Cleaning Out the Kitchen- Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I didn't mean to take so long getting this post up, but I was a little busier than I thought I'd be the past few days. We got our patriotic partying done last night though, so today is a quiet day around the house for us.

We recently bought a new car, which is very exciting for us. We feel so grown up because we were able to pay cash for it. However, we are also feeling the need to do some belt tightening since we just laid out all that dough. So this weekend I went through and cleaned out our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. I got rid of some stuff that had been hanging around way too long, and took inventory of what we have available to cook with. I discovered that I am very efficient at wasting food and money. A lot of stuff that should have been used, but wasn't, and is now beyond the point of consumption. So, I decided to share just what it is that was left behind once I did the big dump. This is what I'll be trying to use over the next few weeks, along with our weekly produce and other few groceries we might need. Luckily I recently placed a meat order, so we have a pretty good stockpile in the freezer. Any recipe suggestions based on our kitchen contents?

Pantry:
Rolled Oats
Cereal- 2 half full boxes, 1 nearly gone
Panko
Quinoa
Couscous
Bulgur
Brown rice
Arborio rice
Jambalaya Mix
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Manicotti Shells
Small pasta shells
Mezze tubetti pasta
Rotini
Tomato soup- 2 cans
Lentil soup
Vegetable soup
Garbanzo beans- 2 cans
Dark kidney beans
Great Northern beans
Black beans- 2 cans
Diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz.
Stewed tomatoes, 14.5 oz.
Chicken broth, 15 oz.
Pumpkin puree
Tuna, 6 oz. packed in olive oil
Beef stew seasoning- 2 packets
Spices
Corn tortillas, 24 count
All purpose flour
White whole wheat flour
Cornmeal
Toasted wheat germ
Sugar
Salsa, large jar
Butter crackers, 1 sleeve
Wheat thins, 1/2 box
Whole wheat bread
Popcorn seed
Dried cranberries

Refrigerator:
Butter
Eggs- 6
Sharp Cheddar, 3/4 block
Pepper Jack, 3/4 block
Helluva Good XXX Sharp Cheddar, 3/4 lb.
Fresh Mozzarella, 8 oz. ball
Feta, 6 oz. crumbled
Pie crust, 2
Soy Milk
Orange Juice
Carrots
Condiments
Salad Dressing
Apples- 3
Peaches- 5

Freezer:
Amy's frozen burritos- 4
Beer-battered fish fillets- 5
Spicy Black Bean burgers- 3
Small cooked shrimp- half a bag
Chicken breasts- 2
Unsmoked bacon, 1 package
Chuck Roast, 2.5 lbs.
Beef stew meat, 3 lbs.
Ground beef, 6 lbs.
Ground pork, 2 lbs.
Mild pork sausage, 1 lb.
Pork shoulder, 2.5 lbs.
Pheasant, 2 lbs.?
Trout- 2 2-person portions, 1 4-5 person portion
Whiting- 2 2-person portions
Cat fish- 1 2-4 person portion
Pesto, 4 cups
Puff Pastry, 1/2 package
Peaches, 12 oz.
Blueberries, 12 oz.
Mixed berries, 12 oz.
Pineapple, 6 oz.
Mango, 6 oz.
Peas, 10 oz.
Corn, 4 oz.
Green beans, 6 oz.
Mixed veggies, 6 oz.
Spinach, chopped 10 oz.

Brown Bagging It

My lovely husband Josh is starting a new job next week. We're both very excited about it. I want to start making him some nicer lunch stuff to help deter eating out for lunch, starting with something special for his first day. I've already worked up a great snack to keep him away from the vending machine- Peanut Butter Granola with banana chips, sliced almonds and cacao nibs tossed in. So, onto some lunch ideas.

Right now Stephmodo is sharing some beautiful lunch photos from Donna Hay.

Martha Stewart had some great wrap ideas.

Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn offers up some great recipes and ideas for weekday lunches.

Serious Eats has a column dedicated to lunch-time grub.

That's where most of my inspiration has come from. Do you have any suggestions? I think I've figured out his first day lunch menu, but I'll need plenty of ideas past that! Thinking about making something nice for a lunch dessert, but still a bit lost on that. Until after his first day I won't know the breakroom/kitchen situation, so lunch number one has to be ready to go. Here's what I'm thinking for the big day.

-Caprese Sandwich
-Baked Potato Chips
-Carrot sticks
-Apple
-Blueberry crumb bar
EDIT: Decided to go with the Blueberry crumb bars from Smitten Kitchen for dessert.

Thanks for any ideas!

Favorite Fast Freezer Meals?

Right now I'm in the (slow) process of stocking my freezer up with ready-to-go meals. I'm hoping to get about 2 weeks worth of meals in there, give or take, so that I can take a break from the kitchen. I'm feeling a little burned out lately. I enjoy cooking, but I'd like to devote some time to other interests and that time just isn't there when I don't get home till almost 6 and have to do any and all non-work things in the sparse amount of time before bed. I won't rely solely on freezer food, there will be a few easy things I'm sure. Like pizzas and grilled cheese, ha.

Anyway, the point of my rambling is- if you've got a recipe you love to whip from freezer to oven to dinner table, then do tell! Any suggestions welcome. Got a recipe that makes a serving for dinner and one for the freezer? Gimme. Have something that you look forward to pulling from your ice box everytime? Whisper it in my ear. Or in the comments, that might work better. Share! Please!