With the holidays right around the corner and the loose clothing coming out, perhaps it’s easier for you to let your kitchen get comfortable too. Put today I challenge you to do an overhaul. Set yourself up for success and clean it up by clearing it out!Every kitchen needs the right tools you can’t “get the job done” with out the right tools as my husband would say. Each Tool I suggest is basic and should be easy to reach while you prepare your food.
-Paring Knife
-Vegetable Peeler
-Measuring cups
-Food Scale
-Snack Size plastic bags
-Plastic 1 cup size reusable containers (Target has a nice set with a variety of sizes perfect for clean kitchen overhauling!)
So we all know if you buy a bag of something and don’t portion it off into the proper portion size we will eat more then we think we did. So to prevent that here is what I do:
Buy in bulk! Use plastic bags or storage containers to organize your food right. Freeze what you aren’t using soon, and portion the rest of it out using a food scale or counting a portion size. This will save you a ton of time when you need to grab and go. Portion everything from your almonds, to your hummus to your chicken for the week!
You’ll find in doing this a lot less food gets wasted as well and you start to buy smarter for the week. There is no more mindless shopping.
Overhaul Time
Well start by opening up your fridge and pantry and look and see if Shaun T himself came into your house what would he eat? If he needed to be in tip top shape what foods would you throw out or donate? If that means getting rid of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups you’ve stashed in the freezer, because you may be tempted to grab a handful as you walk threw the kitchen in the afternoon then get rid of it. Make it easy on yourself to have healthy choices by eliminating the tempting foods that would cause you to make poor choices.
Time to purchase food
Super markets spend millions of dollars each year playing into your impulse buys. The best advice I’ve ever received about grocery shopping: shop the perimeter. The necessities, the cleanest items are toward the outside (not in the aisle). And never go to the store hungry; you’re setting yourself up for failure if you do!
Set Up for Success
When we stand in front of the fridge, we usually grab whatever foods take the least amount of time to prepare. So we need healthy items for a “quick” grab. After going grocer, clean your fruits and veggies and place them at eye level so its easy to grab. If you don’t want to spent the time cutting up the veggies buy them pre cut. Arrange your Greek yogurt by the berries, place your hummus and veggies together.
When working out and replacing fat with muscle, Eating hard boiled egg whites will leave you full longer and give you 5 grams of protein per egg. Purchase 12 eggs on Sunday cook all of them and then peel and place in fridge. /the only thing needed is to take the yolk out before you eat it. Now when you find yourself in the kitchen and you mindlessly be eating you will be snacking on food that your body will use for healthy fuel to your system. There’s no room for temptation.
Replacement
Ok. so you are ready to go to the store but you know that you have your household staples that you are afraid to give up. Find alternatives. For example, maybe after a lond day of chasing the kiddos, you really crave ice cream. Instead of buying ice cream, find a recipe that will satisfy that spot. For me, this recipe always works!
Hit the Pantry!
The best foods you will be eating will be coming out of the fridge because they are fresh. But there are a few pantry essentials that I always keep in stock.
- brown unsalted rice cakes
- quinoa
- instant rolled oats
- Shakeology
- canned low sodium black beans
- canned low sodium diced tomatoes
- dried fruits like raisins, berries, craisins (be aware of the sugar content on these)
- salsa
- almonds.
Things to do right now to get started:
-Divide snack into individual servings and arrange in the front and center of your fridge and pantry
-Remove high fat or high sugar temptations from the kitchen
-Arrange prep tools for the kitchen in easy to reach places
-Stock up on small bags, snack containers, and clear fruit bowls.
-Survey the refrigerator for frequently consumed foods that need to be swapped out by lower fat and reduced calorie foods.
If you would like to join my next online support group and give your kitchen a permanent overhaul, send me an email so I can give you more information.
