It Starts In The Kitchen

I receive a lot of questions about how I stay on track with my nutrition and what makes my kitchen different from every other person's. Well today I want to share with you some tips on some small changes you can make in your kitchen & pantry that can make a HUGE difference. 

Kitchen Utensils/Tools

First, let's start with what utensils/tools you want to have handy at all times.Some of my GO TO items are:

• Vegetable Peeler
• Measuring Cup
• Food Scale
• Snack Size Plastic Bags
• Take & Toss Containers
• Apple Slicer

Take & Toss Containers - Found in the kids/infant section of Wal-Mart or Target

You want to keep these items where they are handy. I have drawers under the counter-top I use to prep my meals so I keep these items in there. 

Bulk Buying

Now, we need to talk about BULK buying. When we lived in the US we shopped at SAM's Club often. They always has great healthy options and their fresh produce was better than any other place (other than when the Farmer's Market was open). I actually encourage buying in bulk; HOWEVER, if you decided to do this then you MUST portion it out when you get home. This is where those snack size bags and the Take & Toss containers come in handy. Once you portion it out, store it in one of those items so that it's very quick and easy to grab and go. 

Don't Test Your Self-Control

Recently, I read a great statement in the book A Big Fat Crisis. The author, Deborah A. Cohen, MD., said "Any one instance of self-control is relatively easy, but it appears that continuous demands for self-control will be self-defeating." What does this mean? It means GET THE TEMPTATION OUT OF THE HOUSE! It means that you may be able to resist the urge to snack on that candy once but over time it will be self-defeating if you constantly have to resist it, therefore, you will end up giving in. Just get rid of it! Your kids don't need it either!  Now, I admit to having some of those corn dogs, frozen pizzas and frozen chicken nuggets in my freezer; however, they aren't tempting to me! I could careless that they are in there and since my kids REFUSE to eat anything else I buy them. Those items don't test my self-control though. Ice cream on the other hand....now that is a SERIOUS test of self-control so we don't keep it in the house typically. My kids love to have that as an after school "good job" treat but my husband takes them to the ice cream shop down the road for it. (It's a win-win for this mommy....alone time and no testing my self-control!) If throwing food out gets to you then DONATE it! I am sure there is a shelter or church near you that would be more than willing to take those items off your hands. You don't want your kitchen, pantry or freezer to be anxiety producing. Make it easier for everyone and just eliminate the option of bad choices. 

 

Organizing Your Food

(I like to color code my containers with the 21 Day Fix color system)

 Have you ever noticed that when you go into the supermarket that all the BAD/UNHEALTHY choices are right at eye level as you walk through? Well it's done on purpose! Those companies pay BIG BUCKS to ensure their products are placed just right so that you make an impulse buy. It's the perfect level for your child that sitting in the cart to see and start screaming for it. Don't fall victim to that in your OWN home though. Be conscious about where you place items in your fridge, pantry and freezer. 

When you open the fridge door you are looking for whatever is quick and is easy. You want what will take the least amount of time to prepare but tastes good. Unfortunately, the fridge producing companies decided that putting the drawers for the fresh produce would be best at the bottom which makes it totally out of our line of vision while standing there. This is where prepping your food come in VERY handy! When you get home from shopping you should unload your groceries, then clean and cut (if necessary)and portion out your fruits and then display them in your snack baggies. You want to ensure you place them in your fridge at EYE level. If you claim to not have time to do all that then buy them already cut up. You also want to do the same thing with your raw veggies. If you buy yogurt then place it next to your freshly cut berries in the fridge so now you grab the two, mix them together and your are ready to go. 

Everything that is healthy you want to be at the front of the shelf and at EYE level. This means you will be a lot more likely to grab that as a quick snack.

Replacing Less Healthy Items

We all have those regular staple items that we use. Things like ketchup, peanut butter, jelly, etc. You need to try and replace those items with healthier choices. They now make ketchup that is all natural with no high fructose corn syrup. Peanut butter is a HUGE staple in this house but that's okay because I buy the all natural brand. There is oil sitting at the top of it but once you stir it up it's good to go. I actually like it better than the "fake" stuff and so do my kids. Instead of sour cream, try plain greek yogurt. Don't use mayo, use mustard instead. Also, skip the butter, use olive oil as a substitute. You can put the olive oil in a little spray bottle and it's just like the spray butter. 

There is an app that you can download called Fooducate. This app allows you to scan the bar codes of two products and do a side by side comparison. Each item is given a grade based on it's nutritional content so that helps you make quick decisions as well. 

 Organizing Your Pantry

The bulk of your food should be in your fridge because if it can't go bad then MOST of the time it's not healthy for you. With that said, I know it's not possible to only have food in your fridge. I personally have a pantry that I keep stocked. I do; however, make sure the items I place in there are NOT the loaded with sugar and extremely unhealthy options.

The same thing goes for your pantry as it does for your fridge. Put the healthy options front and center! Make sure it's eye level and it's at the front of the shelf. The foods that are not the healthiest should be at the top...you know those shelves that you have to go searching for the foot stool for...yeah those! Let's be honest, if it's up there then what is the likelihood you will go searching for the stool to get it? Probably none...at least in my house. Those items are the ones that we forget about and then end up throwing out so I STOP buying them once I throw it out.

Again, if it is bulk items then make sure you have repackaged it into those baggies or a clear container. I also use baskets in my pantry to ensure everything stays organized but that's just my personal preference. It does help me to see what I have and to make the best choice health wise and it's done quickly since it's all organized. 

What you will typically find in my pantry:

• Unsalted nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Peanuts, etc.)
• Instant Rolled Oats
• Shakeology
• Canned Organic Black Beans
• Canned Organic Diced Tomatoes
• Instant Brown Rice
• Uncooked Quinoa
• Local Homemade Pasta (This lady here makes it with veggies and it's YUMMY!)
• Dried Fruit (Raisins, Cherries, etc.)
• High Quality Protein Bars (My kids & hubby LOVE Cliff Bars!)

I won't pretend that there isn't cake, brownie and other mixes in there because there are. You will however have to go searching for it and they have probably been in there for 6 months because I don't make that stuff normally. I have it in there for those times that I forget I am supposed to bring a dessert to a party or something. Make sure if you keep that kind of stuff in your house that it's out of sight...therefore, out of mind. That's my top shelf and very bottom back shelf kind of stuff. 

The idea is that you should be eating from your fridge, NOT your pantry. The pantry is my back up food or emergency food. We all know that if it's in the pantry that it's processed therefore not the healthiest option. GO TO THE FRIDGE...that's where the healthy stuff lives! 

Where do I start?

I know this seems like a lot of information and it is. But it's all information that you NEED to get started and to be successful. Why test your self-control when you need that energy for the bigger and harder decision throughout your day! So here's a run down to help you get started:

• Remove all the high sugar & high fat temptations from the kitchen/fridge/pantry.
• Check out your fridge and find those staple items and replace them with a healthier version.
• Stock up on containers, baggies and other organizational items.
• Arrange your prep utensils/tools so they are easy to reach when you need them. 
• Go through your fridge, pantry and kitchen and GET RID of stuff to make room for your healthier items!
• Divide your snacks and bulk buys into individual servings.
• Arrange your fridge & pantry so the healthy options are FRONT & CENTER!!!! 

I hope that this is helpful in getting you started. These steps have helped me stay on track. (For the most part - I am human and slip up like the rest of you!) If you have any questions then please don't hesitate to message me! XoXo