CLEANING HOUSE – Results

A Big Mess

It has been a month since I challenged myself to only buy produce and bread products (to see my original challenge post click here). I am sooo happy I did this.  My pantry feels so much more manageable and it really forced me to get creative with my meals and use things that I already had in the pantry, freezer, and fridge.

I did end-up buying some things that I was not supposed to, but let me explain… while on this challenge my meat-loving husband decided to try living plant based for a month (with the occasional bit of seafood).  He was not ready to jump into eating plant based AND eating all whole foods, so I did buy him some mock meats.  I am so proud to say that he has been sticking with it and doing really well! 

What is clear to me is that even after completing this challenge I still have a lot of food in my pantry.  I also still have a bunch of food in my freezers, but a lot of the food in there is food I always use (I am a big fan of making big batches of meals and freezing them for another night).  I also still have a bit of meat and seafood in my fridge that I plan to share with others because I don’t see the point in throwing away food (Although I’s LOVE to throw away the chicken wings…no one’s heart needs that!). 

I really think this challenge has changed me.  I am going to try much harder to plan out my meals and not impulse buy.  I don’t need to have so much on hand.  Fresher is better!

So, here are the pantry results…

Pantry BEFORE

Pantry AFTER

Pantry BEFORE

Pantry AFTER

Freezer BEFORE

Freezer AFTER

Garage Freezer BEFORE

Garage Freezer AFTER