Making Amazing Meals From The Pantry - #5

 

This past month I’ve been busy, not only preparing some delicious healthy meals, but also working on my LTFS expansion project by putting up various items I find on sale or markdown.  After an amazing deal on a New York Strip beef roast I was able to slice it up and add seven strip steaks to the deep freezer.  Each steak was individually vacuum sealed to keep it fresh and prevent freezer burn.  I also vacuum sealed two more pounds of butter and added that to the deep freezer.  My freezer is now officially full at this time and almost everything inside is less than a year old – Mission accomplished!

 

Salmon, baked potato & green beans

Much to my surprise it took me until the middle of April to use up all of the various items I had squirreled away into the kitchen freezer during the holidays through to the end of 2024.  I thought a one month pantry challenge would have me using all of that stuff up, but amazingly it took me over four months!  With that behind me now I am working on squirreling new things in the freezer now.

 

With my senior hens laying eggs again this spring I had some extras so I took a dozen and used half to make a quiche using up a jar of pork sausage from my LTFS as well as some diced onion and red bell pepper.  A little bit of sharp cheddar from the freezer and into the oven it went.  Delicious!

 

The other half dozen eggs were used to make four breakfast burritos.  I diced up a thick slice of ham from the deep freezer and scrambled that with the eggs.  I was able to use up some tortillas and a half jar of salsa along with some leftover Colby Jack cheese I had in the refrigerator.  The burritos went directly into the freezer and now anytime I want a breakfast burrito I can pull one out and put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes for a quick meal.

 

Pork chops & broccoli

Broccoli beef & rice

I used a portion of a large round steak I had bought from the markdown bin and used it to make broccoli beef.  I added frozen broccoli florets, sliced onion and thinly sliced carrots.  The sauce was made with some beef broth and soy sauce.  I served it alongside a bit of steamed rice.  Amazing!

 

Rotisserie chicken over mixed greens

Loads of fresh produce – broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, carrots, a variety of lettuces and some spinach, tomatoes and avocados - allowed me to make a ton of delicious and nutritious green salads as side dishes or topped with a protein like rotisserie chicken, grilled steak or taco meat I enjoyed them as a meal.  I’ve also enjoyed making myself mini veggie trays to eat with a little bit of homemade dip or some salad dressing.

 

I made yogurt!

I used some spinach and frozen berries along with homemade yogurt to make smoothies.  Adding a scoop of unflavored collagen powder to my daily midmorning cup of Keto coffee has really been helping my achy and arthritic joints.  I especially notice a difference first thing when I get out of bed in the morning.  I also have chocolate collagen powder that I can use in a smoothie instead of adding it to my coffee although I’m sure it would be delicious in my coffee too.  I may have to give that a try.

 

Focusing on eating a variety of foods, all colors of the rainbow, while making sure I eat enough protein, healthy fats and good solid nutrients has been going very well for me.  I’ve been keeping my carbohydrate intake rather low as my body does better that way and, as a result, I feel so much better.  Consuming REAL food and staying away from commercially ultra processed foods truly makes all the difference in the world.  I can feel it every single day and it feels great!