Pantry Challenge 2017 Update

I sorted through the pantry this week. Here's what I discovered:

• Old salad dressing we need to use soon
• 3 jars of pickles
• 2 quart cartons of chicken broth - completely buried
• spice packets for dips that I'll never use
• 3 hidden boxes of mac'n'cheese - Yay!
• a box of Rice Krispie treats

Here's what I already knew and was reminded of:

• I have a lot of pasta & pasta sauce
• I have a lot of dry beans (great northern, pinto, kidney, black)
• I have a tiny bit of almond butter I'll use up in smoothies this week.

Here's what I didn't find and was hoping to find:

• My coffee bean grinder

I also delved into the freezers, though I couldn't get far into the outside one.  Here's what I found:

• 4 pounds of organic ground beef!  The packages were tucked high up to fill space behind the ice maker! 
• 3 quarts of applesauce!  They were taking up a lot of space.  I thought they were broth until I read the labels on the lid.
• 3 quarts of diced tomatoes!  These were from my garden and I was hoping they weren't part of the frozen-in shelves. 
• 2 Costco-size bags of coffee beans
• 3 gallon bags of frozen white peach slices (I thought we'd use them all up)

We've been making plenty of fruit smoothies and DS has been eating berries every day so I'm hopeful I can move more berries to the inside refrigerator soon.  I want to defrost the outside freezer a bit, but am afraid the 100+ pounds of berries will turn to mush.  Bringing the accessible berries inside will avoid making a mess (I hope!). 

I pulled several things from the pantry that I just won't use.  I'll take them to co-op in a few days:

• new box of 100 green tea bags.  I have green tea and a 2 year supply of other tea.  
• Torani syrup.  I bought this thinking I'd be buying an espresso maker.  Hasn't happened.
• spice mixes. I received these as a gift and, while gluten free, are intended to be mixed with sour cream.
• gluten free crackers. DD2 didn't like them.
• candy canes. Won't eat them.
• gourmet jam. When will I use it?
• a cupcake stand.  I've had it 2 years and haven't used it
• a Star Wars pancake mold I've never used
• a strawberry huller I don't like as well as my primary one
• excess sprinkles 
• packets of peanuts from McDonald's that I collected for sundaes but we don't use
• excess bay leaves
• plasticware my husband brings home from work that I wash and collect because why?
• & some other stuff

I'm excited about getting rid of things and next week's menu plan already!

Katie