31 Days Challenge- Day 13: Build a Better Pantry

There's been a lot of "talk," about pantries lately...

Many people are joining in the Pantry challenge- trying to plan and cook meals from their pantries.

Many, trying to get their lives and homes organized, are cleaning out and organizing their pantries.

Yesterday, was my day to clean out my pantry. However, while I did it, instead of just cleaning it out, and instead of just making a list of meals that I could make using ingredients I already have on hand, I also thought about what I want, and what I don't want in my pantry, and how what we have on hand influences what we eat.

As you examine what's in your pantry, look at the items and read the labels- 

Is there anything that you don't want to buy again?
Is there anything in your pantry that doesn't reflect how you'd like your family to eat?
What do your kids see when they open the pantry? Are the foods you'd like them to eat prominently displayed or are their eyes drawn to items that are intended for special treats?
Is your pantry full of processed foods or whole food ingredients?
Think about items that you'd like to improve. When they run out, is there something better that you could replace them with?

My "Better Pantry"

A few weeks ago, I bought a box of vanilla wafers for a special Christmas Treat that I was making. Our pantry was full and unorganized so the box was put away, front and center. Since that time, my kids have been asking for vanilla wafers on a daily basis- and why wouldn't they? As soon as they opened the pantry- there they were.

So... I gathered all of the "special treat" items and put them in the back of the top shelf of the pantry.

Then I put all of my bags of flour and sugar in front of them to cover them up...

Then, this afternoon, when my kids opened the cupboard looking for a snack, I told them that they only needed to look in one place. Anything that was acceptable for snacking was now on the bottom shelf.

As I was cleaning out my pantry, my All You magazine arrived and one of the articles was called, "Build a Better Pantry," I thought that was the perfect phrase to describe today's challenge.

So, what are you going to do to make your pantry reflect how you'd like your family to be eating?

This post is linked up to: Pantry Challenge- Week 2 Progress