Full Circle

Seven and a half months after crying uncle on the 2008 Great Pantry Reduction, Bryan and I have eaten those six remaining jars of peanut butter. How did we celebrate? We bought a Skippy two-pack at Costco.

If it seems like you are going through your six jars of peanut butter faster than before, check this out.

Week Six

In a shocking move, the Panik parents have decided to bail out the O'Neills and provide funds for pantry items.

Amid concerns that such a bailout would undermine the mission of the 2008 Great Pantry Reduction, blog readers may rest assured that stipulations are in place that limit the agreement's scope and creates accountability for the consumption of surplus items.

No golden parachutes for a hungry writer or famished scientist.

Louie has generously agreed to reach across the aisle and do his part. We will be filling his KONG with peanut butter (we still have SIX jars) on a schedule that is convenient for the humans of this household.

Good night, and good luck.

Week Five

A big shout-out to my husband for taking one for the team and pounding back chocolate milk every night last week. Goodbye, Nestle Quick!

Week Four

This afternoon, we were pretty proud of our progress with the pantry. Then the neighbors came over for a progressive dinner and we unloaded some jams and mustards!

Week Three

(You can see the back of the pantry!)

Things are moving right along in the O'Neill pantry. This week's highlights included artichoke hearts on a pizza, and soup no matter the weather. Right about now, though, I could really go for some crackers. We have, like, three gallons of Costco hummus and nothing to eat it on. We're getting by using it on potato chips (second shelf from the top, left side), but that bag's almost empty!

Week Two

(The End of Week Two.)

Week two of the 2008 Great Pantry Reduction came to an end last night when I took this photo. In it, one might see plenty of food left. I prefer to think of it as plenty of potential.

We used the divide and conquer method on a box of crackers, which went great with hummus. I ate a can of beets (beets!), and we baked one of two boxes of brownie mix (what we endure for the greater good). The crunchy peanut butter is Bryan's domain, and I cleared out the dried cherries, dried cranberries, and am working on the prunes. Because we're a team, we went at a bag of whole wheat pasta with gusto. I can't wait for week four, when we're mixing almond butter with honey mustard for a pretzel dipping sauce.

The 2008 Great Pantry Reduction

(The state of our pantry after week one.)

Bryan and I can't be the only people who do this: you have a full pantry, but you eat and replace the same foods. Items that have been in our pantry for quite some time: whole-wheat rotini pasta, honey mustard, a jar of baby corn, Top Ramen, tropical jellies, scores of nutrition bars, and countless others.

So we've decided to eat our way through it. The primary rule: we will buy no groceries that are stored in the pantry. The challenge: to see how bare the pantry can get and still eat balanced meals. The fun: strange food combinations!

I'll post a photo once a week chronicling the progression, as well as any particularly unique meals.

This week's triumphs: significant progress on two boxes of Nutri-Grain bars, and one of two jars of artichoke hearts. The fifty-count box of Costco fruit snacks is going to be a challenge, but seeing as they're so good before and after workouts, I'm confident we can do it.