How a Foodie Uses Everything in Her Kitchen For a Week's Worth of Meals

I challenged myself to use all the food I had in the kitchen (before hitting the store) for meals this past week. With the cost of food and just the general state of the economy, I've been looking for ways to make food stretch. I also realized you can make delicious food (and I even baked this week) even with limited ingredients (and healthy food as well). Here are a few sample dishes from my dinner menu from this past week.

• My Version of Shepherd's Pie (a healthier version made from ground turkey with green beans, carrots and sauteed onion - use corn starch instead of flour when making your gravy).
  
• Lemon Scampi with Pasta (those bags of frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's come in handy - I added freshly squeezed lemon juice along with the garlic, olive oil and wine)
• Pumpkin Spice Cake and brownies (both were lower fat versions and tasted delicious!)

I'm marinating a tri tip roast with potatoes for tonight's dinner - the leftover meat can be made into stroganoff, stir fry or fajitas.

If I could actually use all the food in my kitchen and not go to the store once last week, then you can do it as well. Just remember to plan ahead and think of creative ways to utilize leftovers!