Being In Touch with My Inner Pantry

As I was foraging through blog sites the other day for recipes, I stumbled upon a blog called The Perfect Pantry. Check it out at http://www.theperfectpantry.com/ The blog features ingredients used in everyday cooking -- common ingredients like salt, pepper, butter, flour -- and ingredients fundamental to a wide range of ethnic cuisines. The blogger writes about and photographs the actual things she keeps in her pantry and she includes in her post the recipe using the featured ingredient, as well as several links to interesting recipes on other food blogs. I love the concept because I like to see what other people have in their pantries. Even better it inspired me to really be in touch with my inner pantry.

After reading the blog, I immediately ran to my pantry and started organizing and seeing what I had in there. It's therapeutic for me to clean or organize something and I was looking forward to being in touch with the foods I have in my pantry. Since things are tight right now with Steven and I both not working, I'm really trying to keep our costs down by using what we have before going out and spending money in excess. I teach my children to appreciate and take care of the things they have and not to be wasteful. Leading by example speaks louder than words as they say. If it applies to them, it applies to us as well. I did some contemplative thinking and thought about how I could be in touch with my inner pantry and started by asking myself how I felt about what foods were there and what my intentions were when I bought them.

Hell is paved with good intentions as they say and my pantry is filled with great ideas to start but then they fall flat. For instance I bought a jar of black bean sauce a while ago and my intentions were to bake tofu and top it with black bean sauce. That was months ago and the jar has moved from one house to another and has accumulated a dusty top that is painfully noticeable. I need to be in touch with my food and not lose touch with it. In other words, I need to be in the moment. When I buy something and I am excited about it I should use it within that week and not let it sit their forever losing it's luster.

So, the challenge is on. I will allow myself $50 a week to supplement and cook only the foods that we have on hand. Over the next month I will be using the foods I have in my pantry, fridge and freezer and supplement the essentials such as eggs, milk, butter, fresh fruits and veggies. I will update my website daily to document the challenge and to keep you informed on my progress. Feel free to join me in the challenge and send me updates on how you are doing as well.