Decluttering the Freezer: What We've Eaten

I recently made a vow to clean out my freezer. One of the pillars of my frugality is saving money on groceries. This is easy for me because I am a lover of the "food of the poor" and chow down on lots beans from various cuisines. Also, food bargains just leap out at me and are heard to resist.

Looking back at this blog, I noticed that I made the same vow each year. With little success owing to the aforementioned food bargains throwing themselves at my feet. This time, I meant business. I lowered my food budget to $20 a week. That will force you to use what you have.

Here's what's been on the menu, from the fancy to the more mundane.

--shrimp with tasso and mushrooms on cheese and jalapeno grits (not as hard as it sounds)
--STEAK with baked potatoes
--roast chicken cooked a la Zuni Cafe (with the trademark bread salad)
--pumpkin and sausage pasta sauce
--African peanut soup
--chicken stew on couscous
And other stuff I can't recall at the moment....

Some freebie leftovers came my way. From a bit of the ubiquitous spinach dip (pot luck party leftover), I made a frittata, using eggs that a colleague gave us. A double freebie!

Then, with some freebie chips, I made taco soup. Except for the chips, everything was a freezer clean out item.

Part of the trauma of Hurricane Katrina (for those of us a bit out of the city and its flooding who were spared the brunt of the tragedy) was caused by the pain of throwing out tons of  food in our electricity-less weeks. We were gifted with so much salmon and steak that we couldn't consume it or give it away. Everyone around here starts cleaning out the freezer at the beginning of summer, just in case the electricity goes out again.

Bon appetit!