Pantry Challenge 2017! Photos!

We're on day 5 of the 2017 Pantry Challenge and so far, so good!  My kids are already complaining because I'm making them have oatmeal instead of cold cereal (to help spend less on milk).  I set a goal this year to spend only $20 per week on produce and dairy items.  I don't know if I can make it work, but I'm going to try because my pantry is bulging and my freezer is ridiculously frozen over.  I have to start using stuff up.

Here's my pantry, unorganized.

These are the top three shelves:Appliances & big Tupperware on the top shelf. Serving dishes, Ziplocs, griddle & little used baking pans on the 2nd shelf.  Canned, bottled, & boxed food on 3rd shelf.

Here are the bottom 3 shelves: 4th shelf has the bulk goods in manageable Tupperware, baking stuff, spare spices, and cold cereal hiding in back.  5th shelf is mostly craft supplies, but behind the craft supplies are a few food items like hot cocoa, coffee, kid snack items, a costco pack of spaghetti sauce, shelf-stable coconut milk and a lot of rice cakes.  Finally, on the floor are big buckets of food including organic white flour, organic white sugar, millet, organic oatmeal, organic popcorn, organic black beans, organic great northern beans, organic coconut oil, & local honey.  I also have a big bag of chips, flour & sugar to add to the bins, some juice boxes, a bunch of Annie's GF/DF bunny cookies, enchilada sauce, and several GF pie crust mixes.  It's a mess.

Here's my garage freezer.  You can't tell because of the ice, but it's full and a lot of it is fruit.  I know there's whole bean coffee, a turkey, GF hot dog buns, hot dogs, sausages, organic meat (either stew beef or pot roast beef), lots of blueberries on the bottom, and some other stuff that will be revealed (I hope!).

Here's my inside freezer.  Also full, but at least accessible!  I've got organic chicken broth, organic chicken thighs, some Quorn patties, lots of berries, a DF yogurt for smoothies, organic ground turkey, and a much of other stuff.  I'm hoping to clear a lot of this out so I can move berries in from the outside.  I want to unplug the outside freezer for a day, but am afraid of the berries turning to mush!

Some opening thoughts:

• The kids are excited they finally get to start eating the canned peaches & applesauce from the garage shelves.  I was happy to hear that Monday since I won't have much budget for fresh fruit. 
• We also have about 100 pounds of berries - seriously, like 20 gallon sized bags - that I can defrost at breakfast, use in fruit smoothies for the kids, and put in protein shakes for me.  So berries are a top priority! 
• I also have lots of sausage so the kids will be having sausage for lunch at least once a week and I'll likely be making sausage soup a few times. 
• I bought Costco packages of organic pasta & sauce a couple months ago so those will be on the regular dinner menu

I'm already planning next week's me als!  And a goal for next week will be to organize the pantry and see what's really in there. 

Katie