Time to clean out the pantry/refrigerator/freezer!

The start of a new year is a good time to get a fresh start in the kitchen.  Doing a pantry challenge can help you de-clutter (get rid of the junk or odds and ends) and help get back to your budget (after it was busted with the holidays).  The goal is to eat what you have and purchase as little as possible, this will require some creativity.  I'd like to spend half of my regular budget this month.  I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll give it a go.

First I looked through my cupboards ignoring the recently purchased/staple items.  I found quite a bit to work with.  The black bean humus had sounded good, but I just never got to it, I think we will have it for lunch with some veggies.  The bags of caramels will be turned into some yummy candy bars with the help of some other staples.  I found a couple of packages of tortillas, it kind of scares me that they still seem to be good despite being purchased well over a month ago.

Then I went through my freezers (I have three), since one is mostly full of the 1/2 a cow we purchased 4 months ago most of that freezer needed to stay put.  The other two produced this and a bit more on the second go round (including a large turkey and a ham)....

I found several small containers of chili that were intended to be lunch for my hubby. :/ We will make a dinner out of them and some corn bread.  A bag of pot stickers that should have gone with our Costco Chinese food was found, that will be a lunch.  I had forgotten about the yummy Mozzarella and garlic sausages.  It seems that we have a pea lover in the family (not me), but I'm always forgetting to get them out.  We will work our way through them this month.

Are you going to do a pantry challenge too?  If so, what sort of goal are you setting for this challenge? What did you find in your pantry?  Anything of note?