Operation Mother Hubbard.

My general approach to food purchasing and preparation is lazy yet spendy. I would rather buy a whole new batch of ingredients and start from scratch than root around to figure out what I can combine to make a meal. Then half of what I buy goes bad or sits in the back of the cabinet for six months. Not only is this financially irresponsible, it drives my husband crazy.

So, starting today, we're embarking on Operation Mother Hubbard. I was inspired by my college friend Kurt, who documented his own pantry-clearing challenge online. We will be using only the ingredients we already have on hand to make healthy, creative meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will not stop doing so until the cupboard is bare. I'm thinking this will be about a month, but I'm not sure.

When I brought up the idea on Facebook, a few friends expressed concern that there was no way to do this responsibly without fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy. I agree. So I'm giving myself a $10-15 budget per week to be spent at our corner produce market. They sell their vegetables in bulk for chump change. (How they manage this, I have no clue. Sometimes it's better not to question one's Ukrainian produce lords.) They also have quality local dairy products, so yogurt, butter, milk, and cream - plus the occasional carton of eggs - are all up for grabs.

I'm looking forward to this challenge, which will also force me to plan more meals in advance and think outside our usual five staple weeknight dishes. I'm excited about trying some recipes that have been loitering untested in my bookmarks folder for too long. I have no idea what I'm going to do with that pound bag of flaxseed I discovered in the back of the cupboard yesterday. I have some plans for those parsnips in my veggie bin, though.

ON NOTICE THIS WEEK:
Copious leftovers
Parsnips
Jalapeno peppers
Broccoli
Apples
Tortillas

I'm comin' for you, jalapenos.