. Ad a little barbecue sauce and caramelized onions and serve it on toast. I like to mix in a can of corn to stretch it even further. (I use the same recipe to make home made sloppy Joes, only adding a little ketchup with the barbecue sauce.)
Beans: If you have a can of beans or a half bag of dried beans you have dinner. Make bean soup out of just about any type of beans. There are recipes all over the net. With the leftover soup, just cook the moisture out of it until it is soft and mushy, add garlic and onions and serve it on tortillas like refried beans. If you have some shredded chicken on hand, mix it in.
Make your own pasta dish: If you have pasta, you have endless opportunities for meals. You don’t need to have ground beef, sausage, and spaghetti sauce, with Italian bread to have a good pasta meal. To make a pasta meal, you can use:
1. Any kind of pasta
2. Any kind of protein
3. Any kind of sauce, such as tomato sauce, cheese sauce, or just garlic and butter. Be imaginative and try different combination.
Andrea Hermitt writes for parenting (specifically teens), the home blog, and also the frugal blog, and homeschooling at families.com.
Also read:
Pantry Cooking: Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup
Pantry Meals: Vegetarian Chili