This was a week of taking stock: I cleaned out my freezers (yes, I have more than one) and threw out those items that were a) unidentifiable, b) really old (3 years old is old), and/or c) visibly freezer-burned. I was really horrified after tossing a full garbage bag of food (throwing out money really ticks me off) so I decided to reinstitute the freezer inventory sheets I used to keep. With everything out of the freezer it was pretty easy to jot everything down in a spreadsheet (I'm sort of a computer nerd - no handwritten lists here).Now I have a list of what's in the freezer (four pages!) hanging off the side of the fridge. My meal-planning goal for the next few weeks is to cook this list down, particularly focusing on things like the meat and fish I have on hand. Then I ran through my spice cabinet and took stock of what I need to order to restock it. I also tossed some ill-advised spice purchases (when the seasoning mix tastes bad, it just tastes bad). Later today, I'm hoping I'll be able to do the same thing with my dry-goods pantry. I have tons of rice, beans and other legumes in that closet - time to get them cooking!
This means that most of my shopping should be perishables like fruit, vegetables and dairy. Since that's what I love shopping for anyway, hopefully shopping trips will be that much more pleasant.
Menu for the Week
Sunday
Veal saltimbocca (veal from the freezer via Kellie Brook Farm)
Spinach risotto (spinach from freezer, rice from pantry)
Monday
Black bean soup (beans from the pantry)
Skillet cornbread
Tuesday
Chickpeas and pasta with sage and garlic (a Deborah Madison recipe)
Wednesday
Bao: dumplings with tenderloin (from the freezer) and vegetables
Cucumber salad with chilies and peanuts
Thursday
Pizza night
Friday
Field trip! More to come. ;-)
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