When I switched to eating whole foods about ten years ago, I realized I had so much food that I no longer wanted to hide and eat. in the closet. If you’re doing a swap or just want to clean things up, here are some creative uses for junk food!
I have compiled a list of ways to use these for other family matters. I hate wasting it as much as the next person, but I finally had to realize that my body is not a garbage can. And I refuse to use things just to finish what’s in the house.
When we switched to a real food diet, I gave away all unopened non-perishables. That still left us with the opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, etc. to deal with. Instead of just keeping it, we’ve been using it for some fun projects and around the house.
The kids had a blast while we used up the rest of our “junk food” (and so did I). I’ve divided them into categories, but some recipes use many different ingredients. My solutions were:
1. All-round rich flour
Over the years I’ve changed my stance and perspective on things, especially when it comes to grains. I avoided them completely for several years while I was healing mine Autoimmune disease. Now I eat certain grains like white rice and organic flour (Especially yeast) in moderation.
One thing you won’t find in my closet (at least not anymore!) is white, rich, White powder. Here are some ways to use it.
Play dough
A win-win situation. You can spend quality time with your kids and use the leftover flour in your pantry. If you don’t have kids, this can be fun for adults too…think stress relief. And if you want a Gluten free dough version, I have one here.
This play dough uses flour, vegetable oil, koolaide or food coloring, and iodized table salt.
Playdough recipe
A basic playdough recipe that uses ingredients from your pantry for endless fun.
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Combine water and salt in a large pot and heat over low heat until salt dissolves.
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Knead the flour until well mixed.
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Add vegetable oil and cream of tartar, mix well.
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Continue stirring on low heat until it thickens and pull it into a ball from the sides. If it is too sticky, keep stirring on low heat until it thickens.
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Remove from heat and let cool until you can handle it.
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Add Kool-Aid or food coloring for color.
You can also add some essential oils to your powder to give it a nice aroma and some aromatherapy benefits.
Do you have extra food coloring that you want to use? Mix it with some yogurt Finger color. Be sure to take a picture of your child’s art project before you throw it away!
Paper Mache paste with flour
Mix equal parts white flour and water to make a paste. Use your children’s hands and some old newspapers to make creations. Once dry, it’s like a sculpture.
As kids we used to blow up balloons and put paper mache on them. When they were dry, we popped the balloons, cut them in half and painted them to make masks.
Polish stainless steel
Oh, the fingerprints! Stainless steel shows impurities… a lot. After regular cleaning, pour or rub all-purpose powder onto the stainless to keep it shiny and to remove fingerprints or water spots.
The oils and fibers in the powder destroy the tiny holes in the steel. It also helps remove dirt and grime that a normal cleaning cloth cannot.
2. Sugar
I’ve written a lot over the years about sugar and why I gave it up. I will still have natural sweeteners in moderation, I have given up bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a great skin exfoliant though! Here are some different sugar scrub recipes to try.
You can use sugar syrup to grow body hair. Here are instructions on how to make and use them. A sugar wax.
Kill unwanted ants
For many of us, the warmer seasons can mean ants in the house. Instead of using harmful pesticides, you can easily deal with the problem with a little sweetness. Both humans and ants love sugar.
To make a simple ant trap;
- Mix 2 parts of sugar with 1 part of borax (which is great for cleaning on hand).
- Place it in a small container or pot where ants can crawl in and out. Make sure your kids can’t get to it.
Borax is toxic to ants, but they cannot resist sugar. It doesn’t kill them right away, but they bring it back to their nest, where it eventually kills them all. I have used this twice to get rid of ants in our house. Killing ants = good use for sugar!
3. Vegetable oil
You may have noticed more talk about seed oils and vegetable oils lately, even from mainstream sources. Vegetable oils They are high in omega-6 fats and have been linked to various health problems. These include corn, canola and soybeans.
Here are some ways to use up leftover vegetable oil in your home.
Clean your wood naturally
There are natural things Cleaning methods Any type of floor, and the vegetable oil in your closet will do an amazing job of cleaning hardwood. Instead of letting it mess up your omega-3 to 6 ratio, use it to make your floors shine.
Mix 1 cup of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Use this mixture to clean your floors. Make sure you check the area first. You’ll have less swelling, and your floors will have a nice shine!
Also, by mixing vegetable oil with vinegar, a DIY dust sprayer For wooden items.
Canola oil in the garden
Some sources say that canola oil can work well as an insecticide and pesticide in the garden. It kills by suffocating bugs and helps prevent powdery mildew by providing protection between plants and fungi.
To use it, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap to 1 liter of water. Spray on plants to kill bugs and prevent powdery mildew. Be sure to try and avoid good mistakes!
4. Use rice
For years one of my junk foods was rice and now I’m fine with it occasionally. You might be surprised to hear that I prefer white rice to brown rice. And here’s why. If you have non-organic enriched rice or are protecting it for gut healing purposes, here are some ways to use it.
Dry wet electronics
Electronics and water don’t mix, or at least they shouldn’t! My kids accidentally dropped 3 of our cell phones in the water (and I dropped one myself). Three of the four were saved by rice.
Keep a pot of rice handy and while the electronics are wet, place it in the pot and close the lid tightly. The rice takes the moisture and pulls it out of the device. Unless there is structural damage, this usually works. It may take a few days or even two weeks, so be patient.
Rice water for healthy hair
Asian cultures have used rice water for luxurious locks for many years. Rice is full of amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, protein and other nutrients that are important for hair health. Here’s how they work and how to use them Rice water Soft, strong and shiny hair.
5. Oatmeal for skin health
Oatmeal can cause blood sugar spikes for many, and is often contaminated with glyphosate. Here’s how you can use up some of the common rolled oats in your pantry.
Relaxing Face Powder Blend oatmeal in a blender or food processor and add warm milk to make a paste. Rub it on your face, let it dry, then wash it off. It tightens pores, removes blackheads and moisturizes.
6. Coke for heavy cleaning
I’ve swapped out my coke and other sodas for healthier (and in my opinion, tastier) drinks. Cooked drinks. If you have some still sitting around, coke makes a great cleanup for tough messes. It contains phosphoric acid that breaks down rust and hard water and softens burnt foods. And citric acid is great for soap residue and grease.
It can even remove the rust from the car bumper. Guess what it does to the gut??
Clean your toilet
Toilet waste? I’m sure it’s not yours, but mine is sometimes. Pour a tin of tin in the toilet and let it sit for an hour. Use a brush to remove stains and rinse for a sparkling clean.
I even tried this in a 30-40 year old toilet in a house I remodeled. It worked (and the toilet probably hadn’t been cleaned in 30-40 years). Here are some more ways to use peaches for cleaning.
- Remove the gum from the hair. Wash your hair for 10 minutes and the gum will come out immediately.
- Open the drains – Pour in the coke and wait.
- Clean car batteries – Pour coke on a gun battery or use a rag soaked in coke.
- Clean garbage – Jump in the sponge and use it to clean the trash cans.
- Remove grease stains – Soak greasy clothes in coke and then wash as usual.
- Spread oil on the floor – Remove oil stains from your garage floor or concrete driveways.
- Clean pots and pans – Dip in coke to dissolve burnt pans stuck to food.
- Turn on metal jewelry – To clean metal jewelry, soak it in coke for a short time. Do not do this for jewelry with precious stones.
- Remove rust – Coke removes rust from bathroom fixtures to auto parts.
7. Table salt
I really a Big fan of salt And eat more every day. I’m not a big fan of regular, iodized table salt, though, for several reasons. If you have table salt to use, here are some ways to do it.
Weed killer
Prepare weed killer for driveways and sidewalks. For every 1 gallon of white vinegar, add 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Fill a spray bottle or pump sprayer to use on weeds. Be careful not to spray in places where you want some plants to grow (like a garden).
Salt scrubbers
Salt makes excellent natural cleaning fluids.
- Use salt to clean cast iron pots, pans, and pans (double check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions for any nonstick pans).
- Add salt to the coffee mug to help remove black spots
- To refresh, rub salt and lemon juice on a wooden cutting board. Wash and air dry.
And for a fun project with kids, try these 3 ingredients Salt dough ornaments! The recipe is similar to play-powder, but they dry hard and you can paint the finished creations.
Final thoughts
I hope this has given you some alternative ideas for that junk food that may still be lurking in your pantry. If you haven’t already, consider exchanging them Whole foods. Some delicious options include organic flour, grain-free flours (like almonds and coconut), grass-fed butter, olive oil, raw honey, and natural maple syrup.
Do you have any other ideas for such ingredients? Tell us about them below!
