Hi reader,
Whether it's crazy weather, a spouse loses a job, or the world is going 'crazy', there's a possibility that you just can't buy more food for a time.
Or maybe it's not quite as drastic...the budget is spent, you want to stretch your dollars, or you just want to eat up what's in the pantry.
Either way, there are times when it feels like there is 'nothing to eat'.
I can't help everyone, but I'm hoping that today I can help someone.
In the past, there have been times when our kitchen felt pretty bare. When that happened, I brainstormed things to make when we thought there was nothing to eat.
And I'd like to share those ideas with you today.
If you know someone who could benefit from this, please feel free to forward this email on. ♥
3 Things to Make When There's Nothing to Eat
#1. Sandwiches.
Whether you make it on bread or biscuits or pancakes or even leftover waffles, sandwiches can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
What kind of sandwiches can you make? My top sandwich picks:
- Fried egg + salt/pepper
- Hard boiled egg + mayo + mustard + pickles + salt/pepper
- Tuna/salmon + mayo + mustard + diced celery + diced carrots + pickles + salt/pepper
- Peanut butter + jelly
- hummus + fresh/roasted bell pepper + lettuce + tomato
- grilled cheese
(If you're new to baking bread, no-knead artisan loaf is a great place to start. This sandwich bread is super easy, and we're currently making sourdough einkorn loaves. You can look at all of my bread recipes here.)
#2. Soup.
The best soup comes from homemade chicken stock, but you can get by without it too. A base of pureed vegetables or well-seasoned water can be just as good.
My favorite soups start with a recipe, but substitute to fit your own pantry. Add or omit veggies, use milk instead of cream, try a different type of canned tomatoes, swap types of pasta or use rice instead if you want – whatever it takes to make it work.
(You don't need much to make homemade chicken stock, nor do you need fancy equipment. Keep these vegetable scraps as you cook throughout the week and you can easily make stock by the weekend. This is my Instant Pot method and my slow cooker method, but you can use the stovetop too.)
#3. Rice Bowls.
The term "rice bowl" is really fancy for "whatever you have in the kitchen, over rice." If you have two vegetables (fresh, canned, or frozen), you can make this work. I don't have a recipe for you, but here's my basic rice bowl formula:
- Rice
- Protein
- Veggie 1
- Veggie 2
- Sauce
- Toppings (dried fruit, sesame seeds, chopped nuts, etc. - optional)
The sauce makes a rice bowl magical (in my opinion), so give one of these a try:
If you don't have what you need for these, BBQ, spicy mustard, soy sauce, warmed peanut butter, melted butter, salad dressing, mayo/mustard, etc. all work too.
ALL my best ♥,
PS: When grocery dollars are tight, eating what you have is incredibly important!
We're hosting a Kitchen Sink Pantry Challenge NEXT WEEK. I'll walk you through the basics of a pantry challenge, including the rules, setting goals, and strategies for success.
I'll show you how to actually DO a pantry challenge (including the truth about expiration dates), how to turn random ingredients into meals your family will LOVE, and how to keep your kitchen organized so you can keep saving money when the pantry challenge is over.
If you haven't signed up, it's not too late! You can do that by clicking here.
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