Pantry Rock is in the House

Ok, that title is a play on “Party Rock Anthem,” which I am totally into after seeing this video. But, I digress. We are here to talk pantries.

Is yours a mess? If yes, I can figure three things: 1. It’s a drag to cook. 2. You are wasting money. And, 3., you run the risk of making your family sick.

Let’s address #1. Organizing your pantry will revolutionize your meal prep routine. It will cut minutes off your cooking time. Make sure you can see everything and can read every label. Get things off the floor and off the top-top shelf. Know where things are, so you can quickly access them. (Alphabetize food or put them in categories.) When you can see what you have, you might get inspired to try new recipes.

2. A messy pantry means food is not in order, so when you think you are out of icing, you go buy more. But there was a jar in there the whole time. You just couldn’t see it. And you just wasted money. Put like things with like things. For example, put all the canned peas together, all the pasta together, all the cereal. You got this!

3. If your pantry is over-stocked with food that you can’t see or reach, food gets old and goes bad. You certainly don’t want to cook with expired ingredients. The food will not taste good, and you could possibly put your family at risk of food poisoning. Plus, food that sits in there too long is very attractive to four-legged critters. Throw out expired food. Once you are organized, it’s easier to stay on top of this task.

So get that pantry organized. (Listen to Party Rock Anthem while you do, and it will be way more fun!) And I promise, you will enjoy cooking so much more.