During a pantry challenge it’s very important to make your food stretch and reduce your food waste. Here are some tips and tricks to help prevent you from running out of some of your essential staples during the challenge.
Cooking Fats
One of the easiest things to run out of during a pantry challenge is cooking fats. The very first year I did the challenge, I quickly realized I didn’t keep enough in the house.
When I say cooking fats, I mean olive oil, other oils, lard, tallow, or even butter if you’re a dairy-consuming family. You don’t realize how essential these are until you run out. Without cooking fats, you end up boiling everything.
Don’t waste the fats you do use! In my fridge, I always keep jars of bacon grease, hamburger grease, leftover olive oil, or duck fat. I use them to fry potatoes or cook eggs—saving my more precious oils and lard for other recipes. These fats will keep in the fridge for about a month or in the freezer for up to a year.
Even the fat cap from homemade bone broth can be saved and used for cooking. Don’t let that go to waste—it’s packed with nutrition and flavor.
Save Your Drippings
Whenever I make a roast or chicken, I always save the drippings—the broth that collects in the bottom of the roasting pan or Instant Pot. This gelatin-rich broth is excellent for cooking rice or pasta the next day and adds flavor and nutrients to future meals.
Vegetable Broth from Canned Goods
Whenever you open a jar of home-canned vegetables, don’t pour out the liquid! That water is technically vegetable broth. I strain it into another jar and keep it in the fridge to use in soups, rice, or other dishes.
The same goes for canned meats—save that broth! And even canned fruit—if you use pears or peaches in syrup or juice, save the liquid. You can use it to sweeten oatmeal, make jello, or replace fruit juice in recipes.
Applesauce: An Essential Substitute
Applesauce is one of my favorite things to can. It’s not just a treat—it’s a powerhouse substitute.
When eggs run low in the winter, applesauce makes a great egg replacement in baked goods. Use ¼ cup per egg. It also works as an oil substitute—1:1 ratio.
We can a lot of fruit sauces (like pumpkin or applesauce) because they are so versatile and helpful when supplies run low in the winter.
Chia Seeds for Egg Replacement
If you want to save your applesauce for oil replacement, chia seeds also make great egg replacers.
Use 1 tablespoon of chia seeds + 2.5–3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit and gel, and it’s ready to use in baking.
We also use chia seeds in smoothies, yogurt, and snacks, so I keep them in bulk.
Fresh Greens in Winter
One of the most common questions I get is how to get fresh greens during a winter pantry challenge.
I keep sprouting seeds on hand. Using a canning jar with a sprouting lid, I sprout seeds like radish, alfalfa, broccoli, and clover. Within 3–4 days, you’ll have fresh sprouts to use in place of lettuce for sandwiches, tacos, and more.
You can also regrow lettuce, celery, and green onions by placing the base in a jar of water on your windowsill. It won’t give you tons of produce, but it’s enough for small garnishes.
Portion Control & Leftovers
I tend to overcook items like rice and oatmeal. Instead of wasting them, I’ve learned to make use of leftovers creatively.
Soup is the best solution. At least once a week, I make a “fridge dump” soup. I use leftover rice, roast drippings, vegetables—whatever we have. Add broth and some spices, bake some bread, and you have a hearty meal.
Bread ends can become croutons—just cube, oil, season, and toast them. They’re perfect for soups and salads.
Snacks
Snacks can be tough during a pantry challenge since you’re not buying convenience items.
I prepare snacks ahead of time—usually on Sunday evenings. I make hummus from dried garbanzo beans, bake homemade crackers, cook jello, and keep things like this in the fridge so they’re ready when needed.
When you’re cooking meals from scratch three times a day, make snacks as convenient as possible to avoid extra work during the week.
Final Thoughts
Remember:
– Reduce waste
– Save money
– Learn how to feed your family from your pantry staples
My hope is that what you learn during the pantry challenge will become part of your everyday life. That’s what has happened for us. These aren’t just things I do in January and February—this is how we live year-round now!