Pantry Pancakes

Being on a strict $100/week grocery budget oftentimes calls for creativity to make the meals stretch. I think a lot of people automatically assume that when we put "budget" and "food" together it means we're sacrificing on taste, health and all those wonderful qualities we think we're missing. Not true. We aren't eating like pauper's over here, I can assure you that! We have three meals per day (snacks and dessert too!) that are both wholesome and delicious.

These pantry pancakes are perfect for keeping an easy breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner on hand. I like to make a big batch and freeze ours.

So, what exactly are Pantry Pancakes? Well, you throw together a bunch of ingredients that are in your pantry, fridge or freezer and add them to your favorite basic, pancake recipe. I really like this one.

Here's an example of ingredients I used in our last batch of Pantry Pancakes:

After rummaging through my cupboards and freezer I found frozen blueberries from the summer, oats, local rye flour, flaxseeds and wheat germ. I'm not the best at giving exact measurements when it comes to whim-recipes. I spend so much time in the kitchen I just eyeball it! If it's a little to thin, add more flour. If it's too thick, add some liquid. Speaking of, I also had some almond milk in the fridge for my batter.

I freeze our pancakes in between sheets of parchment paper. You'll definitely want to use something, even wax paper, to prevent your pancakes from sticking together.

It's fun and easy to get creative while on a budget. If you have a drop of creativity in your bones, you can stretch your food budget. If not, well, I'm here to help you, my friend! We're here to help each other navigate all the ways to our ultimate goal - a debt-free life! At some point, yes, you can open up your food budget. We will, for sure! For now, it's $100/week for our family, period.

Day 4: Breakfast & Lunch on a $100 weekly food budget

Yesterday our daughter had rehearsal for her part in the Nutcracker performance tonight. My dad joined us and he treated us to dinner last night to a Chinese buffet that is my absolutely favorite! So, I only have breakfast and lunch in this post :)

For breakfast we had granola cereal with whole milk and a side of sliced apples. The apples were only 79 cents per pound our last $100 weekly grocery trip. The granola cereal is Sunbelt brand, for which I had a coupon for. 

For lunch we enjoyed homemade italians and chips

I wanted to be sure I squeezed this post in before we head out for the show tonight. Hope everyone is having a blessed weekend! Stay tuned for our next $100 food budget post.

Day 3 - Three meals on a $100 weekly food budget

Another successful day on our food budget. Here is a look at today's menu:

This morning we had oatmeal with cinnamon & brown sugar and a berry smoothie (whole milk, blueberries and strawberries). The blueberries and strawberries were in my freezer. I love "shopping" my kitchen!

For lunch we had grilled cheese, orange slices and celery. The kids didn't have a snack today, by choice. Haley had some tea with me this afternoon. I snacked on oranges and left over Shepherd's pie, though :) The baby especially enjoyed it.

For dinner we enjoyed chicken (I cooked these ahead of time, and then set them to low in the crockpot before hubby came home. I tossed them in a mixture of dressings from the fridge while they were in the crockpot). I sauteed fresh garlic and onion in a pan, and mixed it into brown rice with a little soysauce. We also had diced potatoes that were baked with green onions and various seasonings. Absolutely delicious!

 We had plenty of dinner left over to pack for hubby's lunch tomorrow :)

As you can see, having a smaller food budget does not mean you have to succumb to processed foods. In fact, we eat far less processed foods now! I haven't really done much couponing either. If I see a coupon for something I know we actually like, then I'll use it. The savings is all in planning and preparation!

Day 2: Three meals on a $100/week food budget - snacks too!

Sticking to a $100 weekly food-budget is just one of our many steps in becoming debt-free. What I've learned so far in having a budget for food:

1. Creativity really takes place. This reduces SO much food waste, by using up ingredients we already have on hand.

2. We don't even want to waste our food. A budget can mean limits and makes you appreciate the food available.

3. How thankful I am to God for His provision. Even on a budget, the table looks plentiful. Our bellies are content and we are happy.

Here is a look at today's menu:

For breakfast we had toast with natural peanut butter, orange slices and a glass of whole milk

For lunch we enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches, carrots and celery with ranch dressing

Our snacks today were homemade popsicles (our daughter makes these. It's just orange juice, and the kids love them!)

and crackers with natural peanut butter

For dinner we feasted on spaghetti with homemade meatballs and garlic bread. It was so delicious! I will share my meatball recipe in another post this week!

Want to hear something neat? The only things I purchased with our $100 food budget for these meals were:

- milk

- oranges

- the cheese for the grilled cheese sandwiches

- carrots and celery
- spaghetti
- ground beef
- pasta sauce
- eggs

Everything else I already had on hand!

Hubby's Breakfast Sandwich How-to

One way we save a significant amount of money each week and stick to our $100/week grocery budget is by making my husband these easy, homemade breakfast sandwiches. I set aside less than an hour over the weekend to prepare and freeze these for the week. Before I head to bed each night I place one into the refrigerator to thaw and heat them up in the oven the next morning while hubby gets ready.

I use either my homemade bagels/english muffins or ones that I find on sale

I fry up eggs on the griddle to go with however many breakfast sandwiches I'm making. This week I had 6 bagels, 1 English muffin (left over from last week) and 1 sandwich roll (also left over from last week). As you can tell, I don't let anything go to waste, so I find a way to use up things we have.

Depending on what is on sale or has the best price, I buy either sausage, bacon or ham. Make sure you check your local farm stand or meat market - many times you can find the best prices here. I always shop around, though. This week maple breakfast sausage links were on sale at our grocery store, so I just cook and split them in half to place on the sandwiches.

I also had a roll of pork sausage. I made patties and cooked them on the griddle as well. Just place on paper towel when done to absorb excess grease.

I freeze these sandwiches in aluminum foil since I toast them in the oven. If you plan to microwave instead just remember to remove the foil or plastic wrap - whatever you decide to freeze them in. Alright, so onto assembling the breakfast sandwiches.

First I place the egg onto the bagel.

Next, the meat.

Lastly, the cheese.

Place other bagel half on top

 

and wrap the foil around the sandwich.

Place all the sandwiches in the freezer and you're done!

 See how simple that is? Now you don't have to worry about your husband going without breakfast, or going through the drive-thru in the morning. You save so much money preparing his breakfasts, whether it be breakfast sandwiches or breakfast burritos -both freeze well. Just send him off with his sandwich, a fruit and coffee and he will be one happy man!

Day 1: Three meals on a $100 per week grocery budget - not bad!

Yesterday I shared our absolute excitement about us on our way to debt-free living, and our plan to do so! I mentioned that we are also feeding our family on a $100 per week grocery budget. Here is a look at our meal plan for today (excluding hubby's breakfast and lunch, which you can read about in this post, too)

For breakfast the kids and I had oatmeal, orange slices and a glass of whole milk.

Lunch was macaroni and cheese, celery & carrots with ranch dressing

The kids snacked on homemade popsicles Haley made over the weekend (orange juice and water) and tortilla chips.

Since the kids have their Christmas piano recital tonight, I prepared a Shepherd's pie this morning. All I have left to do is roast the side of brussel sprouts. When we get home I'll just pop the Shepherd's pie in the oven to heat dinner will be served!

The Shepherd's pie was one of my plan-around-what-we-already-have meals. I do this pretty often, actually, and it saves us from extra-spending and reduces waste. I already had a bag of frozen corn from early fall in the freezer.

My father-in-law blessed us with ground venison over the weekend, so I sauteed that up with minced garlic, salt and pepper.

I bought a 5 lb bag of potatoes during this week's grocery trip to spread across a few different meals. I already had butter on hand, so I boiled and mashed! Easy, affordable dinner!

What I love about having a meal plan is that it literally prevents waste. No kids snacking through the cupboards, no picky-eating opportunity. I'm very thankful to have children who aren't very picky and will clean their plates. They are used to a meal-routine.

I'll share my step-by-step making of husband's favorite breakfast sandwiches tomorrow!