by Sam Vangsness
As I head into the newness of the year, I am making a few changes to the way I cook and look at my pantry. One of them is to always shop what is in my pantry and freezer before planning dinner for the week or heading to the grocery store. I know, I know, I talk about this a lot! But it really does make a difference in our grocery bill when I am not just buying because it looks good or is on sale, but buying things because we need them.
I spent the last few days cleaning around the house, and that included the kitchen, which means the pantry, the freezer, and the fridge were all inventoried. Was I looking forward to the task? No. Was it worth it? Yes. Once I was finished, I had a week’s worth of meals planned and a freezer that closed much better. I have to say, all of this cleaning didn't come from the new year, but because we are about to get more beef and I didn't want to have perfectly good cuts go to waste just because they are at the bottom of the freezer. Honestly, it only took me about half an hour, and reminded me of quite a few food items we have to use up.
I don’t clean out my freezer in any magical way; it’s pretty straightforward. I take everything out and place them in piles according to what they are. My piles this round were a little lighter because we just moved a few months ago so I recently did this. But my piles were vegetables or fruit, meat, and “others.” We were pretty low on beef with one pound of ground beef, a few steaks, and one roast. I did find quite a few other cuts of meat I could definitely use up within the next few months, though, like venison roasts and some odds and ends of diced ham and chicken.
Once I put my freezer contents into piles. I made a list and wrote everything down, “2x sirloin steak, 1x bag of green beans, etc.” This helps me have something visual to look at when planning meals or going grocery shopping. Once we use that item, I cross it off the list or update it as needed. I usually hang this list on the fridge and have a picture on my phone for easy reference. After you make your list, wipe your freezer down and put everything back. I found I had a good amount of space left after nicely placing everything back in.
Next, I reviewed my list and began planning our week’s meals. I took out a venison roast, 1 pound of beef fajita meat, 1 pound of chicken thighs, frozen fruit, frozen apples, summer sausage and pork enchiladas. Pulling out a few items from my clean-out piles will make our week go much smoother and provide extra room for the new meat that is coming soon. Whether eating more from your freezer or pantry is on your New Year’s list, I hope you take a quick look at what you have on hand and create delicious meals around it.
Here is a recent meal I made that I enjoyed!
ND Roast
Ingredients:
Frozen or thawed roast (I used a frozen venison roast)
2 cups beef broth
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 jar banana peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to an Instant Pot. Slow cook on high for 5 hours and then pressure cook on high for 1 hour. Serve with horseradish mashed potatoes, recipe below.
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
6-8 yellow potatoes
¼ c sour cream
6-8 tbsp butter
¼ c milk
1-2 tbsp horseradish (depends on your preference)
Instructions:
Add your diced potatoes to an Instant Pot with 2 cups of water. Pressure cook on high for 10 min. Drain water from potatoes. Mash and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust depending on your flavor and texture preferences. Serve roast and juices over the mashed potatoes.
Sam lives in rural Morton County with her husband. She enjoys being outside working alongside her husband, but equally enjoys being in the kitchen cooking nutritious, delicious, simple meals, and sharing tips, tricks, and recipes along the way.