Artistic and Sensible Makes use of For Junk Meals

Once I made the swap to consuming entire meals over a decade in the past, I spotted I had quite a lot of meals I not wished to eat lurking within the pantry. When you’re making the swap or want to wash issues out, listed here are some inventive makes use of for junk meals!

I compiled an inventory of how 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 notice 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 weight loss plan, I donated the entire unopened non-perishables. That also left the entire opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, and many others. to take care of. As an alternative of simply pitching it, we used it for some enjoyable tasks and round the home.

The youngsters had a blast (and I bought pampered) whereas we used up the remainder of our “junk meals.” I’ve divided them up by classes, however a few of the recipes expend a number of totally different substances. These had been my options:

1. All-Objective Enriched Flour

I’ve actually modified my stance and outlook on issues through the years, particularly in relation to grains. I prevented them utterly 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) carefully.

One factor you’re not going to search out in my pantry although (a minimum of 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 expend the leftover flour in your pantry. When you don’t have children, this could possibly be enjoyable for grown-ups too… take into account it stress reduction. And in the event 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.

Have some extra meals dye you need to expend? Combine it with some yogurt for finger paint. Simply remember to take an image of your child’s artwork mission 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 previous 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, reduce them in half and painted them to make masks.

Polish Stainless Metal

Oh the fingerprints! Stainless-steel exhibits 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 grime and dirt {that a} common cleansing material 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 carefully, I give up bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a humectant that makes for an excellent pores and skin scrub although! Listed here are a number of totally different sugar scrub recipes to attempt.

You may even use a sugar syrup to wax physique hair. Listed here are directions for how one can 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 slightly sweetness. People and ants alike each love sugar.

To make a easy ant lure:

• Combine 2 elements sugar with 1 half borax (which is nice to have available for cleansing).
• Put it in slightly container or jar that ants can crawl out and in of. Ensure your children can’t get to it.

Borax is toxic to ants, however they will’t resist sugar. It received’t kill them instantly, however they’ll take it again to their nest the place it would ultimately 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 may need observed 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 a complete 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 wash any kind of flooring, and that vegetable oil lurking in your pantry makes an superior hardwood flooring cleaner.  Quite 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 wash your flooring. Remember to patch take a look at an space first. You’ll have much less irritation, and your flooring could have a pleasant shine!

You may as well 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 remember to attempt to keep away from the nice bugs!

4. Use Up Rice

Rice is among the meals that I ditched for years that I’m now wonderful with every now and then. You is likely to be stunned to listen to that I go for white rice as an alternative of brown rice although and right here’s why. When you have non-organic enriched rice or are avoiding it for intestine therapeutic functions, listed here are some methods to make use of it up.

Dry Out Moist Electronics

Electronics and water don’t combine, or a minimum of they’re not presupposed to! My children dropped 3 of our cell telephones in water by mistake (and one I dropped myself). Three out of the 4 had been saved by rice.

Preserve a jar of rice available and when an digital will get moist, put it within the jar and shut the lid tightly. The rice will take in the moisture and pull it out of the gadget. Except there’s structural harm, this normally works. It might take a number of 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 can be nice for hair well being. Right here’s how one can make and use rice water for softer, stronger, and shinier hair.

5. Oatmeal For Pores and skin Well being

Oatmeal may cause blood sugar spikes for a lot of, and it’s typically contaminated with glyphosate. Right here’s how one can expend a few of that further standard 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 Severe Cleansing

I swapped out my coke and different sodas for more healthy (and tastier for my part) fermented drinks. When you have some nonetheless sitting round, coke makes an excellent cleaner for robust messes. It comprises phosphoric acid that breaks down rust and onerous water and softens burnt meals. And the citric acid is nice for cleaning soap scum and grease.

It might even take the rust off of a automobile bumper. Think about what it does to the intestines??

Clear Your Bathroom

Bathroom soiled? I’m positive yours isn’t, however mine generally is. Pour a can of coke in a rest room 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 previous rest room in a home I transformed. It labored (and that rest room in all probability 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 material soaked in coke to wash it with.
• Clear grout – soak a sponge in it and use to wash grout stains.
• Take away grease stains – Soak grease-stained garments in coke, then wash as typical.
• Oil stains on flooring – Take away oil stains out of your storage flooring 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 wash. Don’t do that for jewellery with valuable stones.
• Banish rust – Coke removes rust from every part from lavatory fixtures to automobile elements.

7. Desk Salt

I’m truly an enormous fan of salt and devour quite a lot of it on a regular basis. I’m not an enormous fan of normal, iodized desk salt although for a number of causes. When you have desk salt that wants used, listed here are some methods to do 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 twig 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 excellent pure cleansing scrub.

• Use salt to wash forged iron skillets, pots, and pans (double test 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 slicing board to freshen it. Rinse and air dry.

And for a enjoyable mission with the children, attempt these 3 ingredient salt dough ornaments! The recipe is just like play-dough, however they dry onerous and you’ll paint the completed creations.

Remaining 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, take into account swapping them out for entire meals. Elements like natural flour, grain-free flours (like almond and coconut), grass-fed butter, olive oil, uncooked honey, and pure maple syrup are some scrumptious alternate options.

Do you will have every other concepts for substances like these? Inform us about them beneath!