Feeding Your Family Part I – Your Pantry & Shopping List

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 043.
Food and meal time are a major part of motherhood.  It often seems that the moment we make a meal and finish cleaning up, somebody is announcing that they’re hungry.  Having enough food on hand to provide your family with healthy meals is always a challenge.

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In this episode, I explain how I integrate my pantry and my food shopping list so that food shopping and having ingredients on hand is simple.  It takes time to put the system in place, but the result is savings in time, money, and stress.  And that (I believe) makes the investment worth it.

This first part of this podcast series covers the pantry and the food shopping list.  Next week’s episode will tie in meal planning and answer some listener questions.  The following weeks will cover food shopping on a budget and how I teach my children to cook.

Episode Resources

Episodes in the Series

Do you struggle with the food side of motherhood?  If so, please leave me a comment so I can answer your questions in the next episode.

Thanks for listening!  Tune in next week as I discuss meal planning.

 

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25 thoughts on “Feeding Your Family Part I – Your Pantry & Shopping List

  1. Hi PJ. We have five children between the ages of 7-15. One of my daughters has many food allergies and another chose to go vegetarian about a year ago. How do you suggest I keep shopping and cooking orderly with the additional complications of “special diets.” It’s very time consuming at this point. Thanks so much.

    I absolutely LOVE your podcast and have shared it with many friends who have found it a blessing as well.

    • Thanks for that question, Janiece! I’ll be sure to get it answered. Special diets are definitely a lot of extra work. Does she eat dairy and eggs?

      Thanks so much for telling others about the podcast. It means a lot to me! PJ

      • She is allergic to peanuts, shellfish, eggs and is lactose intolerant (drinks rice milk). It would probably be easier if she’d eat fruits and vegetables more but she leans toward eating lots of beans and poultry, which my vegetarian daughter really doesn’t like. Basically, it’s difficult to align them. (Sorry for the late reply. I’m on the other side of the earth:)

  2. PJ-

    I really enjoy your podcasts and am glad you’re back to them! Thanks so much for sharing! Although my husband and I don’t have any children, I have found your organizing, de-cluttering and nutrition podcats very spot-on and helpful! I love your approach on saving time, money and space, and am so appreciative that you share with us! You’ve been so inspirational to me! (And of course we love all your great soap, too. 🙂 )

    • Thank you so much, Jonie for sharing that! I truly appreciate it. It takes a lot of time to podcast and the only reason I came back to it is because people tell me that it makes a difference. 🙂 PJ

  3. Hi PJ, I am so glad that you are podcasting again! I really enjoyed this episode. I do have a question. Do you store opened items (example- peanut butter) in your pantry or do you keep it in a kitchen cabinet once opened. Thanks!!

    • Thanks so much, Jill! I appreciate that. 🙂

      Depends on the house. In this house, it stays in the pantry. Peanut butter is something I always place where the children can readily get to it, so having it there is easy. Plus if they aren’t paying attention, they’ll sometimes open two, so this way they’re both there. Things that stay out when they’re opened tend to be more baking type items (baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, etc.)

      I don’t think it really matters so long as you have a system that everyone is aware of!
      PJ

  4. I loved your podcast this week and have been encouraged to organize my pantry and shopping list!! Thank you so much for sharing! Downloading your podcast are one of the highlights of my week!!

      • PJ, I know Ashea! she and I are friends who live in different parts of the US. (Connected by the US Army, and the fact that we’re Southern girls.) 🙂

        Just thought it was neat that I stopped by to comment on here and Ashea already had!!

  5. Friday we listened to your podcast on the grocery list/pantry as a family. Saturday I printed out your basic list. Sunday I went to the Commissary (military grocery store) and walked the aisles with a clipboard and pencil. Today I organized my pantries (I have two small ones) according to my list. Soon I’ll be going grocery shopping and I’ll be adding in a few things that I want to stock up on, but haven’t yet, as we moved into this house in July.

    Thank you for the inspiration you give to me. The work I do as a result of listening to your podcast ends up saving me so much work/time/money in the long run!

    ~Jennifer
    PS You “followed” me on Twitter today! Thanks!

    • Jennifer – I can’t even tell you how thrilling that is for me to hear. It makes me so happy and inspired to keep podcasting. 🙂 PJ

      Oh – and happy to be following!

  6. Hi PJ! I’m so glad you are back! I love listening to your podcast, thank you for this episode. I have to say, I am not a great cook. :/ My husband does all of the grocery shopping and cooking (he works from home so it’s easier for him), but eventually I will take over (when we start having children and I leave the workforce – we are trying right now). I am going to need some major help figuring out how to shop and cook – it’s embarrassing to admit, but I don’t even know where to start. This podcast episode was helpful to get me thinking about it! Do you cook from memory or a cook book or both? Thanks again!

    • Hey Beth – we all have to start somewhere, so don’t beat yourself up about it. 🙂 I mostly just make things up when I cook. LOL I’ll talk more about it in this next episode. I said a prayer that you wouldn’t have to wait long for a baby! PJ

  7. PJ, I listened to your podcast about organizing your pantry yesterday. Went to my grocery store today and was handed a list of “where to find what” by aisle number as they are remodeling the store. Sure will make organizing my pantry a lot easier and I didn’t have to spend the time walking the aisles. Thanks PJ for all the great advice.

    • Love it! That makes it easier since you’re just starting out. I always feel like crying if my store rearranges things. LOL PJ

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