I’ve been thinking about this challenge and it reminds me of the Aesop’s Fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper.”  The ant worked hard to prepare while the grasshopper partied and had a good time.  When winter came, the ant was prepared whereas  the grasshopper wasn’t.

http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_fables_antgrasshopper.html

I keep my pantry well stocked for that very reason.  When my kids were tiny, my husband worked long hours and I did not have family close by.  I always thought, “What would I do if they were sick and I didn’t have food?”  or worse,  “What would I do if I were sick and couldn’t get to the store and my husband was working a long day?”  I lived in a small apartment, didn’t have a pantry to stock and space was limited.  I began stocking my pantry  by keeping canned chicken soup, crackers, applesauce, and sprite on hand  at all times. I also kept tylenol and cold medicine so that I wouldn’t have to go to the store in case of emergency.

For several years, we got paid once a month.  The kids were still small, money was tight and I was afraid that we would run out of money before the month ran out.  So I would plan 28 meals, go to the store on payday, and get the ingredients for 28 main dishes, cereal for breakfast,and sandwich fix ins. I also bought a pound of carrots, apples, oranges, and potatoes.  We had very limited storage space and I would fill my kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, and  tiny freezer to the brim. I would go to the grocery store a couple of times  to fill in the gaps and shop sales.  I can remember many a month eating boxed macaroni and cheese  the day before pay day.

Fast forward to today, I have a pantry and a deep freezer and I could probably go for weeks with buying a minimal amount of groceries.

Here’s what we ate on Wednesday:

Breakfast: Toast, bacon, bananas

Lunch:  Hodgepodge (that’s what I call eating various leftovers.  We pull out all the leftovers and try to finish off as much as possible) (Keary at the last pork chop, baby back ribs, and some ranch beans and I ate shrimp w/ pasta and a cucumber and beat salad.

Snack:  Popcorn

Supper:  Soft tacos, refried beans, and Mexican rice  The tacos were run of the mill tacos made with a mix.  The refried beans were canned (vegetarian) and I mixed some salsa into them (probably about 1/4 cup) I usually eyeball it.   The salsa makes the beans extra creamy. However, I followed the following recipe to make the rice:

http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/quickmexicanrecipes/r/SpanishRice.htm

I have tried all types of recipes, mixes, even frozen rice and this one  is by far is the best.

 

On Thursday, we ate the following:

Breakfast:  Cheese toast, bananas

Lunch: We went to a local barbecue place

Snack:  No snack  

Supper:  Hodgepodge: Keary finished off the shrimp and pasta and I ate a hamburger.

How about you?  What are your favorite go to meals?