No Shop February

 What a rainy and overcast kind of day it is here!  It is sure nice to smell Winter Barley Chili bubbling in the crock pot and know that cornbread griddle cakes are soon to be in the skillet.  Is anything better than soup and bread in the winter?

I don't know that I have ever been a part of a pantry challenge before.  I have pushed myself to cook more from what we had on hand versus going out the store when it was not necessary many times.  In fact, that's a normal way of life here.  I am thankful we are so far from any store to make my decisions more intentional and my trips to town more efficient.  Far is surely a relative word.  Some people are an hour or more to any grocery store, perhaps living out west.  We are at least 15 minutes from anywhere except the post office.  And that is far enough that I only make a trip out to town if I need to- and it usually means multiple stops.  

This winter I know of other people challenging themselves to be more aware of their pantry- what they eat, what stays and expires, what things could be used but are forgotten because of easier alternatives... But I am taking the 'no shop' February challenge myself!

Why?

Several reasons, actually.  One: I'd like to know what I need to be better at buying and not buying- or growing!  Two: I would like it to be less 'second nature' to just pop out or online and buy whatever, whenever.  Third: anything that can challenge us to do and be better can have its pros!

What are the rules?

There aren't any!  It's your challenge, make it what you want or need.  I have decided that since I do not currently grow all of our own fruits and vegetables, nor do we have a dairy animal, that I will allow myself 3 staples to be able to purchase during the month of February: milk, salad, and apples.  Those are our needs. What are yours?  Any fresh staples that you don't already grow or produce yourself?  Make this challenge fit your current place in life.  Just still make sure it's a challenge!

How do I prepare?

I plan to grocery shop (we like Aldi for every 3–5-week stock up or our local bulk food shop for larger purchases) and stock up on what we use.  Wait!  Doesn't that defeat the purpose? No!  I want to succeed!  I want to prepare and do what needs done to get along thru February without extra shopping.  But I will get the '3 staples' as needed (usually 1x per week).  This means that I will try to think ahead, not just in the present.  I will not meal plan for the whole month, but if I have familiar faves on hand, I can make easier meals happen. Meats, veggies, baking items, fruits, juice, dairy, and even toiletries! 

A quick note: I am a 'from scratch' cook most of the time.  I am no purist, but I do try and cook from scratch as much as possible. This means that having whole, unprocessed ingredients can make meals much easier to make and there won't be the excuse of "I don't have that ingredient and so I can't make this meal!” Some of our favorite meals are fairly simple, but they are whole and contain no additives or artificial ingredients.  I love knowing what foods I am feeding my family, and that I have made them with my own hands.  I hope to make another blog post on some of my favorite pantry staples.

Have you ever done a pantry challenge?  Let me know how it went.  Any tips would be helpful!