What is in your fridge?

I opened my refrigerator with the goal of making a sandwich and it turned into a huge project. Why? Just before I put they olive oil mayo on my sandwich I noticed it has expired 6 months ago...ouch! I guess that shows how often we actually use mayo. It was then that I realized that it is time to go through everything and toss what is old and expired.

This is a real challenge for me, ever since I worked at the food bank, I hate to throw away food. But, in this case it had to be done. This is a great time of year to make sure you are up to date too. Many of those condiments that dwell in the fridge all year get pulled out just in time for a memorial day cookout.

Let’s start with the ketchup, if it is kept in the fridge (I know some people keep it out), it is good once opened for about 6 months, if it is older than that toss it. Mustard is o.k. for up to a year open in the fridge. BBQ sauce should be tossed after only 4 months, so think twice before you use last years bbq sauce on this years chicken. Mayo should be tossed within 2 months of opening--I guess I definitely made a food safety boo-boo. And those pickles should be tossed after two months as well. Of course, many of you will tell me that you ate ketchup after 3 years and it didn’t get sick and that may be true, but why risk it?

Now time to look at the salad dressing. The general rule of thumb is 3 months. Ouch another boo boo in my fridge. There were some dressing that I didn’t even remember buying. In that case, the rule of thumb is if you can’t remember when you put it in the fridge, throw it out. I love to try different dressings and I just tossed way too many, I guess its back to making my own dressings so that I don’t waste so much!

Then I started really thinking, all of these things that I just tossed in the trash aren’t really that good for me. While most of the fats were healthier choices, almost everything else was loaded with sodium or added sugars and I know better than that. For now, I am starting from scratch. Sometimes, when it comes to better nutrition that is exactly where you need to be.