In 52 Healthy Changes, Everyday Life, Food, Newsletter, Recipes
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f you took inventory of your refrigerator, chances are the majority of the products would be in the fridge door, or the top shelf…you know which products I mean…condiments.

How many condiments do you have in your refrigerator? Seriously, I want to know! Don’t feel embarrassed…we have surprisingly few, mainly because we stopped buying them years ago when we swapped out for organic brands. But before that? We could count 50 different condiments with ease!

The sad truth is, many of the organic counterparts hold a hefty price tag. But, when comparing ingredients, side by side, it’s worth it. To compensate, we pared down the number of condiments we buy. Turns out you really don’t need them all! Go figure!

If you want to cut the costs even further, you can make many condiments at home, using higher quality ingredients to boot! I’ve successfully been making our own homemade mayo for a year (but have also found a few alternatives when in a pinch…I’ll share the recipe and the alternatives below).

If you haven’t figured it out already, healthy change #8 is to ditch the chemical-laden, preservative-filled condiments lurking in your fridge. I know, I know, this can be hard to do, especially with those specialty ones that have been in there for years (and miraculously, haven’t reached their expiration date!). Ever wonder why some of these have such a long shelf life? #preservatives

In case it’s not completely obvious by now…we heart lists!

So, yet again, whip out a piece of paper…better yet, just get yourself a spiral notebook where all these lists can be kept together, in one place, for easy reference! On a fresh sheet of paper, write out all the condiments in your refrigerator. Tally them up and let us know your magical condiment number in the comments below! It’ll be fun! You can even get fancy here, making column headings such as “Use daily”, “Use Weekly”, “Use Seldom” and Use…can’t remember when!

With list in hand, you should be able to quickly see which condiments you’ll want to replace ASAP. For us it was ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo and mustard (both Dijon and yellow). Because I can quickly whip up a batch of salad dressing with kefir, yogurt, oil and vinegar or this rockin’ ranch dressing, it didn’t top my list of priorities. Your list will probably look different than mine!

I only want you to focus on the “Daily” and “Weekly” columns…for now. Which condiments need to be added to your next grocery list? Organic ketchup should cost you less than $5. Organic mustard is even cheaper…

As the weeks go on, add another condiment to your grocery list. Each time you shop, replace a preservative filled condiment with an organic replacement (but do check the ingredients!).

  • A word to the wise…simply because the word “Organic” is slapped on the label, does NOT mean it’s healthy! Follow our rule of thumb…if you can’t pronounce it, and it’s not an ingredient you’d cook with in your own kitchen, you don’t want it in your food!

If you’re feeling quite adventurous, (and you happen to run out of ketchup this week) try making this super simple homemade ketchup from Mommypotamus!

If you’ve kept up with our healthy changes and replaced your cooking oils, then you will be able to make homemade mayo! Have you ever looked at the ingredients on your jar of mayo? (You may not want to…just open the trash, grab the jar and toss!) 

Using all your healthy cooking oil to make a batch of mayo may not seem like the best choice, but the taste is like no other and you’ll be so glad you gave it a try. Homemade mayo is so delicious, thick and creamy with just the right tang. And there’s something about knowing each ingredient you used to make it! Here’s a link to a mayo recipe, from Mommypotamus (and another mayo recipe that’s whipped up in a matter of minutes using an immersion blender).

If making your own condiments is just not a priority, (and I get it, we all have to draw a line somewhere!) Annie’s brand has some great condiments and we frequently buy their ketchup, mustard (Dijon), and Worcestershire.

Condiments are varied, and we all have our preference, so it may take some trial and error to find your families faves. We have found we like my homemade BBQ sauce best, but only if it’s going on food that will be cooked…it’s a bit too spicy if used plain. So our store bought alternative is from Organicville (original flavor).

As for mayo, a quality brand will come with a hefty price tag (as will the homemade version since you’re using your healthy oils). There’s just no getting around the fact that most mayo offered in the grocery store is made from unhealthy oils. Even the ones touted to be healthy! Maddening, I know! After checking around online, I found this mayo made with avocado oil, which is the same oil I use when making mine at home! The choice is yours, but FYI, I can make about 4 batches of homemade mayo for the same price!

You have your list, now ask yourself if making condiments from scratch is worth it…if so grab the ingredients needed to make them at home and go for it! Let us know which condiments you’re going to try and how they turn out.

Also, if you find a fantastic homemade recipe or store bought brand, please…let us know about it in the comments!

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Showing 8 comments
  • Avatar
    Mia
    Reply

    I finally counted! We have 18 condiments in the door of our fridge :/ In our defense, though; most are organic and/or Asian ingredients (we eat 80% food in our house). And the giant bottle of fluorescent green Heinz relish has sat there, untouched, for a year since we felt obliged to purchase it for a BBQ 😉

    • Kelsey Steffen
      Kelsey Steffen
      Reply

      18 is not bad at all! And I get the Asian ingredients…lots of sauces and condiments for Asian dishes! I’ve been finding quite a few organic Asian condiments from Azure Standard…have you looked into seeing if they deliver near you? A great way to save money on quality organic food! Oh, the dreaded BBQ/potluck conundrum! Buy more expensive organic condiments for those who may not even care, or grab the cheap stuff and house it for years to come…? Decisions, decisions!

  • Avatar
    Tracey
    Reply

    How long does your mayo typically last until it expires?

    • Kelsey Steffen
      Kelsey Steffen
      Reply

      To be honest, I’m not sure! We always use it up before it goes bad. I would guess it would last 2-3 weeks. Even longer if you add whey and ferment it on the counter for 12 hours. Then you have the benefit of probiotic mayo (although fermenting it does alter the flavor a little).

  • Avatar
    Beth
    Reply

    Ooooo…that sounds so good!!! I miss ranch! I can’t wait for the recipe..I’ll make some mayo for it. Thanks!

  • Avatar
    Beth
    Reply

    Love this post!!! I made a lot of changes when I started having problems with my tummy…so now (most of the time) I make my own mayo and relish… so easy! My next venture is to make my own ketchup. I don’t use any salad dressings anymore just oil and vinegar but the boys still use ranch. I still have a medium length list of condiments in the fridge that are unhealthy but those will soon be replaced!! Thanks for the awesome post!

    • Kelsey Steffen
      Kelsey Steffen
      Reply

      Awesome Beth! Let us know how your ketchup turns out! I recently found the BEST ranch dry mix that you can add in to anything to make up the best salad dressing (in our opinion!). I usually mix up 2 cups of it and store in in the pantry in a mason jar. It works with combinations of mayo, sour cream, milk kefir, yogurt, milk…etc! I’ll post the recipe soon as I need to whip up another batch anyway!

    • Jason Steffen
      Jason Steffen
      Reply

      The boys in our house love Ranch dressing as well! Yep, Kelsey has a recipe coming soon!

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