It’s time for our first challenge during the Month of the Funky Fresh Kitchen! Are you ready?
This challenge might just take a few minutes of your time — or it might take a few hours, depending on what you’d like to do. It’s all up to you – whatever you are ready for. No pressure, I promise. Small changes can be big changes, right? (That sounded so incredibly profound in my head…)
This week, your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to throw something out. Easy, right? Right. Although I’m not talking about your holey socks or your junk mail. (Although for Pete’s sake, please do something about your holey socks and your junk mail.)
I’m asking you to take a look around your kitchen. What needs to be thrown out? Is it a box of processed food you are trying to avoid eating as you are working your way toward eating more whole foods? Is it a plastic container that isn’t safe for serving or storing food? Is it a seasoning mix that has MSG in it?
Whatever it is…don’t look back. Just make the decision and throw it out. Pick just one thing – pick twenty things – pick whatever you’re up for.
Then replace what you’ve thrown out with a healthier choice. You can do it.
Here are just a few ideas to inspire you to make a “Toss it Out ~ Make a Switch” plan (but don’t feel as though you are limited to just these few ideas):
~ Toss out your sugary cereal and replace it with Homemade Granola
~ Toss out your bottled salad dressings that have MSG and high fructose corn syrup and make a homemade salad dressing
~ Toss out something plastic and replace it with glass. (I LOVE jars!)
~ Toss out your Hamburger Helper and make homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
~ Toss out your white rice and replace it with brown rice
~ Toss out your chemical filled cleaners and replace it with a non-toxic cleaner
~ Toss out your boxed brownies and make homemade Fudgy Brownies. (Seriously, what an incredibly happy switch to make.)
~ Toss out the chips and replace them with fruit for snacking.
~ Toss out your sugar filled beverages and replace them with…water. :)
The possibilities are endless. Just pick one thing. Make one small baby step on your healthy eating journey. Then, if that goes well, consider tossing out something else and making another switch.
You’ve got until Friday, September 7 to meet this challenge. If I were you, I’d get off the computer right now (um, after you finish reading this post…) and jump right in before you lose your motivation. We’re all in this together. Be brave! Chuck the junk lurking in your pantry! (I refuse to be responsible for angry husbands, so if it’s his favorite snack, do consult him first before you chuck it. You knew that, right?)
Leave a comment here letting us know you’re taking the challenge. Have a plan forming in your mind? Share it! Participants (who leave a comment here) are eligible for our $25 and $50 Heavenly Homemakers Shop gift certificate drawings.
Are you a blogger? Share this challenge on your blog, tell your readers your Funky Fresh Kitchen plan to “Toss it Out ~ Make a Switch”, then come link up with us here so we can learn what you’re up to and be motivated!! Be sure to link back to this post so your readers will know how they can join the challenge too.
Are you ready? The trash can (or local food pantry, if you wish to donate) awaits…
my goal is to go unprocessed very soon… my first thing that will be donated is a box of velveeta shells and cheese… much to my family’s chagrin…. :D
I’ll take the challenge! I am thankful that I have done many of these already. My next goal is to try to get my husband to eat homemade granola as his “cereal” in the mornings instead of his Kashi cereal. I think putting it into a rubbermaid cereal container will help-or at least I hope so!
I’m excited to say that because of reading you for a few years, some of those suggestions you make have already taken place in my house! But I am still not into a routine of making granola instead of the cereal in the house. I am going to attack that this week. I am not ready to throw the cereal out though, because it’s just generic oat cereal (like cheerios). Does that count? :)
We actually started this challenge several months ago. I make all the food in our home with non processed ingredients. My aunt is diabetic and I now make all of her food for the month with non processed, whole foods. Her sugar levels have been much better and she said that she feels better. I feel better knowing that my family is eating healthier. I don’t think we will ever go back to store bought crackers, ewww. We also replaced our shampoo, soap and tooth paste with non chemical ones. Little steps have made a big difference. Thanks for all your encouragement along the way!
I think that, because school starts this week, I am commiting to make a homemade breakfast for them, instead of relying on boxed cereal.
Thanks for this challenge! It’s definitely something I need to work on…. :-)
We made the switch about 3 years ago. There is little processed food in my house. Boxed cereal’s and snacks are going to be the hardest though, just can’t do it yet. I do try to buy the healthier kind but Reese’s puff cereal, and chex mix is a family favorite! Some foods are so tempting and easy to take camping. I need help on healthier camp snacks.
I love glass jars too!
I’m getting rid of all bottled salad dressing and reading the labels carefully on the few packaged items we have left.
I’m in! And I want to go make these brownies right now!
I’m tossing the boxed cake mixes!
I LOVE that you are doing this challenge…I’ve been working on it over the past year or so now! Just this week I’ve switched over to Shaklee laundry detergent (thanks to you & a few friends) and bought some Eco Friendly dishsoap! I think tomorrow I will work on another switch…maybe dishwasher detergent (I need to find out what you use).
I just ditched some salad dressing today that had HFCS in it…I have no idea why I was leaving it sit in my fridge…it just sat there and I refused to use it so finally, OUT it went! Thanks for giving me that last push to say good bye to something that should have been tossed a long time ago!
I am down for this!!! I will get rid of processed bread. For atleast a year. I think I will consume less and savor it more of I make the effort to make it from scratch.
I am a huge fan of…simply tossing. None of this, use it up and THEN replace it with something healthier. Nah, it will not happen. Purge baby purge!
Do you have a recipe for honey mustard dressing/dip? I can’t find any decently healthy looking brand at the store.
I’m in. Just a couple hours ago, I said to myself, “I need to clear out the pantry.” I’ve got the hidden stash of processed foods in the corner that are just taking up room.
I have started with processed foods. I will be making healthy lunches for my kids!!!
I’ll be looking through my kitchen for things to replace. One I have wanted to do but haven’t yet is to throw out how I used to wash my produce and replace it with using salt and vinegar water to wash them. Another is to get rid of those chips and replace with fruit!
Oh no! All that comes to mind are the girl scout cookies I have in the freezer. That is the only processed thing I have left in my kitchen. I haven’t wanted to let go. I guess it’s time.
I found out I am intolerant to many foods so over this past year I have been getting rid of all the foods I can no longer eat. I can not have any grains but brown rice, so all the rest are out. I make my own salad dressing. I have gotten rid of all beverages, now my kids drink water or herbal tea. This past week I cleaned out 2 boxes worth of foods I no longer want from my pantry. This week I plan on cleaning my cupboards and making sure I clean out the no-no’s from there.
Threw out a box of Hamburger Helper. My husband came in and got it out to the trash. He said there might be a night that I leave him to feed himself, and he NEEDS it. Hm….have to find something else….something smaller….
I’m going for salad dressings and plastic containers. I would love to make a change on both of these.
I need to work on household cleaners!
I have switched from most processed foods in the last 6 months. Need to start getting rid of plastic containers!
I’ve been wanting to get rid of the plastic containers, but I don’t know what I would use to send lunch for my kids to school. Any suggestions?
I want to start making my own salad dressings.
I’m looking around. Where to start? :-)
I am tossing out store bought bread and we are going to eat homemade only.
Challenge accepted. I tossed out a banana bread mix and will make my own as soon as I can find a good, healthy recipe that doesn’t use eggs. I’m sure there are a few other things that I can toss and use a healthier alternative.
You can substitute fax for eggs. 1 T Flax plus 3 T water for one egg.
I am in!
I also shared this post on Facebook, as some of my homeschool mom friends are trying to get fit and healthy!
I cleaned out and defrosted my freezer today! Tossed out all the ???? (stored in plastic bags and bins…) and boiled the turkey – got the meat off and put it in JARS! and am currently cooking the carcas to DEATH to get all the yummy, YUMMY good stuff before I skim it and freeze it for the homemade turkey noodle soup this fall! (with homemade whole wheat noodles, of course!!!) Thanks for the tips on cooking chicken and the BEST chicken (turkey?) noodle soup EVER!!!
Hmmm…….I think my biggest kitchen offenses are plastic containers and processed cookies. Yuck!!
I totally need to work on the plastic thing, but glass is just so expensive. :/
I need to master homemade tortillas!
We’ve been trying for a year to move to non-processed food and have made a good start. However, those little spice packets have been sitting in the back of the pantry, even though I make homemade. Now that we’re moving, I finally tossed those babies! Next are non-toxic cleaners.
My family and I are switching to fresh veggie and fruit for snack time. It will need a little time to get use too.
I managed to surprise myself, we’ve already done everything on the list. The weakest link would probably be plastic, as my husband likes to freeze homemade broth in plastic containers. At least he doesn’t heat them up! I always use our glass or wooden containers for storing food.
I’m in! I’ve tossed a lot of stuff already, but for some reason I still have some packages of ramen laying around. We love your replacement for ramen, in fact we’re having it for dinner tomorrow night, but I’ve hung on to that ramen for a rainy day (when we feel like eating cardboard:), but no more, I’m throwing it out! Thanks for the motivation!
Which replacement is that? I missed that. My hubby likes to keep it on
hand, especially for emergencies, I personally don’t like the stuff and eat it as little as possible.
It’s her easy noodle stir fry. It’s super easy, and sooo much tastier than ramen. Here’s the link: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/easy-noodle-stir-fry-2
Having little ones has made me more aware of what I feed my family. I’m switching to brown rice and ridding the house of processed junk food. Yay for blogs like yours and pinterest for healthy recipe options and advice on living healthier. We’ve started getting out more (like walks after dinner) instead of watching tv too. Where’s an inexpensive place to get jars. Glass is more expensive than plastic so it’s hard to make the switch.
Going to make your ranch dressing and also try freshly squeezed orange juice on salad. I am going to try Sucanat and Grade B Maple Syrup to replace brown sugar and Grade A Maple Syrup. Does anyone have a healthy sour cream that they like to use? Also, would love to know how everyone washes their fruits and veggies. Thanks :)
I am ashamed to say I bought Lucky Charms this week, because I had a coupon that made them 50 cents…well NO MORE! I made a promise to myself when I started couponing that I wouldn’t buy the JUNK, so I need to stay committed to that promise!!
We don’t eat many processed foods but still buy ketchup. This is just the kick in the pants I need to try making my own.
we are almost 100% unprocessed here (2 years now!! Yay!) but I do still need to work on some things. I went from plastic baggies to lunches boxes and water bottles (reusable) for lunches. For this challenge, I am getting rid of my napkins and replacing them with cloth. =0)I’d like to do the same thing with paper towels too.
I am working through my husband’s lunch containers. I keep buying a glass one and throwing out his old ones. We are making progress. I have a plan to get him two glass bottles to take a healthier drink to work for lunch too…
oops, forgot to add. Tomorrow morning I will make house salad dressing in the glass jar I saved and washed out.
I started about 3 years ago. It has been such a rewarding journey and this website has been a big part of it. My goal this week will be to notice if there is an easy thing to change that I havn’t thought of yet. I am sure there is something obvious I am not seeing, there usually is.
Easy peasy. I’ve tossed just about every single boxed or processed thing out of my cupboards. (Okay, so I had pantry moths and had to get to get rid of most everything in my cupboards …but I’ve been having a great time filling glass jars with all kinds of whole grains. They’re so pretty!)
I’ve been making changes for several months now. Before that I tried to cook healthy meals for our family, but now I feel even better about the ingredients I’m using. Recently got part of an all-grass fed cow, switched to raw milk, and fresh, local eggs.
Recently I threw out a package of “white chocolate” candy coating. Why did I ever buy that?! Yuck!
Since reading your blog and Nourishing Traditions and really praying about the way we eat, wanting to eat as local as possible and organically I’ve started doing these things already! Really looking forward to using more glass jars and making those brownies!
Haha, I love glass so much that I have almost no plastic. So I am actually asking for some plastic containers for my birthday! Only for use in the freezer because I just can’t lose any more jars :-(
I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I think I’ll start with the salad dressing but I really need to do something about all the processed cereals my kids like. They are the “healthy” cereals, but still processed nonetheless!
We have done most of this already. We are getting ready to move and I am getting the last of the plastic out of my kitchen this week. We’ve been using all glass for a few months now but there were a few plastic pieces left.
I am so excited to do your challenge this year. I’m going to blog about it too. I am going to start by making my own pizza dough. I have already cut out most processed foods over the past year. Pizza is my weakness lol!
Think I ‘ll throw out the cereal & salad dressings. I already have homemede granola & dry mix for ranch dressing. Just need buttermilk.
We were camping last week and twice I ate salad with just plain balsamic vinegar and was amazed how much I really like it just as much as my bottle of balsamic vinegar dressing with its added chemicals that I use at home. So this week I will toss it and start using just balsamic vinegar.
Love this series! I already do a lot of these things in an effort to ditch processed foods. We make our own cheeseburger macaroni (a fav), make our own brownies, use homemade seasonings. Doing water with some herbal tea and coffee. Slowly transitioning to wheat products and brown rice. That’s been a little tougher than some of the others.
Next on my list is to make granola and ditch the plastics.
I’m so excited to do your challenge! We’ve gotten rid of most of the ‘yucky’ stuff, but I just couldn’t bring myself to throw out a whole bottle of Lawry’s seasoning salt, but out it goes along with the last remaining bottle of salad dressing! We love your ranch and italien dressings!
Pizza. It’s the last real holdout of non whole food that I buy. Last time I made spaghetti sauce for the freezer I made up pizza sauce, but no crusts. I’m taking the plunge.
Thank you for the encouragement!!
We’ve gradually switched out store bought bread, flour and dressings. Hoping to switch out my oils and and returning to healthy breakfasts.
goodbye salad dressing!
Can you remove my first link? Wrong one :( I am getting rid of frozen pizza and making my own crust!
I am throwing out all store bought bread and making my own now. I have made Sunday my bread making day and will make 4 loaves every week.
I love this challenge. I’ll say goodbye to salad dressing as well. Boxed brownies are one of the few things I don’t make from scratch. I’ll try your recipe to see if we can make the switch.
I am going to slowly replace all my plastic containers with glass. It may take a while but I’m going to do one mix at a time.
I buy “healthy” cereals , but they have quite a lot of sugar in them… so I’d like to try the granola for cereal instead. we have cereal on wed. and sunday mornings.
Threw out the rest of the gravy made from a store bought powdered mix. (Well, technically gave it to the dog, but anyways…)
Great challenge! I’m sure that whatever I find I will have to talk the hubby into getting rid of it. He has a few things that I just haven’t been able to get him to give up. A work in process :)
I’m in!! I have just placed a huge bulk order with Azure Standard which I have to pick up today…I will need to unload some things to make room for & organize the new & older items I have! We also do not use plastic for storing any kind of food anymore, but for some reason I still have some plastic containers lurking about…those will be finding a new home today! :)
I will say good-bye to the boxed cereal in the back of our cupboard that has been sitting there for some time while we eat our homemade granola. We keep thinking we’ll need it sometime, but we shouldn’t leave it around to tempt ourselves.
Have done most of these tips in the past year since I found your website. However I am a boxed brownie junkie. I am throwing them out and trying your recipe today!
Going to make some granola..Yum!
love my jars too! we are having a hard time giving up microwave popcorn!! gonna give it another shot.
salad dressings. . .slowly have been doing this, but today I will just toss those last ones out! My kids will just need to learn to adjust to the homemade ranch eventually so why not today!
I’ve been doing one thing at a time- I’ve been making my own pasta & pizza sauce for awhile now, am in the midst of trying various homemade breads to decide on our favorites, and we’ve always been big on fresh fruits/veggies for snacks. I think my next step is to do the salad dressings. My biggest hurdle there is my husband’s love of honey french- need to find a good recipe for that!
We actually stopped using our microwave and purchased a toaster oven. That was over 6 months ago, and it’s been a surprisingly painless switch! I also threw out some junk food and replaced it with whole grain healthy snacks instead!
We are already on this road. We’ve replaced store bought bread,spaghetti sauce, pizza, healthier cereals. I think salad dressing is on my list this week.
I’m going to finish tossing my plastic food storage containers. I’ve been working on the transition to glass, but slowly. We have so many more than we need anyway – might as well get rid of them, right? :D
Replaced store bought cleaners with homemade chemical free, and we have about eliminated sugary drinks.
I’ve been using more and more glass containers for stuff. The natural peanut butter we buy comes in glass jars that I wash and reuse. That being said, I’m still at a loss for what to do about lunch containers. I pack my son’s lunch and my husband and I’m worried about everything gettig broken. Nothing is hot when it’s packed and it’s all packed less then 24 hours. I also can’t spend a ton of money to go buy all new stuff. Suggestions?
Baby steps are awesome! I have a problem pitching things so even though I’ll never use something it sits in our pantry. . . for ever. . . I guess I’ll say bye bye to the can of mushrooms that someone left after a small groups and the drink mixes I once used to make russian tea.
I have all ready quit drinking ice tea and replaced it with water. Haven’t used Hamburger Helper in years. Been using more canning jars then plastic containers. Also been using brown rice for years now. I guess I am off to a good start.
I am so excited to do your challenge!!!! I will be blogging about it as well! I have already been trying be rid of processed food in our house but the big step I mam taking first is to be rid of all our processe mayonnaise…very hard for me as I am a die hard Helmann’s fan. I will instead be making homemade mayo!!,!
I’ve been working steadily on replacing plastics for glass, love my jars. Some of the other changes have been harder with a reluctant hubby. Baby steps seem to be working for most things. I think this challenge will keep me on track with the small changes that will lead to big changes.
The hard part for me will be figuring out what to throw out!
I LOVE this challenge!! Due to food allergies, we have no processed food in the house…so, I am going to switch our plastic containers to glass jars!! I am going to transfer your homemade seasoning mixes into these glass jars…they are awesome by the way and totally allergy friendly:)
I thought this was going to be hard to figure out- we are pretty well into our healthy eating journey, and when we moved in January all of the processed food in our pantry went to the local food pantry. And I don’t use plastic containers for our leftovers anymore…but lurking there on the 3rd shelf were some holdouts from our plastic storage era…and a lot of random lids that didn’t even fit what I do have :) I didn’t throw them out, because they make the perfect containers to freeze water in for our rabbits when it’s really hot, but they found a new home on the back porch with all the rabbit supplies. And the lids? I kept a few because they make really great re-usable paint trays for when my boys want to mix their colors and create masterpieces! So one for each boy went into the art supplies. And now I have a whole shelf in my cupboard that’s empty:)
Making more granola today…already keep it as a staple, but will look in the pantry and see what is lurking there that needs to go. Love the motivation that this challenge provides!
I think I will try and make some homemade non-toxic cleaner…
When we first moved to Florida, 2 months ago; I made the decision, no more canned anything. I know with my cooking skills that I can make anything from scratch and this site has helped me realize that goal. Today, I threw out all of the cake box mixes we have, canned frosting and any salad dressings that have yucky ingredients! I feel so much better and very liberated! I love this series, thank you so much!
Dumping the last box of ‘healthy’ cereal.
Well, I’ve always wanted to get to those plastic things that fall out of my cupboard at will that I never use. I use glass 99% of the time. Today I will do that!
At first I thought this would be hard because we just moved and I’m just getting my kitchen restocked, but then I remembered some chips that I would be glad to discard. Thanks for the reminder.
Made your cheeseburger macaroni last week for the first time. YUM YUM! No more Hamburger Helper here. Going to do the granola and the brownies today. Thank you!!
Great challenge. Removing plastic has been my mission the past few months. I recently discarded all my “old” plastic containers that I had my grains, beans and flours in and created a shelving unit with glass canning jars, to which I added colorful decorative letters from the craft store, to identify each. I also store left overs in canning jars in the refrig and purchesed a couple glass pyrex storage containers with the lids for leftovers. Even my water bottle when I am on the run is a glass canning jar I found with a handle and a lid !
I am throwing away the Hidden Valley Ranch mix, it has MSG. I use it in a veggie pizza I make,but I’ve been hesitant to through it out because I don’t have a replacement. Does anybody have a healthy alternative?
Yep! https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-homemade-salad-dressing-ideas
I’m definitely going to try the Fudgy Brownies! I was planning to buy some glass containers this week (I have a coupon!), too.
What a great challenge…now if only I can get mom on board with it too. I am dying to make the fudgy brownies. Not literally dying of course…:-)
WOO HOO! What a great way to start a Monday morning. We ditched math (at least for the morning) and instead emptied both chest freezers and cleaned them out!!
One exciting point (besides having clean organized freezers of course) was that the only thing I found to throw out was an old bag of white flour I had been saving ‘just in case’ …. that is really a statement about how far our family’s food choices have come because I tossed it without a second thought :)
Happy tossing!
I’m going to toss out my old non-BPA-free plastic food storage containers.
We do a lot already on the “Switch to” list. I often vary the granola we make using different ingredients. For this week I would like to try another homemade salad dressing. I also use plastic for lunch on the days we are out. What type of containers did you send Matt’s lunch in when he worked his other job?
Our family already eats whole foods, but I have been meaning to toss out the unsafe plastic food storage containers for safer glass jars.
I’m in…just not sure what I’m going to toss out, but I am in :)
Working on getting rid of the plastic. No microwave to use them in anymore. : )
Laura, I know you make a lot of food to put in the freezer. What do you freeze that in if not plastic? I would like to make the switch to glass, but with packing lunch for my husband, freezing fruit, make-ahead meals in the freezer, etc. glass just seems so heavy, bulky, and….breakable!
I have already made many of these switches…it is harder to break my husband of things than I but he has been ok with the switches we have made. I have a toaster oven that I need to use more than the microwave. I store more things in glass now although I do have some plastic but it is BPA free. I don’t microwave any plastic so that is a step in the right direction!
As I use the contents in a glass jar I am taking the label off to reuse it for other things. I made a jump to eat more kimchi, fermented vegetables, as I like kimchi but have never eaten it on a regular basis. I thank you for your great challenges!
I’ve been working on cleaning out my pantry and getting rid of the plastic. The first day was the most painful; but I did it and haven’t looked back. Today I think I’ll toss the cereal ….it’s probably old anyway as we haven’t eaten any for a long time.
I’m doing it. Recycle if full, and I have. A box for the food pantry.
I’m going to switch real salt and stop microwaving in plastic. I’m limited to what I can do, but every step counts.
I’ve had a container of crisco in the back of my pantry for YEARS! I only use it in October to make BIG batches of Pumpkin Pies with our pick-your-own pumpkins:) BUT now I know I can use palm shortening and never look at that yucky crisco container AGAIN!
Just need to stop buying those yummy chips from the organics store! And..I should definitely go make brownies;)
Surely you mean toss out your brown rice and replace it with white?
Hmm, no, I meant to say replace white with brown. Brown rice is unrefined and provides more nutrients. :)
We’ve purged the kitchen and pantry of plastics and processed foods (except gum, hubby says he needs his gum!). Is there no gum out there that’s not made with artificial sweetener?
I did find an old can of Raid (though not in the pantry with the food) from the last time we had a major ant infestation. It’s in the trash where it belongs. I’ll just have to find another way to get rid of those pesky things next time my house seems inviting to them.
The best gum I have found is Spry. It is available on Vitacost.
I agree, I love that gum and have a container of every flavor.
Thanks to you both!
I’ve heard of using diamataceous (sp?) earth sprinkled around the house as a natural insect killer.
I’ll try it. Thanks!
I’ve done this but I still slip sometimes. I’m sure I’ll find something to throw out :)
We’ve made lots of switches already, but I just threw a way a box of Quaker granola bars and some sugary boxed granola!!
So we are throwing out the chips! Jason and I are trying really hard to be healthy and we were letting the kids eat them, but if we don’t need them, they don’t either!
Bring on the fruit!
I still have processed sugar and plain old flour to get rid of in the pantry. I need to up to sucant or stevia and fresh flour. We are really good at not having junk food and soda in the house though.
We just tossed out the last of our white rice and bought brown rice!
I’ve made a few changes. But I’m sure there are some things in my pantry I can get rid of as well as on top of my fridge. I will do that today. Why put off tomorrow what you can do today. Besides trash man comes tomorrow. :O)
I’ve made a lot of changes since I found you! <3 but I still use Rubbermaid, ziplock, etc dishes for leftovers. Do you use jars for all your leftovers (or glass pans)? I guess I need to find some bigger jars. The largest I have are pint jars.
We have already made most of those changes! I’m trying to use more jars for storing things. :)
I have been working on this. So far I have been making granola, changing over to glass storage, using non toxic cleaners, changing what I buy at the grocery store and drinking more water.
I too have been making changes like these for the past few years, but there is always room for improvement. I just went through my pantry and put everything into glass jars. I found some really cute labels so that everything in the pantry will look neat and orderly.
Been working at changing my family’s eating habits since I started reading your blog. My husband is the stronger of the two, but I figure every change we make is a step in the right direction, even if I do backslide. Thanks for the tip on gum. And don’t ya just love Vitacost!
I’ve made a few of the switches you mentioned – slowly but steadily I am trying to change our family’s habits to healthier ones. I have been collecting DIY and green cleaning solution “recipes” on Interest and this week I’ve picked 2 to try. Vinegar in the rinse cycle instead of pricey fabric softener and DIY cleaner (my kitchen is going to get a thorough cleaning this week)!
Got rid of pop and drink water now…..only rarely I will have a Pepsi…..or Coke…..but haven’t bought any since May….and that is good for me…..just trying to eat healthier….also made your granola bars….trying to make healthier things like this, instead of so much box mix…..still prefer store cleaners….homemade ones just don’t do it for me…..even tho I use a lot of vinegar & water to wipe down the sinks….but to me it just doesn’t cut the dirt….maybe someone has a recipe that works, if they’d like to share it…..
Why not also throw out what’s in your freezer? You can replace feed lot beef with another kind of beef. We recently purchased a cow share. The cow was raised humanely, organically, 100% grass fed. Our deep freezer is full of “happy” cow meat (as we like to call it). See if there is a farmer in your area that sells these types of cow shares. Your taste buds will thank you :)
Okay, due to budget constraints I’ve gone “on the cheap” in recent months regardng spices. I pitched my irradiated spices and will slowly replace them with non-irradited, organic versions from my local health food store.
I’m working on switching over to a better eating lifestyle. These tips will definitely help!
Ok, I just looked up how to make my OWN self-rising flour. I’ve meant to do that for years, but given I can’t prove it’s “safe” for my Feingold daughter, it’s finally time. It’s so easy, why didn’t I do it sooner?!!
I threw out all the Chinese containers that I’ve been using for leftovers this morning. Now i need to find some glass containers.
This is fun and I have done so much already. I made Homemade Granola Yesterday. (so hard not to just snack on it..)
~ We tossed our bottled salad dressings a long time ago (hubby hate vinegar) and I make my own.
~ I stop using Hamburger Helper because of price and make homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni, or rice-a-roni from scratch–hubby like it better too.
~ Although the kids love chips I found that freezing grapes gets them down daughter much faster and more. I can’t seem to keep enough on hand.
~ We tossed out sugar filled beverages and replace them with…water or homemade lemonade and tea. :) So much better!
I’ve just finished a juice “reboot” ala Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and I am now continuing by clean eating. After juicing, I really don’t crave a lot of sugar or junk food. But it is still hard to adjust.
I am so doing this when I get home. And excited to try the Brownie
We’ve made a lot of changes in the last 5 years and are continuing to make more, though the changes are coming more slowly these days. With 2 young kids I do still often reach for “convenience” foods, like Cheerios and graham crackers. If I could find more time in the day I’d make a lot more of our snack foods from scratch. When I finish this sleeve of graham crackers I’m going to try the whole wheat graham cracker recipe I found…
Laura has a recipe to!
We finally finished off our store-bought corn meal and I purchased a big bag of organic corn from Azure last month! I’m really liking the home-ground corn meal!
I am going to try making my own dishwasher powder! I have been slowly switching over to all natural cleaners.
Thank you!!! We have already accomplished everything on your list except my husband is having a hard time giving up his diet soda. Any suggestions on how I can help him? He really, really loves them.
It’s very hard to quit soda. I recommend him weaning off of them! If
he drinks five a day cut one out a day for a week, and so on until he
is off of them completely! Have him pick a reward for himself for the
goals he accomplishes each week weather it’s a special dinner,
something he likes to do. And always ENCOURAGE! NEVER discourage! I
hope this helped a little!
Out goes some of my boughten cooking mixes!
Def. switching to glass.
I am grinding wheat grains to make flour. It tastes so much better than the flour I buy at the store!
I hate to throw out food–even if it’s not high quality. I’d rather use it up and then replace it with something else. I do have a botched batch of cinnamon pickles from last canning season–they are mushy and no one wants to eat them, and they’re taking up precious jars! Time to go!
Tossing the salad dressings….finally!! Thanks!
tossed tons of outdated spices, many with msg, and also a carton of swanson beef broth…who knew it had msg!
I am taking this challenge. The plan for today is taco seasoning and italian dressing.
You have shared (among many others) recipes for taco seasoning and italian dressing mixes. So many times I have meant to make those.
Now this is just the motivation I need to go ahead, and to get rid of the packets, bottles, with MSG and other unhealthy ingredients. So I am off to the kitchen. Thanks, Laura
Tossed out the crisco. Will start using coconut oil or butter in its place.
The last package of onion soup mix is out the door. And the margarine is leaving the fridge!
I tossed a package of Crisco and bought Palm shortening from Tropical Traditions… You are such an inspiration and a motivation!!
Thank you!
I’m throwing out some more plastic containers! They are getting fewer and fewer around here and the pyrex and glass is everywhere! I seem to lose one piece per child, but it is a small price to pay. Those little hands just love digging in the cabinets and the pyrex isn’t the same as the plastics when it comes to tumbling them out of the cabinet!
I think switching to organic spices will be my main challenge! It’s hard- I’m an addict to the bulk spices section at my local Farmer’s Market grocery store- but there aren’t any organics! Thanks for challenge.
oh i hate this challenge…throw away “good” food…which is all that’s left since i make my own cleaners. I suppose it’s a good start since hubby and i will be going on the gaps diet in a month any way.
If all you have is good food, no need to throw any away! Hope the gaps diet goes well for you. :)
Laura, it’s not all good. that’s why it’s in quotes. i just hate the thought of getting rid of it since i bought it and all even tho i know i shouldn’t be eating what’s in it. but i shouldn’t have bought it in the first place…
I try my best but sometimes it feels like I am fighting against my family.
I have already done quite a few of these suggestions just this week and weekend. 1.Started making homemade yogurt once again…tossed out the store bought.
2.tossed out the comet and starting to use baking soda for sinks and borax and vinegar for the toilet bowl
3.replaced white macaroni with wheat ones
4.tossed margarine and replaced with butter
5.tossed canola oil and replaced with EVOO and coconut oil
6.tossed white rice and replaced with brown
saving up for a grain mill for we can stop buying whole wheat flour and just mill our own…all grains.
saving up also for a bosch mixer..my kitchen aid will not hold up to making the whole wheat bread much longer.
making plans to start growing veggies, fruit trees and berries.
making plans to build a hen house and chicken coop
also saving to buying a grassfed cow to be butchered.
This is kind of fun! Tossed out some old junky boxed mixes- oh the new space! Also tossed chemical cleaners that came with the house that I just never got around to. Headed now to replace regular chocolate chips with homemade ones and to make a new batch of granola. We don’t do boxed cereal but the kids would sure appreciate some cold cereal options.
I threw away the rest of a margarine spread. I’ve recently started buying butter, but this was still in the back of my fridge. Not anymore! I threw away some empty food containers, too, because I have plenty of glass jars to store my leftovers in.
I, too, have already made most of these changes, but I’ve been working my way through a 25-pound bag of basmati, with still a couple of gallon jars full. I’m now giving them away, I don’t even like it any more. I’m lovin’ me some short grain brown rice, oh so chewy and delicious!
Threw away my old, teflon-covered rolling pin. It’s scary when you see flakes coming off onto your dough! I’m planning to buy a wooden one when we get out next. I also need to switch from my 1 teflon plan that I use to fry eggs to a cast-iron skillet. That’s next!
I hope it counts shredded cheese! We are going to start buying block cheese to shred ourselves!
How about I start easy and get rid of the brownie mixes in my pantry! Plastic food storage will be next on the list.
got a box of (yucky!!) mac and cheese that’s been hanging out in my cabinet too long…I’ll be starting by getting rid of that!
Just threw out soup with MSG. I want to learn how to pressure can soups for the winter-maybe when salsa canning season is over!
I just stocked up on salad dressings (buy 1 get 1 free). Hope Outreach at our Church can use them as I’m going homemade.
I am going to get rid of 3 boxes of cereal that were given to us. We kicked the cereal habit long ago – none of us can stand the stuff now!
I am slowly getting rid of plastic containers! I love using glass now!
I have just started getting rid of all plastic and replacing it with glass. Also, I am not going to buy any more salad dressing mixes or any mixes. I am making them up with my own herbs to keep on hand. This is so exciting. Plus, I have the kids helping out too. I would like to get rid of our boxed cake mixes too. Need to slow down.
Trying to get rid of any of the remaining plastic containers. I love the glass jars.
We have been making our own yogurt and buttermilk :) . . . so easy and saves money!
Threw out canned veggie broth, boxed cake mix, and bread crumbs.
Sent some canned soup and a couple of boxed things to the food pantry. Tonight after the boys are in bed I plan to go through the plastic food containers.
I’m going to go through my spices. Oh, the word MSG just grossed me out. I’ve been so consumed with everything else, I forgot about the spices.
I don’t use Hamburger Helper, but I just might try your recipe this week…but I really want to make my own cheese for it!
I’m tossing the plastic cups the kids use, and replacing them with little glasses from the dollar store (not too expensive when they get broken). Plastic cups have bothered me forever, but with three little boys forever dropping them on the floor, I was always scared to make the switch to glass. I’m hoping the “grown up” glasses will inspire the kids to be a little more careful at the dinner table. And who knows…maybe they will develop some other good table manners in the process.
Sigh… The boxed brownies. They’re just so easy to throw together… I make everything else from scratch so I guess I need to let the brownies go. :)
I threw out my MSG filled taco mix and onion soup mix and replaced with my own. I also threw out the last of my chemically simulated vanilla. Ti e to bottle up the stuff I had 5 mths ago while 9mths pregnant!
Switched out plastic storage containers for glass jars, and irradiated herbs and spices for organic bulk bags (Frontier and Starwest Botanicals) from Vitacost which I use to refill the little bottles from the store. Have the hardest time getting rid of crackers and chips for snacks – especially for car trips and camping trips. (How does one do healthy S’mores?????)
I don’t think smore’s are supposed to be healthy, LOL :) I myself, make my own graham crackers(graham flour & white whole wheat). I contemplated making my own marshmallows as well, but recipes from Martha Stewart and epicurious all called for corn syrup. I have heard whole foods carries corn syrup free marshmallows though. Plus we practice portion control, my 3 and 5 year old each get 1 smore. I still don’t consider them healthy, but 3-4 times a summer reasonable.
Having been through this past couple of years, I can’t throw anything out but I can safely say that I will not replace any junk with more junk.
I’m so ready for this. I happen to know that there is year old hamburger helper in the cupboard. I have no idea why it’s there, I just know it is. :)
Tossed all our refined syrups! Looking at making some homemade fruit syrups and butters.
I tossed a bag of candy that had accumulated from various parades and grandmas :)
I have started just this week by going to baking soda and apple cider vinegar for my shampoo and conditioner (no poo method) and I love it so far! Now I just have to convince my hubby that he should do it too. I have already gotten rid of all the white pasta, rice and bread and replaced it with whole wheat pasta, rice and bread! I have also already switched to a no high-fructose-corn-syrup syrup and all natural peanut butter! I feel so much better about feeding my family these healthier choices! I also buy organic fruits and veggies when I can. And I started some homemade orange cleaner using orange peels and vinegar in a jar… one more week and we can try it out! (It is supposed to sit for 2-3 weeks… it has been 2!) Thanks for doing this challenge…. I still have some things that need to be removed from my kitchen… plastic is a big one! I have 2 little boys under 4 years old and they like to break things so I keep plastic plates for them, but wish I could switch!
Looking forward to getting rid of plastic and replacing with glass!
I tossed out my old chemical filled shampoo and conditioner and made homemade shampoo and use apple cider vinegar for a conditioning rinse!
I tossed out my aspartame laced energy drinks and purchased coffee, stevia and coconut milk creamer.
I am so excited to find your site and this challenge! Tonight I made ranch, Italian and French dressing to sit in the fridge overnight. Tomorrow we are having big salads for lunch and I can’t wait to try the dressings. I also made BBQ sauce. Can’t wait for the boys to try that.
For dinner tonight we had your cheeseburger Mac recipe and it went over well…the kids asked for more cheese so I will add a little more next time but I thought it was yummy! Can’t wait to try some other recipes.
God bless you,
Tammi
I have tossed out the margarine and replaced it with real butter. Lookinking forward to all of the challenges!!!
I threw out plastic containers and …get this pastaroni and rice a ron I!
I’m liking this challenge already. I’m starting with my cleaning supplies.
I have already made many changes, but the next big one is to finish tossing my plastic containers and obtain more glass storage. Also, I’m tossing the store bought bread and going to dig into making bread again hopefully with more success than last time.
I have been wanting to replace plastic containers, and I have bought glass ones. I haven’t thrown out the others yet, and put out the new ones because then my husband will know I spent money that we don’t really have right now. :) (They were on sale at Costco, and you know if you don’t buy something at Costco the first time, they won’t be around later).
Removing plastic and replacing with glass!
I am going to throw out pancake mix. I can make whole wheat pancakes easily so there’s no sence in having that mess here!
You made me a believer a long time ago! Not much to throw out!
I am canning apple juice for the first time tomorrow. I hope to replace at least some of the store bought juice that my husband loves.
I have been slowly trying to do this whole foods things for awhile now. While I was pregnant I craved whole foods but then went on bedrest and hubby doesn’t cook…just reheats, lol. Baby was born early and is now 3 months old and I feel like things are getting back to a new normal and I need to start the whole foods eating all over again. I just ran out of ranch dressing so that is the first thing I made at lunch today. It tastes so much better, now to look for the next thing to toss.
Already made a lot of these switches, but haven’t tackled plastics yet. I have 3 under 3 and glass is not an acceptable substitute for me (too dangerous). Saving money to get stainless!
I need to make salad dressing from scratch. I don’t know why I am so intimidated by it, but I guess I just need to do it!
My husband’s suggestion, the trash, ha,ha! Seriously though, I am finally pitching a container of Argo cornstarch. I avoid GMO corn like the plague and frankly I think Monsanto is evil. But, I use the stuff so rarely, I felt bad about throwing away perfectly good cornstarch. Plus, spending the money on new when we are on a budget. Finally picked up some organic, non-GMO cornstarch at whole foods. I also tossed some animal crackers my kids received (but never actually saw) as a treat from a relative. Not much else to toss around here.
Perfect timing! I’m having some new health issues and am having to watch everything I eat. I’ve been doing pretty well already as to what I purchase but there is cleaning out to be done! I’m already using mostly all glass jars. I love them!!’
I’ll take the challenge! We will get rid of (gulp) chips. I will attempt to replace the chips with fruit!
just posted about the challenge on my blog! i’m grateful that even before this challenge i’d already tossed many items and replaced them all with healthier alternatives! but now i finally have the motivatation necessary to replace my store-bought floor cleaner with a homemade one!
I started a few months ago making changes in how to eat healthy food its been hard for my family to switch some items but it’s a relief that I am not alone. thanks for teaching us how to replace store bought with homemade.
I threw out all the hamburger helper!
Threw out the pre-made granola bars and made some homemade ones for my family for lunches their first week back to school :D
Just getting started. Have done lots of homemade instead of mixes – including bread, hamburger helper, etc. Now if I could just get the family more onboard!
Guess I should really get rid of that shortening – but now to find your baking mix recipe that doesn’t use it!
Palm shortening is non-hydrogenated. It’s more expensive than Crisco but worth it in my opinion!
I threw out all of my packages of gravy mix. Now I just need a recipe for homemade au jus. Got one?
I would love to find an Au Jus recipe too!
Throwing out the gloppy, sticky, bubbly laundry soap and totally going with the fresh smelling, 1-cent-per-load soap I whipped together last week!
I am throwing out the Hamburger Helper. I’ve always wanted to try it homemade but haven’t had a recipe for it. I will try yours. I haven’t gone wrong with your recipes yet. I am also going to try the brownies. They look yummy. Thanks!
We threw out a lot of old spices (from 2003 or earlier!) and replaced them with new spices in glass jars. We used those new spices to make our own onion soup mix, ranch dressing mix, and taco seasoning so that we don’t have to buy the packets anymore! The onion soup mix made AMAZING burgers for Labor Day!
where do I start. I clean out the refrigerator. No more pop and when I bake (start to use half white and half wheat and then soon will be all wheat flour
I tossed that backup box of Mac and cheese and made homemade instead. So much better!
Thank you for introducing me to whole wheat white flour! I stopped giving my children cereal for breakfast and began making lots of yummy breakfast foods with white whole wheat flour. SO good! Also started making tortillas and pita bread with it, kids love them and my husband too (which is amazing)!!
Ooo! Can I get your pita bread recipe?
The recipe I use is from allrecipes.com, it’s called Peppy’s Pita Bread.
1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat instead)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use coconut oil or olive oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
The recipe is for a bread machine but I don’t have one so I just proof the yeast( mix water sugar yeast let sit 10 mins) mix the rest ingredients then knead. Then I follow the rest of the directions.:) Really yummy! I really just starting out in baking, I didn’t even own a rolling pin!!
I have an almost empty bottle of corn syrup in my pantry…from before our switch to real food over two years ago! I don’t know why I still have it…I even moved it to a our new home that we’ve lived in for over a year!
making granola to put in my large (pretty) glass jar!
Thanks for the reminders. I’ve dont 2, 5, 6 & 9 so I’m on a roll!
We made these switches years ago but I am taking this as a time to check dates and make sure the oldest items are in the front so that I do not waist any of my bulk foods. That is something I have needed to do for a while again. I will feed anything stale to the chickens:) Hope this counts!
I made homemade crackers for the first time and couldn’t believe how easy it was(I already make tortillas so I think that made the process seem simple.) Now I need to find a homemade dip to go with them.
Well the plan is to get rid of most of our plastic storage containers and replace them with glass. I’m tired of my food tasting like soap after putting it into my plastic containers…
Out with premade tortillas and in with homemade ones ( no sodium)
Ok, I threw out the italian dressing in the fridge and made my own, then i tossed all the prepacked seasonings packets. I made some homemade bread with fresh ground flour and tossed out boxed graham crackers and chips! I’m feeling rather accomplished right now!!!
This week, I’m BACK to making freshly ground wheat bread and making homemade granola bars for a snack. Throwing out the white bread and store bought granola bars!
getting glass jars for everything
Great stuff! :)
:) great ideas!
ok, I tossed the taco seasoning packets and made a jar of your fresh recipe. It tastes better anyway!
I got back into the habit of making homemade granola today to replace the store bought cereal that was sitting on the shelf. Thank you for the challenge. This is just what our family needed!!
Got rid of the last container of flavored yogurt and planning on starting my own this afternoon…hope it turns out!
I hope everyone is sharing their food with a food bank instead of really throwing it out!
We are switching from processed breakfast cereals to oatmeal & omelets in the morning! A much more filling way to start the day. :-)
Bought a waffle iron the other day – at my 8 yr olds urging and made homemade waffles today – and doubled the batch and froze the rest! So through out all the Eggo waffles and replaced with homemade that the kids and husband all loved!
I took this challenge last time and loved it. This time I willing be working on the salad dressing. They are the one thing I have not been able to shake on our journey to healthy living.
I am going to try homemade salad dressings tonight. I dont know why but I have always been scared to try them. I think its because I had mayo and most Ranch recipes and 50/50 mayo and sour cream.
I love this challenge! We have done most of this but I think that I could go through my pantry again and see what else is lurking and snuck in or just never made it out in the other purges.
For an idea for new salad dressing, check this one out. I got a thumbs up from all four kids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DYqTNEjR9c&feature=plcp
Working on getting rid of the plastic and replacing each with one glass dish at a time. I have also been saving up for a Berkey water system-hoping that will happen within the next few months!
We have been eating fresh for a couple years…can’t find anything to throw out! Yay!!
My plan is the can tomato soup for some homemade … never made tomato soup before and we love it will grilled cheese!
You know I thought I already cleaned out the fridge (Monday is trash pick-up day) but since they are a day late, all my throw away have to be from the fridge. I was going to do the freezer (ice cream, cookie dough, did I really say that?)but I didn’t want it to sit around the house, you know, the smell and all. So I threw out the salad dressing. It used to look like the grocery store on the side door. Much better. I think to replace it, I’ll use lemon juice and poppy seed. This will cause me to re-think about different options to buy. Not just the usual – don’t think and grab. Thanks for the inspirations!
Tossing the store bought ranch and made my own using your recipe!
I’m going to get rid of store-bought granola bars and switch to homemade ones. Boxed cracker too…need to try making those from scratch.
In regards to cleaning products, I must resist the urge to use bleach for those tough stains in the toilet and sink. I have natural products but laziness tends to overtake me…bleach is easy to grab rather than look up what I should use as an alternative.
dumped out a bowl full of artificially flavored and colored candy. The kids haven’t even looked in it in a few weeks. And really, some fresh fruit is going to look much prettier in that bowl.
starting with making homemade brownie mix to keep stocked! :)
We’ve made several changes/replacements over the last few years and continue to make a few changes every week. This summer was our first getting a CSA basket from a local organic farm. They also provide raw milk, cheeses, bread, preserves and organic pork and beef. I’ll be taking a cheese making class at the farm later this month. I’ve been freezing produce for the last few weekends and, among other things, made pesto and froze in small jars. Also made refrigerator pickled veggies and eggs. LOVE wide-mouth canning jars with white plastic lids – my local hardware store carries them and they are on sale now. My most recent healthy changes have been to handmade toiletries and soap. Next up? Making pasta and ice cream from scratch! A few changes here and there really do add up quickly – it’s not any more expensive or time consuming to eat fresh and healthy, it’s a creative outlet and it feels so good – mentally as well as physically – to have a kitchen (and home) with very few preservatives, artificial colors and empty calories. Love your blog and refer to it almost daily!
Trying to make some convenient freezer meals that will be healthier!
I’ve been slowly replacing my plastic storage with glass storage. CostCo has a multipack for $30 and, over the past 2 years, I think I’ve bought at least 4 of them! And, no more Hamburger Helper in this house!
I have been slowly switching us over to healthier options. I had a few cans of food-like stuff that i threw out. i didn’t want to eat it and my kids will never miss it…I hope!
I’m throwing out my old teflon coated fry pans. I already bought a cast iron one to replace them. I still have a teflon wok I want to replace when I can afford it. Linda
I’ve already begun a while back, but I am continuing to switch from plastic to glass for food storage. I love jars too and already have lots of them for bulk spices, dried goods and my favorite is storage of kefir in the fridge until we use it up and make a new batch – from the glass jar in the cabinet! Thanks for this challenge!
The Cheerios and Rice Krispies are gone!
Working on throwing out the store-bought bread…of course, that means I have to be able to bake an edible loaf of bread to replace it with! After 3 rather disappointing bricks and a lot of lessons learned, loaf 4 turned out okay! Still have some work to do to get it where I want it, but it is MUCH better. Working on loaf 5 now…pray for me!!! :-D
Spices are my downfall. It’s hard to resist the jumbo sizes from Sam’s club!
Wow where to begin. This year we have made several changes..but no more than a few each month. My husband and I have two kids ages 3 and 1. We never really ate too ‘horrible’ before but once we started checking into some things we couldn’t believe how horrible our food was! We’ve made the switch from white flour to whole wheat, stopped buying all condiments (except mayo…I have to work on my patience some more) and started making everyting from scratch. I work full time so it has been a challenge but it has been a fun journey and the kids love making a mess in the kitchen helping me. Making great memories! The thing we ditched this month is the microwave. I thought it would be tough but it really hasn’t been an inconvience at all! Thanks for all your helpful advice and for sharing your experiences :)
I switched from store bought granola bars to homemade.
There is so much in my kitchen that could be thrown out or given away!
I have a large box in my car full of food for the food bank. All contain MSG or HFCS which I am trying to rid my house of.
I am going to get rid of my mt dew addiction and start drinking more water!!!
I love this challenge~ we got rid of cereal a while ago~ with 4 boys it was getting crazy expensive for every one to have their own box of cereal. We don’t use store bought salad dressing~ I cut an orange in half and squeeze the juice onto my salad- super yummy:) We are slowly making the switch from plastic to glass. We don’t eat any box mixes or chips. We eat brown rice and drink only water and milk. I have recently been researching natural cleaning products and will making the switch from commercial cleaners to those we make ourselves.
So, we are moving in to our new home and I am loading the kitchen with healthy foods. Thank you for the challenge, it keeps me from getting weak on the snacks aisle!
Store bought salad dressing…..made my first homemade one tonight and my family loved it!
Thank you so much for all your easy healthier eating tips. Before your challenge I found your website and blog and have already switched oil to coconut oil, palm shortining instead of sprays and crisco, more use of whole wheat ( planning on saving for a grinder…it just looks like fun:)), oats, wheat germ and flax in most baking recipes and now I just recently added sucntant not sure of spelling to that list. Your recipes and being able to freeze items have made snacks healthier, breakfast and dinner healthier and I have also begun to plan and be more organized! Saving time:) thank you for your wisdom encouragement and simple healthy fun things for a family to eat. Your recipies have really helped our family be healthier!
Does it count if I don’t actually toss something out, but come up with a better idea than what I was PLANNING to buy? My son requested “Flower Pot Dessert” for his birthday this weekend. That calls for boxed pudding mix, but I decided to go a bit healthier (and I think better tasting) and use homemade pudding. We’ve been making changes like this for a couple of years now, but some of these conveniences have still held out.
I will be tossing out salad dressing and attempting my own. Wish me luck!
I have been thinking about this… but my challenge right now is to cut out all my new food allergies… Milk, gluten, peanuts, eggs.. Ouch!
I am hanging onto this tupperware microwave cooker because it was expensive. But I won’t use it and haven’t used it in years. It is time to let it go. I dug it out of the cupboard and will be waving by to it tomorrow.
The toss out plastic idea really caught my attention. We basically only use tall plastic cups from fast food restaurants day in and day out. i guess i could bring myself to throw out all the plastic and start using pretty glasses.
We have made a number of changes in our eating over the last year or two. However, when my husband lost his job, we’ve been forced to choose less healthy options to save money. We’ve been doing ok, since we had a good sized stockpile. However, our pantry is running bare. We are hoping to buy healthier again soon, but would love some suggestions on what we can do in the meantime. We are big fans of Azure, but I can’t scrape together enough extra money from our grocery budget to get a bulk order.
Hi…I’ve heard of Azure but haven’t used it yet. I was wondering after I read your comment, does Azure allow a combined order to count as a bulk order? I mean, if you had a couple of other folks that could go in with you as one order, would that work? I feel for you in your husband’s job loss, and pray he finds one soon!
This is something dear to our hearts, as we’ve actually been doing this sort of thing for just over a year now. There is always something else I can do, though, so thanks for the encouragement. I’m bookmarking this so I can link up to it, just as soon as I do some of the suggestions here that I haven’t done. :-) Gotta actually DO the stuff before I blog about it and link up!!
planning on decluttering my kitchen today after i get off computer.
Just finished a bottle of non-toxic cleaner that I had bought. Kept and washed the bottle and refilled it with vinegar and water.
My citric acid finally arrived. Ive stopped using the cascade and now use borax,citric acid, kosher salt and washing soda as a more natural, cheaper replacement. And i trashed my 409 and replaced with vinegar infused with orange peels.
Well I’m trying….I have started using COCONUT OIL thanks to you :) that is a big switch for me…..also switched to 2% milk….still love the full fat milk tho :) trying to change my milk in my coffee tho….used to use coffee mate, but after reading all the ingredients, I decided I’d try something else….so went to half and half….not happy with that either…..still working on this tho…..any ideas ????? I like a little bit of coffee in my milk as my daughter tells me LOL…..
Full fat milk is better for you!!
Full fat milk is good for you though.
We are no longer buying boxed Mac and cheese or Helper mixes. We *love* your 4 ingredient Mac and cheese as a substitute – and I know all of the ingredients!
I’m going to start making homemade mac and cheese, as well as homemade granola bars. We eat a LOT of granola bars. This week I’m going to try homemade pitas as well, but we hardly ever eat them. Good series!
Threw out my dishwasher rince aid and replaced it with good old vinegar. Bought my first boxes of Borax and Washing soda. Can’t wait to make my own laundry detergent!
I used to add vinegar to my rinse aid compartment too until I read that vinegar eats the rubber gasket inside. It said to put vinegar in a small open container on the top shelf of your dishwasher instead and so far it’s worked just as well for me at least.
Thanks for the tip. I had no idea.
I have cut out all toxic cleaners. Started making homemade laundry soap, hand soap and all purpose citrus cleaner.
We are drinking more water snacking on fruit and cut veggies. I’m also spending time each weekend cooking and chopping for our breakfasts and lunches to ensure they are healthy even though school has started.
I am trying to declutter my tiny kitchen to make room for my new “toys” like a pasta maker. But the pantry keeps getting messier, because we are buying more in bulk.
I got up as soon as I read this (the day you posted it), Laura, and went looking for something to switch. Truth of the matter is, I’ve had a really hard time finding something. Over the past year and a half, I’ve already switched over almost everything from SAD to a more healthy way of cooking. We don’t used boxed cereal. I’ve been making your Mac & Cheese for almost a year now. I make all our bread from scratch. I’ve even tried my hand at my own vanilla. We eat home made icecream. I make my own deodorant and use a all natural shampoo bar (which I LOVE). The list goes on and on.
Finally today as I was cooking breakfast, I figured out what I could switch. I have an old double burner griddle that had “non-stick” coating on it and it’s looking rather scarey at the moment. I’m going to switch from that unhealthy (and potentially cancer causing) griddle to a seasoned cast iron one that will work like non-stick because it’s been properly seasoned. It may have taken me a little more than a week to figure it out, but I finally decided what to swap out.
Thanks for the challenge!!
Karen
All the mt dew is out of the house! Know to start drinking more water…
Definitely taking the challenge. Doing a little every day. In the next two weeks my kitchen should be totally done over. Throwing out plastic, unhealthy foods. Etc…
I’m late in reading blog posts this past week or two, but I want to include myself in your challenge. I’ve moved back in with my parents (husband is overseas) and its hard to throw things out when it doesn’t belong to me. However, my parents have so much junk! I’m throwing out chips and candies that have been hanging out in the pantry way too long!
We tossed out buying water in bottles that are thrown away and use reusable bottles and plastic double insulated cups with lids and straws. love it!
I have been slowly making these switches over the past year…it feels great! Im always looking to make more in other areas or continue with it in our kitchen department :)
Late to the game I know… but I wanted to join in anyway.
I’m tossing out my remaining plastic containers and buying more glass