A Panty Challenge

Since our mission as Community Relations Missionaries for the Home
Storage Center located in North Logan, UT, started in 2020, we have been
introduced to some blogs devoted to home storage. Recently one of these blogs
suggested that January was a good month to do a Panty Challenge to see if we could
actually live for a month on our home storage. Those of us who have accepted the
challenge receive weekly encouragement. Below is the first note to help us make it
through the month.

“As simple and inconsequential as it may sound, having a pantry stocked
with food and actually knowing how to use it, cook with it, and create
delicious, nourishing meals with it goes a long way toward making you feel
safe, secure, and independent.”

“One of the main reasons people get stuck on a challenge like this (or end up
eating takeout instead of eating at home) is because they simply draw a blank when
it comes to what to make for dinner. Having a list of your family’s favorite meals on
hand helps take some of the guesswork out of meal time. Try writing out a list of
your family’s top favorite meals and stick it to your fridge or somewhere easy to
see/find. Once your list is complete, you’ll always have a ‘menu’ to choose from when
you can’t think of what to make for dinner. From here you can get creative by using
the ingredients you have on hand and, eventually, create all new meals from this
list.”

“For example, maybe your family usually eats ground beef tacos with fresh
lettuce and tomatoes, but you’ve run out of ground beef and fresh vegetables. This is
when the creativity really happens as you substitute the beans in your pantry for
the beef and use the salsa you canned last year and maybe even some homegrown
spouts in place of the fresh vegetables” (you can sprout wheat and even the three
beans from the Home Storage Center). Two things we make from black beans are
black bean brownies and black bean burgers. Both are really good and you don’t
taste the beans.

Next month we will bring you up-to-date on how we did with the pantry
challenge that will include some menu items we made.

Current Inventory Status

As of January 1, 2023, the prices for the items at the HSC have increased.