More than enough

Welcome! I am Katy Ganey… Jesus-lover, Army wife of 23 years, mom to hungry teenage boys, brand new mother-in-law, ambassador for Zambian orphans, Montessori teacher, Louisiana native, daughter, sister, volunteer, friend.  Over the next few months, I’m going to share my journey of Cooking With What I’ve Got.  As a Christian, I believe that I am to be a good steward of what God provides for my family, as well as a generous giver.  This has led me to take another look at how I feed my family.  I enjoy cooking, especially with fresh ingredients, but more than that, I love the time spent with my family and friends around our table.

This summer, while on a mission trip to serve orphans in Zambia, Africa, my world was rocked.  I witnessed raw hunger, first-hand.  It was hunger for love, affection, attention, and food.  Their bellies were empty, but worse than the physical hunger, was their lack of hope.  As we shared the love of Christ, filled their hungry tummies, and showered them with attention and affection, these precious ones came alive!  It was a joy to behold.  Jesus truly met them right where they were and showed me that He is more than enough. Before we ever boarded the plane to come home, our hearts desired to return.

And then there is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace plan…if  we want to go to Zambia, we need to make a plan for our finances.  This is where the two meet.  Upon my return to our Texas home, I realized that our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry held more than enough food to feed my family for a few weeks, if not a month, with only supplemental groceries needed along the way.  It would take some time to inventory what I had and organize things a bit, but I believe that this is one area of our budget that I can handle more wisely and save money to put towards visiting and blessing our orphans in Zambia. Eventually, I will deplete my stock, but after that, I  am confident that I can do a better job of strategically planning meals, using our leftovers, and feeding my family well at the same time.

Here is the bottom line.  I am a teacher and work every day.  I pack lunches nightly and prepare meals 5 to 6 nights a week. I will create menus and share recipes based on what is already in my home and only purchase the necessary items to complete those meals, as well as some fresh items, such as fruit, milk, and eggs.  These next few months will be an adventure of organizing, budgeting, trying new things, as well as new cooking methods. I look forward to feeding my family well, saving for our mission trip to Zambia, having less waste, and learning about our Savior along the way.  If you are interested in joining me, here are a few steps I took to get started!

1. Clean out the refrigerator. Empty it. Completely.
2. Wipe everything down for a clean start.
3. Make a list of the contents.  I broke mine down into sections:  dairy, vegetables, fruit, left-overs, condiments, etc.
4. If you are unsure if an item has passed it’s expiration point, toss it.  Better to be safe than sorry!
5. Move on to the freezer.
6. Finish up with the pantry.

Note:  I am not selling anything; I just felt compelled to share my adventure and allow you to come along side me in Cooking With What I’ve Got, so that you can make the most of what you’ve been given. To start, you will want to have a budget meeting and set a realistic goal for grocery spending each week.

Thank you for coming along side me. Let’s begin!

Katy Ganey

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see–how good God is.  Blessed are you who run to Him.”  Psalm 34:8  The Message