To be quite honest, I think this kitchen clean out may take more than these 3 or 4 days that I planned.  In fact, I’m finding more and more stuff that needs to be cooked and used. Just last night, I cooked dinner without ever using my pantry. Everything came from the refrigerator or freezer.  This clean out may take a while…

The plan last night was to have turkey burgers.  The kids weren’t going to be home, so the 2 frozen turkey burgers I found would be enough for a date night dinner.  I knew there was a partial bag of tater-tots in the freezer and eggs and bacon in the refrigerator, along with the usual condiments, so dinner was set.  I didn’t plan on finding lettuce, tomato, guacamole, and some really nice cheese that needed to be used.  In the end, my burger was larger than the bun, and my husband’s was truly a man’s burger–meat, egg, and BBQ sauce. (I swear that man would eat BBQ sauce on wood chips…and like it!)

Throughout this cleaning process, I’ve thought a lot about how we prepare and think about meals.  So many of us get stuck in a rut–preparing the same menu week after week.  For many, we are programmed to pair certain menu items with other menu items, as if to say we can’t have these meals any other way.  It’s as if there are rules to what sides we can have with each protein and a set way to prepare  dish.  I mean, seriously, who made up these rules?  Why are we so programmed? Did we lose our creativity when we stopped having imaginary friends? (If you have an imaginary friend, I mean no offense.  Please keep it to yourself.)

Day ONE of kitchen clean out…Pulled Pork Sliders and Baked Beans…YEP, I’m guilty.

Day TWO…Braised Moroccan Beef over Egg Noodles…A little bit better

Day THREE…Country Sausage Gravy Poutine…MUCH better.  Sausage Gravy and French Fries definitely break the rules!

Day FOUR…Turkey Burgers with Tater Tots (and left over baked beans)…Sort of guilty. The burgers stepped out a little bit, but the tater tots are totally a programmed side dish.

Day FIVE…I’ve got to do better!  I think I just challenged myself…