State of the shopping strike

As some of you know, at the beginning of July I swore off grocery shopping except for fresh produce and soy products. This was mainly to help clean out my ever-fuller pantry and use up products before they got too old (yes, folks, even items like dried beans have a shelf life). It has also forced me to be more creative with my cooking (always fun). The inclusion of fresh fruits and veggies has ensured my diet has stayed healthy and delicious.

I have to admit I did go shopping once last week, but I had a good reason - I threw a baby shower for a friend at my house. I couldn’t make my guests snack on broken lasagna noodles and sesame seeds, could I?

At any rate, I’m continuing the no-shopping experiment for now. It feels really good to be using things up instead of letting them go to waste. I figure it will end when I run out of dried beans and rice, since most of the other staples are already gone (the last of the quinoa went into a delightful risotto just last night). I plan on giving the pantry shelves a thorough cleaning before I start stocking up again, too.