Freezer Challenge: Find A Week’s Meals Without Buying A Thing

December 28, 2023

I opened my chest freezer to put away some groceries and shook my head at how much stuff was already in it. It seemed wasteful to be putting more groceries into it when it was so full. Surely there were untapped meal resources I should be using. I created a freezer challenge, in which I was determined to find a week’s meals using ingredients I already had.

Jalapeno Sausage and Mexican Rice

I have a few links of homemade smoked jalapeno sausage I made in summer. Pairing the sausage with a box of Mexican rice I found hiding in my cupboard and I’ve got a delicious meal.

Frozen Pizza

Earlier this year my wife and I bought several pizzas through a fundraiser. The only one left is a combination pizza that only I will eat. My wife plays cards with some friends once a month, which provides an opportunity for me to make something I like that my wife doesn’t. This pizza is perfect for the next card night.

Pork Chops and Pasta

A few months ago I got a huge package of pork chops on sale. I vacuum sealed them in groups of two and threw them in the freezer. There’s one package left. A nicely grilled pork chop on a bed of pasta (Why can I never remember I have pasta already in the cupboard?) will make a great meal.

Ham and Corn

Each Thanksgiving a local grocery store has a buy a ham, get a free turkey sale. I have some ham left over as well as some corn cut off the cob vacuum sealed. That’s comfort food for a cold winter day.

Chicken Taquitos

I found a whole box at the bottom of the freezer. We’ll have these next week in place of our usual Taco Tuesday meal.

Fajitas

I found a skirt steak I completely forgot I had. I’ll stray a little from my requirement of not buy anything to get peppers and onions, but it’ll be worth it to have delicious fajitas.

Fish

I found a box with three orange roughy fish fillets. I’ll broil these in the oven with a box of wild rice and canned green beans I found in the cupboard.

There you have it, I conquered my freezer challenge creating an entire week’s worth of dinners using ingredients I already had at home (with the exception of onions and peppers). Not only will I clear out my food stores, but I’ll have delicious food and a much lower grocery bill for one week.

How about you, Clever Friends, what do you have in your freezer? Could you find an entire week of dinners in your freezer and cupboards?

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Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.