my experiment

I love it when my parents go on vacation because I get the opportunity to hone my homemaking/cooking skills.  Of course, I do cook and clean when my parents are home but I get to do everything when they're gone!!  Well, we are re-doing our kitchen as soon as the cabinets and appliances are all delivered to our house.  I despise clutter and the house will be very clutter-y during the remodel.  I just thought that having the least amount of pantry items sitting on a table in the basement the better!  Typically when my parents are gone, I plan whatever I want to cook then plan the grocery list around what we don't have.  This time, I'm looking to see what we have then planning the menu around that.  This has been incredible practice for when I'm either single and living on my own or newly-married on a limited budget.  I am not a very creative cook so this is great practice!

And I do believe that most of us chicks can come up with a fabulous, well-planned, non-rushed meal.  But I daresay that the true test is in the everyday.  What can we whip up with limited supplies on hand?  What can we do in a hurry without spending tons of $$?  What can we do that is normal while doing laundry, vacuuming, and getting ready for church {aka multitasking}?  What can we do with leftovers?  That has been my test the past few weeks.

Here is how I did.  What is underlined is what I had to buy but not including staples such as eggs, milk, bread.  {I don't want to bore you - haha!}

Tuesday...Baked Potato Soup {frozen left-overs} and Cheese Bread
Wednesday...I was sick...aka...fend for yourSELF!
Thursday....Didn't get home till late because of substitute teaching and tutoring...fried chicken from the deli, salad, frozen veg/pasta dish
Friday...cheeseburgers {buns}...these were delicioso, maybe it's because we were really hungry.  :)
Saturday...chicken jambayla {frozen left-overs} and brownies
extra...blueberry muffins for breakfast {buttermilk}
Sunday...frozen pizza after church
Monday...bratwurst
Tuesday...lasagna {some ingredients}, salad, breadsticks
Wednesday...leftovers
Thursday...CHEATER...yummy food from the deli
Friday....CHEATER...more yummy {different} food from the deli + pop + chips {wait...give me a break--it was Friday night and I bought pizza...aren't Friday nights for pizza?}
Saturday...fish and salad and bread {craft fair on Saturday...limited time}
Sunday...a mix-up of scheduling for me so I didn't end up fixing anything
Monday...Mexican chicken {basically all of the ingredients}
Tuesday...they're back + I was working

Verdict....I was going to give myself a B but I think I slipped to at least a B-.  I cut the lasagna in half and still had lots of left-overs.  Cooking for two is a challenge, I guess, because I'm used to cooking for 4-5.  Oh well, I'm glad I presented myself with the challenge.  But I will say in my defense that I have been extremely busy.  Busier than normal when my parents are out of town.  Busy is a good thing.  I'm going to stop right there because I'm about to type out a whole other post.  :0