There has been a definite paring down of our pantry and fridge over the past few days. Friday night brought us the broiled stuffed mushrooms and spaghetti with Ken's sauce, with a salad on the side. What a yummy dinner! All of it was either freshly bought produce or already on hand. Sunday was one of those pickup dinners...baked potatoes and Halloween candy. Yep - it was good. Last night I prepped for tonight's dinner, and made a family favorite - Cuban Black Beans - from "New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant", a dog-eared friend. I didn't buy a thing - garlic, onions, diced tomatoes, black beans (I added a can of navy beans because I didn't have enough black beans), and spices...of course, now I have to buy more garlic and onion. That just needs to be heated tonight, some rice or quinoa added, and a little salad.

The best thing is - there is a TON of space on our pantry shelves! Well, maybe not tons - but much more than there was last week. I'm VERY excited - it was a great feeling to see so few cans of various beans and tomatoes. I also threw away a couple of things from the freezer over the weekend, having no idea what they were OR realizing they were freezer-burned. Actually, it's into the compost bin they go, so it's not a total loss.

This week we'll augment with some barbecue from our church's annual barbecue lunch over the weekend. I foresee some more baked potatoes too, and it looks as if I'll have to cave in and buy some meat and/or fish. If I do, I'll try to plan for each of the aforementioned items making do for 2 meals, to continue the quest to use up things on hand.

As you can tell, this is taking so much longer than I had thought it would...but it's working. My husband is even saying, "Hmmm...what do we already have in the fridge?" and "I know, I know, don't buy anything till we look on the shelves." Looks as if this is one habit we've been able to pick up pretty easily. I'll keep you posted - and let me know if you're trying anything too! See you tomorrow.