Pantry Challenge Week 3 | How We Eat So Well Without Grocery Shopping

This is Week 3 of the Pantry Challenge hosted by Three Rivers Homestead, where for the month of January I committed to making all of our meals from scratch using what we already had on hand.

This week started on Friday with a celebration — my mother-in-law’s birthday dinner. I made Navajo tacos with black beans, taco meat, and all the toppings, followed by Ina Garten’s chocolate cake, which may honestly be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made.

Saturday was all about leftovers, something we intentionally plan for so meals stretch further.
On Sunday, after church, I always make lunch instead of dinner, keeping it quick and simple. This week that meant warming up two jars of my home-canned beef stew from my Homesteader’s Fast Food video and baking cornbread with freshly milled corn and wheat.

Monday’s dinner was mashed potatoes topped with canned turkey, using the turkey broth to make a simple gravy, with glazed carrots from my pantry on the side.
On Tuesday, I spent time restocking our home with copycat versions of our favorite snacks, including Cheez-Its, soft pretzels, fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, and oatmeal cream pies. That evening, dinner was a quick and easy egg casserole with ham and broccoli.
Wednesday’s meal was red beans and rice, a simple, filling pantry dinner.

I ended the week by sharing our seed-starting station and new seedlings, because this is truly the foundation that makes pantry challenges doable for us. Growing and preserving a large portion of our food throughout the year allows us to rely less on grocery stores and more on what we’ve already prepared.

This challenge isn’t about perfection — it’s about stewardship, intentionality, and feeding our families well with what we have.

🤍 Thanks for being here.

Let me know in the comments: What’s your favorite “use-what-you-have” meal?

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