3 Steps to Clear Your Fridge (and Simplify the Kitchen)

We just came back from a long weekend road trip and as I opened my weary eyes yesterday morning and trudged downstairs I realized that my kitchen management has been lacking.  Oh, and paired with the sun shining and birds singing I brutally realized that it is indeed Spring Cleaning Time.

I hadn’t really meal planned (beyond a day or two) in about a month.  I couldn’t remember when I had last efficiently done food shopping and was clearly not staying within our food budget.  Add to that some busy and chaotic weeks and our kitchen environment falls apart. So it was time to take the first step and yup, clean the refrigerator.  Now, this is ALWAYS my first move when the kitchen has become chaotic.  When the refrigerator is jammed and untidy I find that the family and I are making less healthy eating choices and I tend to meal plan haphazardly, which blows the food budget and leads to more not-so-healthy eating (its hard to eat the veggies and fruit when you can’t find them!)

Here are my 3 steps to clearing out my refrigerator and hitting the reset button in the kitchen:

Take it all out and wipe it down.  I mean ALL of it.  Every can, jar, fruit, vegetable, drink, you name it.  Then take out the shelves and drawers if you can and wash them (warm soapy water will do).  Even take out the shelves on the door if you are able.  Then with just some soapy water and a cloth wipe the inside.  It is amazing how many little spills I find that I never knew had happened.  While the fridge and its parts are drying move on to—

Look at the food you have.  Go through and check for items past expiration (obviously throw them out and recycle containers!).  Pair like items together: jellies and jams, condiments, dairy, sauces, etc.  Lastly, figure out what you REALLY need and get rid of what you don’t.  Sometimes I make poor food choices at the store and I’m left with a jar of something that I really don’t use and/or I really don’t want to put into my body or that of my family.  So I throw it out.  It may seem wasteful but sometimes you just have to get rid of the bad so that you can make choices for the good.

Now before you put it all back together–
Think about how your family uses your refrigerator.  And let this guide you towards where you put the shelves and drawers.  Do you have little children who like to visit the fridge?  Maybe you want to put only healthy items in their reach.  I found that as my own children have become more independent I’d like to help them and move items lower for them to reach, so they are not dragging a chair across the kitchen floor!
Do you tend to reach for the same foods more often than others?  We eat a pretty limited repertoire of breakfast foods and so I’ve organized them all on the door for easy access and now even my little guy can reach his yogurt every morning.  This alone has helped mornings go a bit more smoothly and we can use all the help we can get.
Try to get those veggies and fruits into a drawer.  If needed, cut or chop them first and put them in a clear container in the drawer.  Once again, it’s hard to eat the veggies if you don’t see them.

I find that once the fridge is put back together, clean and organized, I can begin to make those healthy snack choices because I see what is good right in front of me.  I can also begin to plan meals efficiently and in a healthy way because I know what I have to work with.  I hope you make the time to clear out and hit the reset button on your own eating and cooking, I’d love to hear how it goes or if you have any other tips!

Health and Happiness,

Cerissa