Sell By Success Stories

As I have mentioned on my other blog, I am a grocery store addict. Even though my neighborhood Jewel store pales in comparison with my beloved Kroger, I still fill my cart regularly. I add trips to Trader Joe's and Costco to mix things up. I recognize that my love for choosing groceries stems, in part, from more of those good intentions of mine -- I always intend to be cooking healthy, hearty, delicious, and creative meals for my family. I often fail to do so and thus also shop to keep up our stock of Lean Cuisines (me), Lean Pockets (hubby), pasta, sauce, and frozen pizza. I also take pride in selecting snacks and treats that will make my hubby and Bubby happy. I have trouble going to the store and leaving with "just a few things."

I am proud of my progress at the grocery store this year. I have been trying to use a list and stick to it. I have thrice remembered to bring my earth-friendly reusable bags with me. I have tried to have a real plan for what I buy instead of vague inklings that such and such ingredient goes in such and such recipe that I might make if I could locate it in one of my 55 cookbooks. The result is that I have spent less money at the store and had fewer temptations stocked around the house.

I have also been making an effort to "use" the food I buy before it expires. Sounds simple enough, but I often fail to use perishables and even pantry goods before their sell-by dates. When perishable goods go bad, typically the cause is poor planning. The pantry goods get tossed because I hoard them for that proverbial rainy day rather than use them. Can't say why.

So anyway, today I kept riding the wave of yesterday's successful use of beef from the freezer with some more culinary concoctions.

"Use It!" (I have starred the items that might easily have been tossed)
* Bubby and I made some instant pudding* (seems a no brainer to use a box of pudding mix before its expiration date, but I know from purging the pantry before Little Bit was born, that I hoard pudding and jello -- in June I tossed boxes that expired in 2006).

* I made a breakfast casserole with bread* (almost stale), eggs* (sell by date of Friday), cheese, basil* (leftover from weekend panini bender), sliced grape tomatoes*, sausage* (sell by date of Thursday), and milk. Now I have breakfast to eat for the rest of the week, which means I can continue hoarding my Lean Cuisine pizzas (default breakfast item).