January is the best time of year! It feels like you can start fresh and new. Give yourself new goals, clean up all the Christmas decorations and put away all the sugar laden goodies for a while (at least until Valentines Day). One of my New Years resolutions is to eat better. Actually, I think I have the same resolution every year because by December 31, I am ready to stop eating all the amazing holiday desserts! This year I have decided to create a pantry purge and I challenge you to join me!
Why Purge?
There are a couple of reasons for this pantry purge challenge: 1 – my poor pantry is totally neglected and abused. Everything gets thrown in and sometimes it can’t find its way out. 2 – there is too much in the pantry, so either I can’t find what I need or I get frustrated and stop trying to find things in it. 3 – January is always a good time to save some money and make meals based on things in your pantry. 4 – the pantry is such a mess, I really just NEED to clean it out. Anyone else feel my pain?
On top of the reasons I listed above, we are about to begin a MAJOR kitchen renovation and I will have to move all the stuff in my pantry OUT and then several weeks later, move it all back IN. It gives me great heartburn to throw things away for no good reason. I mean, I bought these items for a reason, right? So, just because I forgot to make whatever recipe I bought it for, and have since lost said recipe, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t use the item, right?
The Pantry Purge Challenge
So here is the challenge: take a picture of your pantry NOW. Then pick one to two items for each day that you want to use up. Try to find a recipe that will use that item that does NOT require a trip to the store for additional ingredients. Hofully you can find recipes that use something from your freezer, your pantry or your stash of canned goods. Then share some of your recipes, some of your meal ideas. In the end, show me your pantry after you have completed 20 days!
Why 20 days? If your life is anything like mine, you will be out of food or patience to make these creations by then. Now, I realize you will need to still go to the store for basics and fresh items, so if there is a recipe that you really want to make and need additional pantry ingredients, go for it! And, we will want to eat out once in a while, who doesn’t need a night off from cooking? But, for the most part, try to stick to the challenge! It will make you feel AMAZING and ACCOMPLISHED! And the spiderwebs will be gone from your pantry. And the can(s) of beets.
Some of the items I have in maya pantry that need to be purged include a few cans of beets (why did I buy so many), red lentils, several cans of enchilada sauce, coconut milk, artichokes and barley. Lots of barley. So I am scouring Pinterest and Allrecipes.com for appealing meals using those ingredients that my family will eat (including two teenage girls).
I’ll add the recipes that I find here! You can add your recipes in the comments! We will all help each other!
My Pantry Before
Here is what my pantry looked like before I began the Purge. I actually did go through it a little before this photo and cleaned out a few things – like the 30 packets of Chick-fil-a sauces that apparently we HAD to have on hand, but that no one actually wants to use. And the ketchup packet that was no longer a recognizable ketchup color. 😐 everything else is original. Honest.
The Recipies I Tried
I started with the red lentils. I found this recipe from xxxx. It turned out great! A little thick, as I think I didn’t add enough broth, but the flavor was wonderful and made enough for dinner for the family and a couple lunches for my husband and I. Since it was more on the thick side, I warmed it up for my lunches and spread it on crackers. Double Pantry Purge bonus as I have lots of crackers in my pantry!