Holy moly! How did all of this stuff sneak into my fridge!?  I’ve been keeping my cabinets pretty clear of *junk* food. And by junk, I mean foods that contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors, artificial sweeteners, anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, modern vegetable oils, soy and soy derivatives, preservatives, additives, stabilizers, and things that simply don’t belong in the product (case in point: PB&F? Why is there fish in your peanut butter?) With the cabinets mostly clear, I was surprised to find so many sneaky items still hidden in the back of my refrigerator, tucked in the bottom shelf of the door, and even in plain sight that had simply become invisible over time.

It was a little sad to throw away all of the contents of these jars and bottles because they represent money spent on attempts at low-carb diets, attempts to eat more salads, and a few honest attempts to buy something healthful before I got smart about reading labels. But I dutifully dumped them out, cleaned the containers and recycled or saved them depending on their re-usabaility. My cabinet of empty jars is now well stocked!

My fridge is clean and pretty now too, with lots of room for the new recipes I’m going to try and perishable, local, in season foods I’ll be buying. I need room to put the jars back in the fridge once they are full of new healthy foods.  A few foods I’m working on now include yogurt, kombucha, kefir, and mayonaisse.

You can see some manufactured items remain, mostly on the top shelf. I’ve tried to limit them to the better options such as jam sweetened only with fruit, roasted organic nut butters, organic maple syrup, naturally fermented soy sauce, and a few other items I’m not ready to let go of just yet.  For now, I am thrilled with the new space in the fridge and the big changes I have managed to maintain this year.

I rewarded myself for the fridge cleanout with a trip to the Container Store and replaced all of the plastic baggies that were crowding my bulk shelf.

I think the new labels are just the cutest! They are by Martha Stewart Crafts. Next step – reusable bags for purchasing bulk items and bringing them home.

Are you ready to clean out your fridge or cabinets? Fall is a great time to do the big cleanout. With the cool, rainy weather, what fun to stay inside and make room for the fall harvest!  Clean cupboards make it easy to find your aluminum free baking powder and spices for apple spice muffins, and a clean fridge means you have room for leftover pumkin pie. I would love to see before and after photos, or even just a picture of the yuckies you’re getting rid of. Remember to recycle the plastic empties and keep your glass jars!