After I made the change to consuming entire meals over a decade in the past, I spotted I had a whole lot of meals I not wished to eat lurking within the pantry. When you’re making the change or want to scrub issues out, listed below are some artistic makes use of for junk meals!
I compiled an inventory of the way to make use of these for different family functions. I hate to waste as a lot as the subsequent particular person, however I lastly needed to understand that my physique isn’t a rubbish can. And I refused to make use of issues simply to complete what’s in the home.
After we switched to an actual meals food regimen, I donated the entire unopened non-perishables. That also left the entire opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, and so forth. to cope with. As an alternative of simply pitching it, we used it for some enjoyable initiatives and round the home.
The children had a blast (and I acquired pampered) whereas we used up the remainder of our “junk meals.” I’ve divided them up by classes, however among the recipes dissipate a number of completely different components. These have been my options:
1. All-Function Enriched Flour
I’ve definitely modified my stance and outlook on issues through the years, particularly in the case of grains. I prevented them fully for a few years whereas I used to be therapeutic my autoimmune illness. Now I’ll eat sure grains, like white rice and natural flour (particularly sourdough) moderately.
One factor you’re not going to seek out in my pantry although (no less than not anymore!) is bleached, enriched, white flour. Listed here are some methods to make use of it up.
Make Play Dough
A win-win state of affairs. You get to spend high quality time together with your children and dissipate the leftover flour in your pantry. When you don’t have children, this could possibly be enjoyable for grown-ups too… contemplate it stress reduction. And in case you want a gluten-free playdough model, I’ve one right here.
This playdough makes use of up flour, vegetable oil, Koolaid or meals dye, and iodized desk salt.
Playdough Recipe
A fundamental playdough recipe that makes use of components out of your pantry for infinite enjoyable.
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Mix water and salt in a big pot and warmth over low warmth till the salt is dissolved.
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Stir within the flour till properly mixed.
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Add the vegetable oil and cream of tartar, mixing properly.
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Maintain stirring over low warmth till it thickens and pulls away from the perimeters right into a ball. If it’s too sticky, preserve stirring over low warmth till it thickens.
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Take away from the warmth and let it cool till you may deal with it.
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Add the Kool-aid or meals dye for shade.
It’s also possible to add some important oils to provide your dough a pleasant scent and a few aromatherapy advantages.
Have some extra meals dye you wish to dissipate? Combine it with some yogurt for finger paint. Simply you’ll want to take an image of your child’s artwork challenge earlier than throwing it away!
Paper Mache Paste With Flour
Combine equal elements of white flour and water to make a glue-like paste. Let your children use their arms and a few outdated items of newspaper to make creations. As soon as it dries, it’s very like a sculpture.
As children, we used to explode balloons and put paper mache over them. Once they dried, we popped the balloons, minimize them in half and painted them to make masks.
Polish Stainless Metal
Oh the fingerprints! Chrome steel reveals smudges… lots. After regular cleansing, pour or rub some all-purpose flour onto the stainless to make it shine and take away fingerprints or water spots.
The oils and fiber within the flour buffs the tiny grooves within the metal. It additionally helps pull out dust and dirt {that a} common cleansing fabric can’t.
2. Sugar
I’ve written lots about sugar through the years and why I ditched it. Whereas I’ll nonetheless have pure sweeteners moderately, I stop bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a humectant that makes for an ideal pores and skin scrub although! Listed here are a number of completely different sugar scrub recipes to attempt.
You possibly can even use a sugar syrup to wax physique hair. Listed here are directions for learn how to make and use a sugar wax.
Kill Undesirable Ants
For many people, hotter seasons can imply ants in the home. As an alternative of utilizing noxious pesticides, you may simply sort out the issue with a little bit sweetness. People and ants alike each love sugar.
To make a easy ant entice:
- Combine 2 elements sugar with 1 half borax (which is nice to have readily available for cleansing).
- Put it in a little bit container or jar that ants can crawl out and in of. Make certain your children can’t get to it.
Borax is toxic to ants, however they’ll’t resist sugar. It received’t kill them instantly, however they’ll take it again to their nest the place it should finally kill all of them. I’ve used this twice to do away with ants in our home. Killing ants=good use for sugar!
3. Vegetable Oil
You might need seen extra conversations round seed oils and vegetable oils currently, even from mainstream sources. Vegetable oils are excessive in inflammatory omega-6 fat and are linked with an entire host of well being points. These embrace corn, canola, and soy.
Listed here are some methods to make use of up the remainder of the vegetable oil in your house.
Clear Your Wooden Naturally
There are pure methods to scrub any kind of ground, and that vegetable oil lurking in your pantry makes an superior hardwood ground cleaner. Moderately than letting it skew your Omega-3 and 6 ratios, use it to make your flooring shine.
Combine 1 cup of vinegar OR lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Use this combination to scrub your flooring. Make sure you patch check an space first. You’ll have much less irritation, and your flooring may have a pleasant shine!
It’s also possible to combine vegetable oil with vinegar to make a DIY dusting spray for picket furnishings.
Canola Oil within the Backyard
Some sources say canola oil can work properly as an insecticide and fungicide within the backyard. It kills bugs by suffocating them and helps forestall powdery mildew by offering a barrier between the plant and fungi.
To make use of it, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon liquid cleaning soap to 1 gallon of water. Spray on crops to kill bugs and stop powdery mildew. Simply you’ll want to attempt to keep away from the great bugs!
4. Use Up Rice
Rice is likely one of the meals that I ditched for years that I’m now fantastic with from time to time. You may be shocked to listen to that I go for white rice as an alternative of brown rice although and right here’s why. In case you have non-organic enriched rice or are avoiding it for intestine therapeutic functions, listed below are some methods to make use of it up.
Dry Out Moist Electronics
Electronics and water don’t combine, or no less than they’re not alleged to! My children dropped 3 of our cell telephones in water by mistake (and one I dropped myself). Three out of the 4 have been saved by rice.
Maintain a jar of rice readily available and when an digital will get moist, put it within the jar and shut the lid tightly. The rice will take up the moisture and pull it out of the gadget. Except there’s structural harm, this normally works. It may take just a few days or perhaps a couple weeks, so be affected person.
Rice Water For More healthy Hair
Asian cultures have used rice water for luxurious locks for a few years. Rice is stuffed with amino acids, antioxidants, nutritional vitamins, protein, and different vitamins which might be nice for hair well being. Right here’s learn how to make and use rice water for softer, stronger, and shinier hair.
5. Oatmeal For Pores and skin Well being
Oatmeal could cause blood sugar spikes for a lot of, and it’s typically contaminated with glyphosate. Right here’s learn how to dissipate a few of that additional typical rolled oats in your pantry.
For a soothing facial, powder oatmeal in a blender or meals processor and add heat milk to make a paste. Rub it in your face, let it dry, then wash off. It tightens pores, removes blackheads and moisturizes.
6. Coke For Critical Cleansing
I swapped out my coke and different sodas for more healthy (and tastier in my view) fermented drinks. In case you have some nonetheless sitting round, coke makes an ideal cleaner for powerful messes. It incorporates phosphoric acid that breaks down rust and exhausting water and softens burnt meals. And the citric acid is nice for cleaning soap scum and grease.
It may even take the rust off of a automobile bumper. Think about what it does to the intestines??
Clear Your Bathroom
Bathroom soiled? I’m certain yours isn’t, however mine typically is. Pour a can of coke in a bathroom and let it sit for an hour. Use a brush to take away the stains and flush for a shiny clear.
I even tried this on a 30-40 yr outdated bathroom in a home I reworked. It labored (and that bathroom most likely hadn’t been cleaned in 30-40 years). Listed here are some extra methods to make use of coke for cleansing.
- Take away gum from hair- Soak hair in it for 10 minutes and gum comes proper out.
- Unclog drains – simply pour within the coke and wait.
- Clear automobile batteries – Pour coke on a gunky automobile battery or use a fabric soaked in coke to scrub it with.
- Clear grout – soak a sponge in it and use to scrub grout stains.
- Take away grease stains – Soak grease-stained garments in coke, then wash as typical.
- Oil stains on ground – Take away oil stains out of your storage ground or concrete driveways.
- Clear pots and pans – Soak burnt pans in coke to dissolve caught on meals.
- Shine metallic jewellery – Soak metallic jewellery briefly in coke to scrub. Don’t do that for jewellery with valuable stones.
- Banish rust – Coke removes rust from every thing from rest room fixtures to automobile elements.
7. Desk Salt
I’m truly a massive fan of salt and eat a whole lot of it on a regular basis. I’m not a giant fan of normal, iodized desk salt although for a number of causes. In case you have desk salt that wants used, listed below are some methods to try this.
Weed Killer
Make a weed killer for driveways and sidewalk areas. For each 1 gallon of white vinegar add 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish cleaning soap. Fill a sprig bottle or pump sprayer to make use of on weeds. Watch out to not spray in areas (like a backyard) the place you need some crops to develop.
Salt Cleansing Hacks
Salt additionally makes an ideal pure cleansing scrub.
- Use salt to scrub forged iron skillets, pots, and pans (double verify the producer cleansing directions for any non-stick pans)
- Add salt to a espresso stained mug to assist take away the darkish stains
- Therapeutic massage salt and lemon juice right into a picket chopping board to freshen it. Rinse and air dry.
And for a enjoyable challenge with the children, attempt these 3 ingredient salt dough ornaments! The recipe is just like play-dough, however they dry exhausting and you may paint the completed creations.
Ultimate Ideas
I hope this gave you some alternate concepts for that junk meals that may nonetheless be lurking in your pantry. When you haven’t already, contemplate swapping them out for entire meals. Components like natural flour, grain-free flours (like almond and coconut), grass-fed butter, olive oil, uncooked honey, and pure maple syrup are some scrumptious options.
Do you will have some other concepts for components like these? Inform us about them under!

