The Serious Pantry Challenge - Part 1

We are now in the middle of the month! October 15! For some reason it sounds very important! 

I’m thirty-something and 3 months and also October 17 is a mini-anniversary of sorts- my Trimble and I have been married 6 months No doubt we will celebrate with cupcakes and naptime. Actually we’ll prob head to the farmers’ market.

To keep a check on myself, I do lots of mini-goals all month (all year!) long. 

This month I aimed for one more beach trip (Done!), pay down debt (um, getting there!), surviving the first-ever Pottstown Brewfest (of which I was PR & Marketing Chair, DONE! And avoided hurricane Joaquin and the Nor’easter!).

I also want to banish clutter (reading the Japanese Art of Tidying Up and it is making a difference) and use up what’s in my pantry. I do the pantry challenge every couple months but after reading a Refinery 29 article, I was inspired to try my version of the Serious Pantry Challenge! I say that I’m trying to cut out sugar and diet coke, too, but the above reference to cupcakes makes me look…well…ok, ok, I’ll try to have just one cupcake.

I can still go food shopping if I need too, but I am primarily working thru what we have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.

Monday October 12- I had made WW banana bread over the weekend, and we had a potluck lunch on Monday at work, so I able to crock-pot some beans and mini-wienies and enjoy others’ homemade goodies. 

I didn’t eat dinner til I came home after teaching my social media and PR night class Sell That Sizzle© where my awesome husband made me a grilled cheese and I passed out in a happy stupor. (and no Diet Coke).

Tuesday October 13- 7:00am- I ate the rest of my banana bread plus a yogurt I had in the fridge at work for breakfast, and apple. I’m really trying to eat more fruits and vegs. Lunch I did go to the café in my building, but for the first time ever I skipped Taco Tuesday and got two slices of grilled chicken, slices of tomatoes and cucumbers, strawberries, a couple walnuts, and two small pieces of naan.
This good amount of protein kept me sustained til dinner, where I cooked up some rice with cheese and cracker and a banana. Steve had leftover ravioli, and then off we went to our CSA, where we got eggplants, turnips, tomatoes, kale, spinach, and beets. (and no Diet Coke).

Wednesday October 14- Breakfast was a smoothie I made at work. I had some frozen fruit in the freezer, plus I brought some strawberries and kale from home. I added protein powder, turmeric, flax, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon and bee pollen to the berries and green, and added some ice cubes from the lovely work ice machine. I got a small smoothie blender off groupon last year and I keep it here. My smoothie was grand!

oye! Lunchtime! It’s 1:00pm and I’m hungry!
Last night I quick threw together some frozen shrimp and green Giant veggies in a skillet and warmed them up, then packed for lunch today in my awesome Pyrex Halloween-batty glass bowl. I also grabbed my serious staple- Minute Rice Brown Rice Cups.

I cannot survive without these. Full of fiber and taste, I love to mix these into my protein. 

Today I had the brown and wild rice cup. And now I’m full and a bit sleepy as I write this and watch it cloud over outside. OK! Lunch Break over.

Later grabbed some ground beef at Target (plus some Noosa yoghurt and brown rice) and made nachos with a can of cheese sauce I had, tomatoes, and Trader Joe’s salsa with tortilla chips. Tasty but acid reflux-inducing as I found out, at 1am. And the cat kept knocking stuff over…

Thursday October 15- 5am. I’m up thanks to a neighbor’s batty girlfriend screaming at him at 4:30am and my creamsicle cat waking me. It’s usually completely silent here. Off to the gym I go…
Breakfast: Coffee with a dab of virgin coconut oil in the car, then after the gym I had Noosa pumpkin yoghurt. In a bit I’ll prob have my Belvita, apple and banana, around lunchtime. Lots of water and Belvita at 10:30am.

Lunch- steel cut oats I made last night in my little mason jar w walnuts and cranberries and a dash of milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey.

Dinner- a had a bit of leftover tacos and then went to book club with my girls, where our awesome host Cathy served butternut squash soup, veggies, and BBQ crockpot chicken. It was awesome. Plus apple crumb for dessert. I love these ladies! I host next month! A lot to live up too!
(not Diet Coke!)

Friday October 16- Up and at them! I slept great because I put the cat into the office and put the dog in one of the bedrooms. We all slept wonderfully!
Breakfast- oatmeal with a banana, cinnamon, honey and nutmeg, and coffee. Got into work nice and early, as always I want to get a jump on my weekend! Friday is usually omelet day, where I’ll splurge on a café breakfast, but not today.
Lunch- ack too busy!

Dinner- well, I have successfully gone the entire week with getting takeout or running to the café, and probably saved around $40. Which is great, because tonight I’m celebrating my best friend’s birthday by going to a movie and getting sushi. We noshed on popcorn, and boneless wine and fries (that was me because I didn’t eat lunch on Friday.) 

Plus sushi and clear mushroom soup a few hours later, shopping for Halloween costumes and HomeGoods. and no diet coke! 

To summarize...no Diet coke, no cafe lunches, no fast food or take out, Trimble and I did pretty well this week!

How did the weekend go...stay tuned!

Saturday- oh hello weekend!

More in the next post! Hope you have a great week!