Pantry challenge - eat what you have

Hubs and I recently sat down with our budget to see exactly where we can cut back. While we're trying to live on one salary, we're spending more than we're making, which is a big problem. Of course we can't do anything about our mortgage payment or water bill, but my personal challenge is to save more money at the grocery store.

I think I already do a pretty decent job of saving money on groceries. I check the weekly ads and I try not to buy too much that is not on sale. I use coupons occasionally, but that is certainly something I can improve. But the biggest problem I have is not planning well and letting food go uneaten.

I recently organized my pantry and saw how much food we have that is rarely touched.

Hence the "Pantry Challenge". I want to eat the food I have in the pantry (and freezer) before going on another large grocery run. Sure, there are some things I won't be able to eat without getting another ingredient at the store, and some of our dinners might be super random (beans and pasta?). But for a couple of weeks at least, we can cut back on our grocery bill this way.

For our first pantry meal, I have everything I need for Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta.

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breasts
1/4 cup melted butter
4 oz cream cheese & chives
1 can of cream of mushroom OR chicken soup
1 package Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup water
angel hair pasta

My substitutions: I only have plain cream cheese, so I'll add dried chives to the mix; I don't have a package of Italian dressing mix, so I'll just use Italian seasoning from my spice rack

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Back chicken for about 20 minutes or until cooked. While baking, mix melted butter, cream cheese, soup, Italian seasoning and water. When chicken is done, drain the fat and pour creamy mixture over chicken. Make sure each piece is coated. Put back in oven until warmed through. Serve over angel hair pasta.