As his first retirement project, my husband created a spreadsheet inventory of every item in our pantry, freezer, and fridge. Numbered every item! Logged each “best before” date, store with the best price for that item, amount of protein per dollar… you get the picture? Every week, I ask him what items should be used up and base my meal planning around those. And this is how a retired scientist and a retired project manager get their kicks 😂😂😂

@samanthadodd8112

5 ай бұрын

That is so funny.

@GrannysGarage333

5 ай бұрын

This is great!!!

@teresab3198

5 ай бұрын

I loved that you lovingly just went along with it.😊

@ElizabethBattle

5 ай бұрын

I love it! My husband is a retired scientist, too, and he seems to have a spreadsheet for EVERYTHING. Lol. Not our food, though. Yet. Haha

@sillylilysallykaye4917

5 ай бұрын

That is awesome! I need that dedication at my house.

Leftover meatloaf sandwiches describe my childhood 😂. I would drive to your house for one of yours . No stalking intended.

Love your channel. You are a blessing to so many people. I believe God has used your growing up years with food insecurity to minister to so many people who can’t spend a lot of money on food. Thank you! Your boys are such respectful young men. That is a tribute to you and Dusty. Keep up the good work. Don’t let anyone discourage you. God is using you!

I am recently widowed (oh how i hate that word) and i have no family living close enough to visit with often. My mom grew up in eastern Tennesee so hearing you talk and watching you cook for your lovely family has been a help. For the first time in my life I'm also learning to cook for one. Every time i make a mistake i hear you say "it's fine!".❤

Every house needs a Braydon. I love how adorable and supportive he is. Always so encouraging in his tastings. Your family rocks ❤

have you ever cleaned out your pantry and freezer until every thing was pretty much gone and started collecting food again? i try this a few times a year so nothing gets wasted . it gets kinda hard to make a meal when doing that but it really makes you think about what if i couldnt go to the store what could i eat. i have to be very creative lol

@cathyb3790

5 ай бұрын

Great idea,,, yes this can make us more creative with our food.

You guys could probably live out of your freezer in your pantry for a month that might be an video to see how long you could actually go if you actually were to use up all your stuff

That’s an incredible amount of food that you have stored… food doesn’t keep in the freezer forever, so I think you could do like a Month long challenge

I’m the only person in my family who likes Brussel sprouts. I love to make a stir fry with them with bacon, onions and sweet potatoes cubed

I love it that we get to see how your brain works when having to feed a family. The daily stress of cooking for people who think dinner just happens.

TIP that my mother-in-law taught me about canned GREEN BEANS: Drain and rinse them to get the "can/metal" taste off of them. Then add your own water, butter, salt and pepper. They taste like fresh! xo

Now days we pay more for groceries and we get so much less! 😢😢

When my kids were young, and we were broke, I made fish tacos using fish sticks. I also made "fish sauce" which is a mixture of mayo and sour cream with onion and garlic powder mixed in (don't knock it), added lettuce and cheese on top, my kids loved it! Homemade refried beans on the side. So good!

@sarahconnor64

5 ай бұрын

Yes! Fish stick tacos are so good!

@heathertackett7956

5 ай бұрын

Fish tacos! With coleslaw!

@Helen1132-pz8dv

5 ай бұрын

Sounds great to me 😋

@nancyanne1402

5 ай бұрын

Baked tuna and slaw tacos. Tuna steaks marinated with garlic/ginger teriyaki marinade then baked on a rack on a cookie sheet, kind of like air fried in a regular oven. Reheated fish is obnoxious. Chop up leftover tuna, make tuna salad sandwiches with a cup of slaw in the side.

@stevenselig3713

4 ай бұрын

Could have just made tartar sauce mayo and relish its nice if you got lemon or lime too and a small amount of horseradish but mayo and relish haven't bought tattar sauce in 20 years

That's too funny when you said "I went shopping downstairs.". I tell my husband that about evey 2 weeks or so when I need to fill the kitchen fridge. "Honey, I'm going shopping in the deep freeze. You wanna help me?". He always does, because usually we find some kind of treat we had forgot about. Last week, we found a box of battered shrimps! What a treat!

@rickharks4515

5 ай бұрын

l have a spare room that is my pantry, kids moved out and shelfs and stand up freezer went in,

You also can use oatmeal in place of bread crumbs.

Have 8 peoples to feed because 4 of my grandkids are here, because school is out! 😭 😭 Only have $50.00 to buy groceries for a week. Got rice, beans, frozen. Ground beef and pantry is well stocked.

You are well stocked! You could do this for a month 😊

I got bags of shredded Sargentos cheese for $1.58 per bag in Saturday 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Ryder totally has a Flock of Seagulls vibe going with the hair. I’m so jealous of that head of hair. Definitely have to check a few of these out. ❤.

@tracisawyer7681

5 ай бұрын

I agree. Amazing head of hair on that boy.

@Prancer0210

5 ай бұрын

Agree; he has great hair!

@tinalarison3358

5 ай бұрын

So true

Grill a slice of leftover meatloaf and top with cheese and put on toast. SO VERY GOOD! I love skipping a week at the grocery store.

I know this would be a Hugh under taking but a inventory list attached to your freezers would be such a big help for you,,I have done it and it has saved me so much time and money ,,,maybe that could be a video idea ,,love your videos you are so funny ,kind and Genuine,,,😊❤

I think you could do a zero spend for a month or more based on your stock! 😮

Wow girl you have a groceries store at home! It could last for a...well I don't even know how long..? You are very resourceful for sure 😄

This isn’t necessarily related to this video topic BUT your videos are seriously a breath of fresh air. I love seeing a real and “normal to me” family lol. Your freezer and dinners are relatable and I love it! This is how I grew up and this is how I am now. We don’t all live in “perfect” homes and go to whole foods every night to get a fancy dinner or make everything we eat from scratch. There’s nothing wrong with that either BUT this video is so much more relatable. Keep doing you Brooke! We love it. ❤

fish sticks are good in tortillas with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes

Stuffing mix in meatloaf is fantastic

I'm doing that too this week. I thawed out the extra ham I picked up just before Christmas for 97¢/lb to help.

Chef Brooke, with the correct coat, hat and gloves, I could live in that freezer. What a fun assortment! Your energy and laugh comes through the screen. Fun video of "what to make when there is nothing to eat".

Tonight I cooked almost completely from my pantry. I made chilli beans from cooked beans in my freezer and veggies from my fridge. The only thing I had to buy was a can of tomato sauce.

I use the fish sticks to make fish tacos! We put a sweet slaw on top with some tarter sauce.

I love your zero spend videos!!!! I've been trying to work through my freezer and pantry, too. Your videos are inspiring!

I love these type of videos! It makes my day to see how your family loves the meals you prepare for them. The way you all love and support one another is the way families should be. It gives me all the good vibes and I appreciate it. Love your recipe for that sausage dip too ,I will have to try that one soon. God bless you all and please keep making this kind of video. I would like to see you do a video where you went as long as you could without spending say over 25 dollars a week. I bet you could easily make it a month. Just a suggestion.

I have never seen a freezer and pantry so full in my 60 + years of life. I have never been poor or in any way food insecure for which I am thankful. I had brothers and also raised boys so I know how much they can eat. How do you accumulate that much extra food feeding 4 guys and not spend a small fortune at the food stores every week? This is an honest question. I am sincerely puzzled.

Our basement is finished with a small storage area for the HVAC and pumps. We have two small chest freezers in the garage. I rarely go downstairs since hubby made it his man cave and I took over one of the bedrooms on the main floor. He refers to it as my library/craft room. The other bedroom is the guest room.

I love shopping in my fridge, freezer, and pantries so that I don't have to go shopping so much. I've been doing that since around the first of December and am still going strong. I do have to get out and get milk and dairy stuff, but not much else unless it's dog food, trash bags, or some other non edible item.

I don't have kids to cook for, but I do have a picky husband! He loves meatloaf, so I saute my veggies before adding it to the meatloaf so he doesn'tcomplain about the texture of the veggies. Greenbeans are a bit bland in my opinion so I add a tsp of chicken bullion to the water in addition to the butter and normal seasonings. I highly recommend this if you want to kick up the flavor a notch.

@sharonbigham6545

5 ай бұрын

My mom added onion soup mix.

@heathertackett7956

5 ай бұрын

I dice onion and a few baby bella mushrooms and saute in a touch of butter. Then I add a little bit of roasted garlic better than bullion and the drained beans right into the frying pan under hot. Delicious..and my family now refuses beans plain from the can lol

@kricketcooper5024

5 ай бұрын

I add beef bullion and some dried onions to my canned green beans.

@ElizabethBattle

5 ай бұрын

Chicken bouillion powder is magic.

@user-rz8mo2mz2q

5 ай бұрын

I put onion pork sausage and real butter in sauce pan and cook then take can green beans Put in the pan with chicken bouillon take it to a boil on hight lower the heat drown to a soft boil for 1 -2 hours add salt and pepper like homemade you can add new potato

It's been great seeing you more often 😊❤️

Last time we stopped at Long John's Silvers, coming back home from Ethridge TN, (16ish years ago), we All got sick from it. That ended up being a very long drive home.

@thixotropic447

5 ай бұрын

You've been telling this story for 16 years? Why?

@patriciastrickland9540

5 ай бұрын

@@thixotropic447 I've mentioned OUR experience twice in that timeframe. Why, you ask? Because I felt it was pertinent and simply because I chose to. Mind blowing, isn't it..

I have to be gluten free and Jovial is my favorite and only pasta I use. It holds so much better than other gf noodles, just have to make sure you stick to the time on the box.

I need to do this to from today til mid March forgot abt a bill and I refuse to leave it hang over my head lol Salad mix never last long in our home lol

You should make a t shirt or hat that says "It's okay". That would be cool

@diorocksmetalon5993

4 ай бұрын

Or "that's fine!"

Brooke add bacon grease to your green beans and a spoon full of of brown sugar.

@cathyb3790

5 ай бұрын

I have not tried ,,but adding broth to the beans while heating them up is suppose to be good too 😁

@lynnhager7763

5 ай бұрын

I add bacon grease and onion soup mix

Brooke, would love to see you do a "freezer" organization video...I saw Becky at Acre Homestead do this & it was good to watch how she grouped items. She had canvas bags she used in her chest freezer that helped her to see things better & nothing fell to bottom "never never land"...she used her upright freezer for freezer meals, veggies, fruits, etc & chest for proteins...love your videos!

@athia37

5 ай бұрын

Becky at acre homestead has thousands of dollars at her disposal so alot of her grand projects are not reachable for poor people such as myself and my spouse.She lives in Oregon in a house worth over 3/4 million dollars,and I couldn't pay the taxes on something like that,or afford a freeze drier machine or all the freezers she owns...The totes she uses aren't cheap either...just saying..

@tonistrickland4983

5 ай бұрын

@@athia37 WOW! I only used her as an example & a suggestion, I don't see how rearranging your freezer or pantry would have any economic bearing.....such a shame that you have so much bitterness!

@ericaharris6897

5 ай бұрын

I love Becky! I have never gotten from her that she has thousands at her disposal.

@AngelaCraig-hi7mv

5 ай бұрын

I love Becky. She never claimed to be frugal but shows you how to go things if you don't have the tools she's using g. I've learned a ton from her!!

@nylenyap3933

5 ай бұрын

The good news is we can watch Brooke and Becky…both are amazing strong women who feed their families with love. Cooking with what you have available to you, no matter what your budget.

Great video! In my opinion this video is ranked up there as one of your best videos. So proud of you! You served a variety of meals & even appetizers for Superbowl.

Happy Monday yall

Just a thing I do. I don’t eat red meat. But family does. So I make a load of meatballs and put them in the freezer. Then I make my pasta bakes and/or lasagna without meat and the meat eaters can add meatballs!!!

Our Long John Silvers closed. It was good! When we have fish sticks, I like Mac and cheese and stewed tomatoes…. Thanks for the great ideas!!

Chef Brooke, you make everything fun! Great ideas! ❤❤❤❤.

Lordy I looove fish sticks! 😋

I have to say something. You make your meals with love.. like for real... there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE if you make it with hate..

You made a great week of meals. It pays to have a stocked pantry. ❤❤❤❤

I think you could probably do a couple more weeks if you wanted to and no one complained. Your meatloaf is a lot like mine only I sauté the peppers and onions before adding to ground meat and I add a little dry mustard to the ketchup and brown sugar. I bet your next day sandwiches yummy!

Brooke the song you was singing while you was making your baked pasta has been stuck in my head for the past 2 days lol 🤣

OMG girl, you crack me up! I do pantry challenge every year in the months of January and February. It is good to go through all your pantry, refrigerator, and freezers to see what has made it's way to the bottom and back of it all. I spent a week doing that in January and put dates on everything with a huge sharpie so I could see. I pulled everything that needed to get used up and put it in my face so I would use it. I am down to one case of can goods and all the items in the freezers are used up. I also gave a bunch away that I could not eat after being diagnosed with high blood sugar. It is something I am going to be doing from now on.

I love meatloaf sandwiches 😂😊

If you get the urge to reorganize your freezer and pantry, consider bringing us with you! :) I'm sure it would be interesting. We can always use organization inspiration!

Girl, you rock the throw together dinners.

You lift me up when I’m feeling down. Thank you for making these videos.

Love meatloaf sandwiches.

Mine was salad with both leftover pork and beef roast and cheese on top.

Your first pasta cottage cheese meal is what we do for Baked Spaghetti. Normally though, we do put on meat sauce.

Hi Brooke this is Sue, love how your so real, especially with the freezers, that is one reason l went to a stand up one, so you can find things easier, love them.

My mom always adds salsa to her meatloaf 😍 so if you don’t have onion or green pepper, salsa works amazing!!

Mum years ago when we was kids she use to bake old bread in the oven until it was dried out, then us kids use to grid it up in a old meat grinder that sat on the outdoor shelf near the backdoor to make bread crumbs. One of my favourite meals as kids was oxtail stew or homemade chicken soup with vegetables and barley cooked in the pressure cooker, my Mum was a great cooked for cheap meals and cakes, biscuits and pies on a tight budget. As dad was a bad alcoholic.

Word of the day... is "ROGUE"!! Love the video! Have a blessed week!

I love your videos and you are so creative at cooking! You can put things together that nobody would think of; and it turns out amazing. God bless you and your family ❤

Came across your channel lately and realized your from the Same part of Tennessee I’m from! Love your positivity and you have a adorable family!

Meatloaf sandwiches are so good. I had meatloaf fot dinner last week and meatloaf sandwiches the next day.

I truly look forward to your videos. Thank you so much for taking the time to share these recipes with us. 😊❤

Leftover meatloaf sandwiches is the reason we make meatloaf.

I love making tacos with fish sticks! A nice slaw on top!

I sometimes make a meatloaf just for sandwiches! Darn tasty!

I LOVE cp liners! I get upset when I need 1 and I'm out. 😅. Currently orange chicken in cp now! 😋

When I do Brussels sprouts I put them in a bowl add olive oil, garlic powder , onion, salt pepper, and honey. Then I can stomach them. I’m added bacon next time

@holditch1

5 ай бұрын

A couple spoons of dijon mustard in place of the honey is really good, too.

@coolbeans-plantbased707

4 ай бұрын

Also good with balsamic vinegar and bacon!

Good ideas 👍

Brayden is your biggest fan !

Hey Brooke i love all your meals you cook.❤ I do have a question how did you freeze your corn? I tried it and it didn’t work I blanched whole ears my hubby won’t eat corn on the cob except fresh I’ve cut it off the cob and it turned out great but he won’t eat like that and it was such good corn

LOL.. your so much fun... love your channel and the fantastic eats... thanks for sharing

Awesome video Brooke, thanks 👍👍👍

Good work, and thanks for reminding me I thawed out some little Smokies to use up for snacks!

You have an awesome pantry, freezer and deep freezer!!!! Good job on the dinners!!! 😊

I love crockpot liners. Love these types of videos.

I love your channel! I have learned so much! I’ve made several of your recipes and learned to invent some of my own using my stocked pantry. I haven’t quite had enough nerve to make your sour dough bread but I’ll get there. My biggest thing I want to do successfully is to can my garden haul. But the trick I use all the time is the paper towel drain thingy. Thank you for everything Brooke. ❤

I’m so glad I clicked on one of your videos! You and your family are like a breath of fresh air! I’ve been binge watching videos all day when my daughter is in school and at night before bed! I’d like to know how truly stressful is it being a home schooling momma! I’m looking at all my options and am afraid to make the leap!

I would love to see more videos like this!

Your amazing; these are cool meals

Love your video delicious looking dishes

All that game day food looks delish. 😋

Love your children! They are precious and so supportive of their momma’s cooking! 💕

Day 5 was such a treat ❤️❤️

I love these type of cooking videos! Great ideas!

I love Long John Silvers!! Love the video

As usual, dear Brooke, everything looks delicious 💕🙏🙏

I grew up on frozen brussel sprouts didn't care much for them but of course we had to eat whatever was put on the table. In my older years I have found the fresh ones taste a heck of a lot better.

Some great recipes, thank you x My kids hate brussel sprouts, but I found if I cook them til they are tender then mash them with lots of butter and pepper they love 'em.

such a fun video. I watched it between meetings at work :)

Awesome video!

Looks like yummy variety of yummy goodness!

You have so inspired me, bestie. I’ve been cleaning my freezer and pantry and it’s yielded many tasty meals. This only shopping I need to do right now is fresh salad lettuce and milk!

I’m so glad you started with the lasagna. I had some cottage I need to use up and I was trying to think what to make. I’m doing mine in then crockpot.