stocking up

i have been trying to make small steps toward a simpler, healthier and more organized life. this is, of course, an ongoing process. one that often takes one step forward and two steps back in the course of life as it is. one area that i have been brainstorming about is our kitchen cabinet. that's right, cabinet, as in one. we have the pleasure of having only one cabinet for our food. this, i have to tell myself, is the tradeoff for being able to stay at home with our kids. yes, we could have a fancy kitchen, but then i would have to work. but, that is another topic all together.

in our one cabinet, we have all the staples for baking, snacks, pasta, grains, rice, cereal and a few other random things. i have been feeling like overhauling this situation for some time for two reasons. the first is that we buy too many things in boxes and bags, things that we could get in bulk at the grocery store or make for ourselves. the second reason for a clean out is that the whole situation gets to crowded up with almost empty things that we just push to the back to make room for more, and then nobody knows if it's old or not and then it's wasted!

so, i set out one morning, with henny watching from the tower. from my perch on the counter i had three options for the items in the cabinet... trash, birds or save. when i was done, it was beautiful, empty!

next i gathered up all the jars and canisters that i could find. on my next trip to the grocery store i did a thorough sweep of the bulk section. instead of just getting a few snacks for the kids and some nuts, i bought everything that we would eat in an average week. when i got home i filled the cans and jars.

it's not perfect, but so much better. now i can see what i have and know when to buy more. it looks much better than a bunch of half bags and boxes, and i'm saving the environment! i would love to have a few more cans, but i'm going to wait for tag sale season.

for now, what we have in our stock is: oats, nuts (sliced almonds now, but i plan on rotating this as we need to), barley, black beans, bean mix, dry soup mix (actually quite good, i made a pot this week!), rice, lentils, textured vegetable protein and a can that is just seeds and fruit and nuts (the kids LOVE this, i have been getting different things each week and just mixing it around). 

this is such a great step for me. now i just can't wait for the summer to fill our shelves with jars of fruits and veggies!