Clean Out Day

Today I pulled out all the non-vegan items, processed foods, etc. out of our kitchen. I feel like Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout. Old green beans covered with something slimy, shredded chicken whose origins I cannot date, one lone ice cream cone from box I bought this summer, four kinds of pancake mix, high protein Luna bars which are like chocolate-peanut-butter-flavored chewing gum, Cheez-Its, cookie dough, half a bottle of Sprite, five different types of butter-like substances, wonderful free-range eggs that can't possibly be bad for you, cereal whose only sin is the added sugar, 1.5 cartons of milk, about 7 kinds of cheese (it's an addiction, like purses or gambling), a brand new bag of turkey pepperoni, and some mini quiches leftover from a bridal shower I threw two months ago. I came up with a big laundry basket overflowing with stuff from our pantry and four grocery bags from the refrigerator. I sent my parents home with what they would take and am hoping to give the rest of it to friends and family so it doesn't end up going to waste. I also threw out the expired soup, old leftovers, and the like.

So what's still in the pantry/fridge? Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. And a few things I shouldn't have kept but did. I am not replacing perfectly good nuts, dried cranberries, and panko bread crumbs just because they have a little salt, sugar, or white flour in them. And I kept our collection of oils and flours that I use for baking because I don't think I will be tempted to sit down to a big bowl of pastry flour and a glass of canola oil. I also saved a few things but put them away for the next 28 days, like all our frozen meat and a huge container of taco seasoning I just bought at Costco that contains a wee bit of whey. I figure we should follow the "rules" for the 28 days we agreed to and then we can figure out the parameters moving forward.

It's interesting that the biggest change for us is not really the vegan aspect of this challenge. The majority of the food was ditched because it is in some way processed or has sketchy ingredients. I was surprised because I have been on the no hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup bandwagon for awhile now. But still it sneaks in the house. I guess that gap between intentions and actions is about 15 pounds of baby weight wide. I know I have very little discipline. I'm not the type who can eat one cookie. If no one is looking I will scrape the last of the queso out of the bowl with my finger. I think, with my personality, I do better with definite black and white. So it feels really good to get all this junk out of our house. I am excited to see what I begin to crave when only healthy options are on the table.

Tomorrow is our first real day. We have a menu planned and everything. Wish us luck!