Using what I have

I truly believe that one of the smartest things you can do for your family is to have a stockpile of food in case of an emergency. I know this is common thinking in LDS families too. I am not LDS but I do know that planning ahead is a good idea.

We live in a hurricane risk state. Believe me when I say that not being prepared for one is a huge risk. Store shelves empty so quick you are lucky to get a pack of ramen noodles. I have been through this several times and I started realizing that I do not want to be unprepared again. I'm not talking about going out and buying a bunch of stuff you won't ever use. When I started I just bought a few extras of stuff we use all the time. Things like canned pineapple, peaches, pasta, etc. Knowing that those things are in your home can bring you a huge amount of comfort.

My problem is that I love the idea of being great in the kitchen and living off what we have but I rarely put that desire into play. I love convenience food. When I am tired and the kids are hanging off me asking what we are having for dinner and a hungry heat exhausted hubby is coming home I run for the freezer filled with convenience. It is a big weakness of mine. That's not saying that I don't cook because I do pretty often but not nearly as much as I would like to.

When I took the kids shopping with me a few weeks ago I stocked up on a bunch of meal fixings. Since then I have not had the desire at all to go out with all three of them( shopping). By the time hubby gets home I am too tired to go out by myself.

All that would explain this....
I did buy milk today because I had to run a quick errand and I grabbed some while there but that is pretty much it. I stood in front of the fridge tonight thinking it was time to go shopping again and then I realized that if I would quite being lazy I wouldn't need to for at least a week. I have a pantry and a freezer FULL of food. At the moment there is 8 lbs. of frozen chicken breasts and 12 lbs. of ground beef in my freezer. My cabinets are full with baking supplies, pasta, rice, beans, canned fruits and veggies.

I am going to challenge myself this week and see just how many meals I can make before I truly reach a point where I need to go to the store. I'm actually looking forward to it. I am hoping to last at least until next Saturday.