Kitchen Makeover

Did your eyes just get wide with excitement and did you have a little drool in the corner of your mouth when you read the title of today's blog?  Well, don't get too excited...I'm not talking about a major remodel in your kitchen.  What I am going to discuss is how you can makeover your kitchen to improve your odds with healthy eating and weight loss.

First, take a look at your kitchen.  Better yet, take a picture of all corners of your kitchen.  Look beyond the paint on the walls, the lighting, and the appliances.  Is your kitchen organized or do you get stressed just looking at a picture of your kitchen?  Organization is a major necessity to healthy eating.  Why aren't you in your kitchen more often?  Are you too busy to prepare healthy meals?  We all are busy but that's no excuse to NOT make your meals at home.  When you have an organized canvas to work with, food preparation becomes easier and more enjoyable.  You don't want to fight with looking through countless drawers and cupboards for tools.

Set aside some time to reorganize your cupboards, drawers and refrigerator.  Start in one section of the kitchen, pull everything out and check expiration dates.  Discard all expired foods...no exceptions!!  While you are checking out expiration dates, why not take a second and look at the food label.  Are you harboring overly-processed foods filled with additives and words you cannot pronounce?  Time to discard!!  Once you've cleaned out those unhealthy and old food items, take a moment to wipe the slate clean.  Wipe done cupboards/drawers/shelves and replace liners.  Now that you have a clean surface, replace items in an organized manner.  Group like-foods, bring frequently-used items to the front, label your shelves.  Organization makes your life easier.

The next step is to make sure your appliances are in working order.  Is that blender on your counter gathering dust?  Does that bread machine work?  If your appliances aren't working and cannot be repaired, get rid of them.  Now that you can find all the essential tools and foods, AND your appliances are in tip-top shape, it's time to get cooking!  Not sure where to start?  Hit the library and check out the cooking section.  There are plenty of options for cookbooks from vegetarian to clean-eating to bread making.  Take your pick!

Stay tuned for another blog entry on how to add healthier foods and gadgets to your kitchen.  Baby steps, though.  Your first step is to get that kitchen clean and organized.  It's not hard but it is a crucial step to getting healthy from the inside out.  Get your kitchen cleaned out and kick the clutter to the curb!!