Artistic and Sensible Makes use of For Junk Meals

After I made the swap to consuming complete meals over a decade in the past, I spotted I had a variety of meals I not wished to eat lurking within the pantry. For those who’re making the swap or want to scrub 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 individual, 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. 

Once we switched to an actual meals food plan, I donated all the unopened non-perishables. That also left all the opened packages of flour, sugar, oil, and many others. to cope with. As an alternative of simply pitching it, we used it for some enjoyable initiatives and round the home.

The youngsters had a blast (and I obtained pampered) whereas we used up the remainder of our “junk meals.” I’ve divided them up by classes, however among the recipes burn up 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 over time, particularly in terms of grains. I averted 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) sparsely. 

One factor you’re not going to search out in my pantry although (no less than not anymore!) is bleached, enriched, white flour. Listed below 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 along with your youngsters and burn up the leftover flour in your pantry. For those who don’t have youngsters, this might be enjoyable for grown-ups too… contemplate it stress reduction. And if you happen to 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 wish to burn up? 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 components of white flour and water to make a glue-like paste. Let your youngsters use their fingers and a few previous items of newspaper to make creations. As soon as it dries, it’s very similar to a sculpture. 

As youngsters, we used to explode balloons and put paper mache over them. After they dried, we popped the balloons, reduce them in half and painted them to make masks.

Polish Stainless Metal

Oh the fingerprints! Chrome steel exhibits smudges… rather a lot. 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 fabric can’t. 

2. Sugar

I’ve written rather a lot about sugar over time and why I ditched it. Whereas I’ll nonetheless have pure sweeteners sparsely, I stop bleached, white sugar. Sugar is a humectant that makes for a fantastic pores and skin scrub although! Listed below are a number of completely different sugar scrub recipes to strive. 

You’ll be able to even use a sugar syrup to wax physique hair. Listed below are directions for how you 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’ll be able to simply deal with the issue with just a little sweetness. People and ants alike each love sugar.

To make a easy ant entice:

• Combine 2 components sugar with 1 half borax (which is nice to have readily available for cleansing).
• Put it in just a little container or jar that ants can crawl out and in of. Make sure that your youngsters 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’ll finally kill all of them. I’ve used this twice to eliminate 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 these days, 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 embody corn, canola, and soy. 

Listed below 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 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 scrub your flooring. Make sure 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 wood 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 stop 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 try to keep away from the great bugs!

4. Use Up Rice

Rice is without doubt one of the meals that I ditched for years that I’m now effective with every so often. You may be stunned to listen to that I go for white rice as a substitute of brown rice although and right here’s why. If in case 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 no less than they’re not imagined to! My youngsters 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. Until there’s structural injury, this normally works. It could actually take a couple 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 filled with amino acids, antioxidants, nutritional vitamins, protein, and different vitamins which can be nice for hair well being. Right here’s how you can 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 usually contaminated with glyphosate. Right here’s how you can burn up a few of that further 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 Severe Cleansing

I swapped out my coke and different sodas for more healthy (and tastier for my part) fermented drinks. If in case you have some nonetheless sitting round, coke makes a fantastic 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 could actually even take the rust off of a automobile bumper. Think about what it does to the intestines??

Clear Your Rest room

Rest room soiled? I’m certain yours isn’t, however mine generally 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 previous rest room in a home I reworked. It labored (and that rest room most likely hadn’t been cleaned in 30-40 years). Listed below 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 ordinary. 
• 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 steel jewellery – Soak steel jewellery briefly in coke to scrub. Don’t do that for jewellery with treasured stones.  
• Banish rust – Coke removes rust from every thing from lavatory fixtures to automobile components. 

7. Desk Salt

I’m really a giant fan of salt and devour a variety of it on a regular basis. I’m not a giant fan of standard, iodized desk salt although for a number of causes. If in case 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 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 a fantastic 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 wood slicing board to freshen it. Rinse and air dry.

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

Closing Ideas 

I hope this gave you some alternate concepts for that junk meals which may nonetheless be lurking in your pantry. For those who haven’t already, contemplate swapping them out for complete 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’ve got every other concepts for components like these? Inform us about them under!