All the 2009 snacks...

I am slightly embarrassed to share this.

Although, I honestly have a feeling that I am:

a) not alone

b) not the only one who would admit it and

c) not sure that this won't occur again in the future...

I unearthed a frozen tupper-ware...of turkey chili...from December...2009...and considered the potential that it might "still be good"...

Nope, not kidding.

Then for good measure, I found a twin tupper-ware with the same 2009 chili in it...

I mean, it smells okay...How long does something like this last?

But I digress. The point here is: why would anybody keep a tupper-ware of chili in their freezer for, what is going on, 9 months? That's long enough for somebody to give birth! I know the intention behind this. I made myself a ginormous (word courtesy of Elf) pot of turkey chili because it was cold (in December) and ate it every meal for probably a week. Having only dented about 1/3 of said chili creation (again, I am one person, living alone), I thought to myself:

"Hmm, you could freeze this and take out a container for a quick meal. Oh Liz, you are brilliant" (Let's face it, everybody can use some positive self-talk every now and again)

So, this chili went into tupperwares and into the freezer. Where it stayed. For 9 months.

Theoretically making a bit extra and having leftovers for a few meals is a really good idea. You save on cooking time, on the buying in bulk concept and on general planning time. But what good is it to buy all this stuff, make it, box it up and then throw it away 9 months later?

It's like buying a pair of pants that are kind of ugly but they are on sale for $3.99. You can't buy pants for $3.99, so the thrill of the novelty compels you to buy ugly pants. You don't wear them and they sit in the closet when the alternative could have been that you save $3.99, closet space and the effort of some factory making something out of polyester (because let's face it, $3.99 pants are not made out of cashmere).

I feel like I am having some insights here about myself, myself as a consumer, and myself as a waster and I am not really liking what I am seeing. Hopefully this experiment can assist me in making better choices and only buying/cooking/saving what I really need.

Now, if I were to write a blog titled: "Cleaning out your closet: How many pairs of shoes do you really need?" There would probably be a lot more tears and a lot less insight.

(Feel free to weigh in on insights, impressions and whether or not that chili is still "eatable". I haven't tossed it yet)

So easy, a Monkey can do it...

I guess I'm dumber than a monkey...

So after the post about the smoothie debacle, I was given a great tip (thank you Lesley!) about freezing the banana...for texture, flavor and consistency. I thought, "Hmm, capital idea..." and put a banana in the freezer.

Skip to this morning- There I was, already 10 minutes behind schedule (that commute is a killer) and I flounce my way into the kitchen for an easy, no-nonsense breakfast smoothie.

Epic. Fail.

I think I set a record for "longest time ever to peel a banana". Then again- it was also frozen. So there I am, heels, skirt and nicely coiffed hair, wrestling hell-bent-for-leather, with a banana just so I can make a stupid friggin smoothie...I'll say it again:

Epic. Fail.

I eventually got the banana out of its skin (most of it) and threw it in the blender with milk, some strawberries and some of that Greek Yogurt (which I am now convinced is something akin to what you would find if you wrung out the liquid left in a gym sock that's been out in the sun too long) and blend

I may just start going with cereal. Although I didn't grit this smoothie up with flaxseed and then goo it down with honey...

Honestly, I am starting to miss the pre-prepared frozen smoothie packages (at $2.85 a pop...honestly at this point, I'd pay $5)...

Don't be sad for my breakfast fail, however...because I have leftover chicken and dumplings...tasty!

I think tomorrows "experiment" will be with turmeric...any ideas about a) what this is, b)how to use it and c) why it smells like feet?

Buying in Bulk (A Hamlet-esque Inquiry)

So dinner actually turned out to be one of the most delicious things I have eaten in a long time. It took a little more effort but it was well worth it. And now, I have leftovers!

I thought, since I am mishap free today, that I would share the fact that I am starting to notice tendencies of slight hoarding in other areas of my life- point in case:

• I have 5 (yes, you read that right)- 5 UNOPENED canisters of shaving cream
• 3 unopened bottles of body wash (Irish spring, yeah!)
• Toothbrushes in bulk (aka-4 pack)
• Toilet paper like I was housing an army (Sam's club, thank you)

This is just the short list. I know I bought a lot of these items because I a) had a coupon, b) buy in Bulk at Sam's to save money or c) am sub consciously letting my inner OCD personal hygiene freak take over on shopping trips

I have to pose the question: Is buying in bulk that bad? I mean it's not like toilet paper and body wash goes bad. Please feel free to chime in on this particular discussion.

To Buy in Bulk or not to Buy in Bulk...that is the question....

Gittin' my Southerner on...or Fixin' to

Ah, The illustrious chicken and dumplings. For those of you who may not know, chicken and dumplings is:

• A staple of the South and Midwest-one of the "southern comfort-food" dishes
• A French Canadian meal that originated during the Great Depression (Thanks Wikipedia)
• Paula Dean's Middle name

I live in Oklahoma now, which is somewhere between the South and Midwest so I thought I would attempt this recipe for the experiment.

Chicken and Dumplings according to some recipes, uses chicken broth as the main "stock" to build the dish on. I open the pantry and realize that I have vegetable broth, but alas, no chicken broth. I almost hopped in the car to go get some. Then realized that, guess what? It would break a rule. So I suck it up and move on.

Creating your own chicken stock is kind of a strange process. I tossed a chicken into a pot, added water and realized that the result would probably be chicken flavored water.

This part right here....is why I am kind of liking this experiment. I googled a bunch of C&D recipes to see how to fix this. Recommended- Chicken cubes (ew, that just sounds gross) can be a substitute. I lack chicken cubes. Then I had a realization- Who says you even have to follow a recipe?

I open the pot again. I toss in: celery, carrots, chopped up onions, thyme (a little), a bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and some salt. Then, just because I can, I add a can of sweet corn....Take that Paula!!

(Please note that I have yet to eat this concoction. It could actually really suck)

This chicken creation is currently simmering in a pot on the stove top as I type. I plan on making some dumplings (because let's face it, I have not one but two unopened bags of flour in the pantry) And if this works, I have dinner for maybe a few nights.... If this works. It could turn out like the smoothie incident.

And if it does, feel free to call me a Bragging Deviant Loser who should just leave Southern dishes to people who really do say ya'll...

Before...

After... (ps- I am not a bragging deviant loser...take that Paula!)

Whoever said making a smoothie was easy was a liar...

This morning I woke up gung ho about the experiment. Then I went to make breakfast. Previously, I had gotten into the habit of making smoothies with this yo-plait one bag solution mix. Frozen fruit, yogurt blend all in one. Just add milk. Lemme tell you about how I drank the last one yesterday.

So there I was thinking "How hard could making a smoothie be?"

Answer: Hard. Very hard

In my freezer, I have frozen mango and strawberry chunks. (Okay, this seems like a good start). So I dump some into the blender. I add my milk that I normally would add to the just-add-milk variety. Blend. I taste it...it tastes like bitter milk. "Okay, I can fix this," I think.

There was a time in my life when I decided to stock up on pantry items such as Organic Tomato Soup, Whole Wheat Couscous, Flax Seed. Why? I'm not sure other than to surmise that it must have had something to do with the whole hate-on-high-fructose-corn-syrup fad that swept through the nation (or maybe just an episode of Oprah). Either way, I decide "Yes, now is a GREAT time to experiment with flax seed!"

In goes flax seed.

I blend and taste.

Result: Bitter tasting and now-gritty milk and mango nastiness.

How can I sweeten this? In goes some honey...

The result- gooey, bitter tasting, gritty milky mango nastiness

Then I remember. YOGURT!

The only yogurt I have is that Greek yogurt that looks like something curdled in it and thickened...and the flavor- Plain...tasty start, yes?

I dump in a dollop. The result: thick, gooey, bitter tasting, gritty milky mango nastiness

Did I finish this smoothie for breakfast? Yes...

Why, you may ask?

Because I only have a few eggs left and if I am burning through supplies left and right just on breakfast, I am never going to make the 12 day bet.

Lesson Learned: Honey and flaxseed do not a good smoothie make

The rest of the day- Lunch was leftover rice with cheese and since today was a fire station day, I brought some tortillas from the pantry and a chicken breast from the freezer. I was quite lucky because not only was it seasoned and spiced for me, but it was also grilled. I am counting this meal as one for the experiment because everything was within the "rules" of being out of a pantry...

Day 1

Okay so this little project is underway-

This meal should be okay I think:

Rice with some cheese on it, baked chicken with thyme, garlic powder and onion powder (it's probably good that I live alone haha) and frozen broccoli...

Seems normal...

*After meal note: Thyme= less is more...I feel like I ate dish soap of some kind...

The Reason

I am one of those people who throws away a lot of food...because it went bad before I could eat it, because I bought it and didn't really like it, because it fell someplace in the fridge that I forget about or couldn't see. Either way, it's a lot of excess. So...I'm going to see if I can change this.

I am also a compulsive hoarder. As in, I should be fine if I want tuna fish because I have 26 cans in the pantry as I type (no, I am not kidding). I should also be okay if I want to make that tuna with mayo, because I have 5 bottles (of five varying varieties) in the fridge- full fat, low fat, canola oil, olive oil...etc. Gross.

So, I am challenging myself to try to actually put to use the amalgamation of random canned goods, frozen vegetables and spices to good use...

2 exceptions: Milk and fresh fruit. The fruit for obvious nutritional value and the milk because something has to go with the 6 boxes of cereal I have to go through...