Week 4 MEALS - $21 Grocery Budget Challenge & Pantry Build

[@Smooshes786]

“And this is what we have leftover”- your way of working with food is really great. Brings to mind just how much food gets tossed because we don’t take a bit of time to be thoughtful about it.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@Smooshes786 I haven't talked about it much during these 4 weeks of the challenge. I commonly mention that I believe food waste is a budget killer!

[@Smooshes786]

@ now that there are two of us home, I had a major adjustment to make. We were wasting food- little bits of this and that go a long way!

[@barbarahughes6009]

I look forward to these videos because you are really creative with somehow always using up the food.Thoroughly enjoyable.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@barbarahughes6009 Thanks, Barbara. I try!

[@SueKurucz-q8r]

With all the food you are accumulating, you can have larger portions and snacks. You have a ton of food to eat up now! People wouldn’t believe it if we didn’t see it with our own eyes. WOW

[@adventuresingroceryland]

It’s amazing how much food we have already. And yes, I am planning on using a good portion of it for snacks!

[@shaunaleessnackidies]

Yes! I hope they eat bigger meals or more food in a day now, I’d be starving and I’m not a large person

[@qq1651]

Wow! Thats a huge process, now, taking all of that left over food out of the pantry, fridge & freezer and then putting it all back again! lol

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@qq1651 Hahahah. Yeah, it is. I get the handsome one to help me! I like to show it. It's so impactful.

[@DonniHenderson]

Oooo, and another Canadian too! You are superb at creative use of leftovers.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

Thanks, Donni. I'm glad you found the channel. Thanks for watching.

[@capricornfairy624]

Melanie & Jessica Wanders @JessicaWanders are my favorite Canadian KZbinrs ❤❤ They make similar content and I love them both!

[@tracyq989]

Yet another very encouraging and fantastic video! Thank you!!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

Thanks, Tracy.

[@beatrizaceiton3691]

I saw you in the news, awesome. ❤

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Yay!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@beatrizaceiton3691 My 5 seconds of fame!

[@irenetimm2107]

I’ve started watching all of your videos 2x - the first time is pure enjoyment, the second time I take notes so I can replicate your recipes 😋 Another great week and I already know I can make pork lo mein and BBQ chicken pizza :)))

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@irenetimm2107 I'm sure your versions of those meals will turn out great! The bbq chicken pizza doesn't normally have pineapple on it. But in the spirit of use what you have! You know how it goes.

[@cyclingonplants7444]

Hi Melanie 🤗 Look at you changing things up!LOL We always bring snacks and water/hot tea when we go out shopping - saves so much money! I made soup yesterday and I had it for breakfast this morning with some toast!Ha! My Handsome One was giving me the side eye but who said soup is only for lunch and supper right? Croutons are a great idea 😋Yum! So much food left! Wowzas 🤩

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@cyclingonplants7444 I love eating whatever I want, whenever I want. If that means soup for breakfast, we'll I'm gonna love that soup. Ha!

[@michellesmith9662]

You did it again!! Great meals!! Great job on homemade bread, yoghurt, and soup!! Unbelievable amount of leftover foods!! ❤️

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@michellesmith9662 The bread and the soup were regular and easy for me. The yogurt, I was extremely concerned that would be a fail. It turned out better than I thought. Thanks for watching, Michelle.

[@wandacotter5555]

The whey is awesome for making huge fluffy pancakes!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@wandacotter5555 Ooh, good idea.

[@jeanclark7797]

It’s extremely impressive how much food you’ve accumulated! Usually higher the fat content the thicker the yogurt. I usually heat the milk and cool it down before adding the yogurt and sometimes milk powder, which also helps thicken it. Straining can help and that’s how you make Greek yogurt or yogurt cheese too. I use the whey for my baking especially bread products. Side note, I also use the water I boiled potatoes in the same way.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@jeanclark7797 I used the whey for bread. I have enough left for another loaf!

[@regularmompantrylife2587]

I was making individual pizzas for my boys and I while watching. I ended up making the same pizza you did 😊 I'm just about to put it in the oven. Thanks for the idea!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@regularmompantrylife2587 You can never go wrong with pizza. Seriously. Pizza is just a win, all the way around.

[@dharma6481]

You are like a wizard with shopping and cooking! So many delicious and nutritious meals while building such a large pantry, is quite a feat! You are inspiring!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@dharma6481 Aww. Thanks, Dharma. That's kind to say.

[@darleneprice6467]

Your meals looked delicious, as usual. Holy Moley! The amount of left over food you have is unreal! You are helping people budget their grocery money and eating well with your creative cooking. Plus, extras for Christmas! Keep up the good work. Have a fantastic weekend!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@darleneprice6467 Thanks, Darlene. Plus extras for Christmas is such a bonus. Whoot.

[@barbaragilmer9731]

Great week for meals. Unbelievable amount of food left.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

Yes. Two things are happening. The regular pantry stockpile is starting to get pretty decent. The Christmas supplies are beginning to add up! We are looking very good!

[@lenoraw1098]

Great job! 😁

[@adventuresingroceryland]

Thanks, Lenora.

[@Layla-ir3sl]

This week, my favorite thing you made was the hamburger helper soup. It was a brilliant idea. I’ve added bits and pieces to a soup but I never thought of actually turning a pasta dish into a soup. That was absolutely inspired and I’ll definitely do that in the future. The rest of the food looked wonderful too. How long are you planning to continue with this challenge?

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@Layla-ir3sl I don't have a hard end date. Definitely until Christmas. After that, I'm going to wing it!. Ha

[@kathryndockrey1477]

That chicken looked delicious. My favorite muffins are pineapple & carrot. That is so much food. You both could easily eat for a couple of weeks without buying anything, but with that amount, you have variety. You should be a required course in school...lol Maybe even for Food banks. Great video as always

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@kathryndockrey1477 I try to be as creative as possible. The more creative I am, the more fun and appealing the meals are! Thanks, Kathryn.

[@melelcur]

Wow , you do an incredible job Melanie ! You turned those vegetables and pork into a tasty meal and hamburger helper leftovers into soup. I’ve really enjoyed all of your videos and have learned alot of little tricks which have helped and inspired me . I found the muffin mixes for the same price here at a discount store in PEI and they turned out great . Who would have thought that by adding a few ingredients you can really make them tasty . I think I have an old yogurt machine in the basement and I may have to go dig it out after watching this today . Thank you , have a great weekend!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@melelcur OH my gosh. An old yogurt machine. There'd be no stopping me!!

[@pennynickels5216]

😊💛 great job! I always have a variety of muffins in the freezer. You might stock up on the muffin mix for bulk baking. Such a versatile winter treat. I've got cornbread muffins baking now. Easy to add ingredients to those as well to freeze. ❤

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@pennynickels5216 I went back and sadly, the muffin mix was all gone. I should have got 2 packages when I was in there last time.

[@sandiedrew4086]

Good Morning Melanie and everyone. The pork Lo mein did turn out really great! ❤🎉😊

[@adventuresingroceryland]

The pork lo mein was delicious. Exciting to have enough supplies left to make it again.

[@capricornfairy624]

Fellow Canadian Jessica Wanders makes videos just like you and she makes homemade yogurt all the time 😊 I still haven’t tried making it 😂

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@capricornfairy624 That's where I got the idea. Hers doesn't seem to have the whey bi-product that mine did

[@ChristinaSkinner-dm8ji]

Hey just fyi there is any easier way of making yogurt heat milk to 185 in pot not to boil remove from burner let cool to 115 add some of that milk to a bit of yogurt and stir and then mix well into rest of milk and let pot sit there on stove overnight and if you need in morning put through sieve but I just put in container and refrigerate which will make it a little harder really easy and never any clumps yes whole milk is better it’s what I use and it’s beautiful Greek yogurt The girl in the valley

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@ChristinaSkinner-dm8ji I watched another blogger and she used a seed starting tray (warmer). I figured my Crock pot might work out OK.

[@ChristinaSkinner-dm8ji]

@ yes the crock is fine it’s heating milk first and cooling and then adding yogurt then you can leave in crock or just the pot on stove just makes a real smooth beautiful yogurt

[@cindydaniel6125]

Great meals!! You could almost skip a week of shopping and still eat well!! I love the look of your muffins..I need to make some. 😊😊😊😊

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@cindydaniel6125 The muffins are so enjoyable. ❤️

[@myhillsidegarden3998]

Melanie, You did just fine with making your yogurt. I always found that making yogurt in the crockpot was so simple. You can save a bit of what you made to make the next batch, but after time, it will lose its effectiveness. You could also strain it through cheese cloth and you will get a much thicker yogurt. It's fun to experiment. Have a great week. Catherine

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@myhillsidegarden3998 If I used cream, would there still be as much whey? It just seemed like a lot of whey.

[@barbarawalker3366]

What's the verdict on the lettuce 🥬 smoothies🥤? Great meals this week 😋

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@barbarawalker3366 OK. The lettuce in the smoothie, my description is going to sound weird. It tasted wet and fresh.

[@delledonne1]

Well done, I will definitely be making that pizza and will give the yogurt a try.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@delledonne1 Ooh, BBQ chicken pizza is a blast from my past. There was a time in the early 2000's when Pampered Chef parties were all the rage. BBQ chicken pizza and taco rings were very popular meals. ❤️

[@delledonne1]

@@adventuresingroceryland I was and am addicted to pampered chef. my pizza stones, my baking sheets, my spatulas. a bit expensive at first, but they last forever.

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@delledonne1 I am totally with you! 100%

[@BreeSB]

Im super interested in trying this homemade yogurt! Can you give a little more detail on what you did? How many towels? How many hours? Just on warm the entire duration of the "cooking"?

[@adventuresingroceryland]

Please don't take my experiment as a tested safe cooking method. I used the warm setting. It was quite a bit warmer than what I was thinking. I placed a doubled up tea towels on the bottom and then wrapped the container in 2 additional tea towels. I put the lid on the slow cooker. Next time, I would leave the lid off. I believe it was just a bit too warm.

[@BreeSB]

@@adventuresingroceryland noted! 😀 Thank you so much!

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Good job. While delicious, I would struggle on your diet because many meals lack the 30g of protein I need (plus two high-protein snacks), due to illness. To be honest, I struggle with creating a high protein meal plan both in terms of budget and recipes. (oatmeal with protein powder is not delicious, in case you’re wondering 😂) This week I resorted to a rotisserie chicken to fill in bits of chicken to snack on. But all high protein meal plans are expensive. I think I worked it out and I would need to eat 5 large eggs in a single meal to get 30g. If you ever need a different challenge idea, I would love to see a high-protein challenge. Have a great weekend!

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@tenthousanddaysofgratitude Wow. Five eggs. How do you manage that much protein and that much food. I feel like I'd be so full all the time.

[@jenniferwaffle6920]

pineapple would have been good in your pork lomain

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@@jenniferwaffle6920 OH my gosh! Yes. I should have thought about that!

[@shaunaleessnackidies]

Please don’t eat moldy food, it’s so bad for you! The cauliflower had visible black mold on it, the spores spread inside the package. I hope you go to a food bank or church for supplemental food, I hope you both feel full and aren’t too proud to ask for help, everyone deserves to be full and healthy. ❤

[@adventuresingroceryland]

@shaunaleessnackidies Hi Shauna, I promise you we are not eating moldy food. There was some slight browning on the cauliflower. Definitely no black mold. Please keep in mind that this is a $21 grocery budget challenge where we are choosing to spend $21 each with no access to the existing food in our house. I assure you, we are quite full and satisfied. We have lots of snacks. We just aren't recording them, or 2nd helpings when/if we have them.