Learn about common pantry items and when it’s safe to enjoy them past their expiration dates. Make informed choices to reduce waste and save money in your kitchen.
Spaghetti Noodles are definitely a pantry staple at our house, and we use them fairly regularly. We typically get the whole wheat version through our state’s WIC program. Sometimes items in our pantry get pushed back or behind other products, and we don’t find them until they are past the expiration date. Today we are…
Sour Patch Kids candy have been around since the 1970s and they are a kid favorite. They offer a super sweet taste to start with and finish with a punch of sour so strong it usually makes my eye twitch a little. Personally, I am not a huge fan of sour candy, but my son…
When you find a good price on cake mixes and frostings, it is hard to pass them up. Back in the day of couponing, cake mixes and icing regularly went on sale and you could get them for very cheap. Unfortunately, when you buy a lot of these baking items, it is easy to end…
Boil in a bag rice and I have a long history. Even though I have a degree in culinary arts, making rice was always difficult for me. I always ended up with extra crunchy rice or watery rice. Boil in a bag rice was perfect because it is pretty much fool proof. You boil the…
Black eyed peas are a familiar side dish on New Year’s Eve and our popular in southern style dishes. They also go on sale sometimes and we end up with a quite a few cans in our pantry. To be honest, black-eyed peas are not my favorite, so I tend to forget about them. This…
Shake N Bake is a brand name of a combination of breading and flavoring that can be used on pork, chicken, fish, and other meats. There are many different companies like House Autry, Zatarain’s, McCormick, and others that make a premade breaded seasoning. These seasoned breading mixes make it very easy to spice up dinner…
Oyster crackers are fun toppers for chili, stews, or soups, but they can also be a toddler friendly snack. Both of my kids love to munch on a handful of oyster crackers at snack time. Just like with any other toddler snack, they may love oyster crackers one week and can’t stand them for a…
I used to be a huge fan of white flour tortillas, until I tried out Whole Wheat tortillas from the WIC program. These have now become my go to item for sandwiches, wraps, tacos, enchiladas, etc. Not only do whole wheat tortillas offer no added sugars/coloring, they also usually have about 25 grams or more…
Kix cereal is a favorite corn based small sized cereal that is perfect for toddlers or baby led weaning. Both of my children have loved this cereal and it comes in many flavors like original, berry, and honey. Kix cereal has actually been around for over 70 years! We purchase cereal regularly when on sale…
Sun Chips are a fun twist between a wavy tortilla chip and a tasty potato chip. I am a huge fan and love the Garden Salsa flavor! Occasionally, I do see Sun Chips on sale for a really good price and I want to stock up. Unfortunately, I have over bought these tasty chips and…