Do you suffer from pantry overload? Do you hoard cases of unhealthy foods from various giant warehouse stores? Even worse, are most of the packages inside of your cabinets outdated? It is spring cleaning time and that means freshening up your kitchen and lightening up on your food choices.
The first step is to clean off the counters and organize them. Too much clutter will lead you to wanting to just grab something fast and pre-packaged. A cluttered kitchen will also make you not want to prepare healthy meals and may lead you to opt for takeout.
Hit those cabinets and remove the little pre-wrapped cakes, cookies, chips, etc. If you are tempted by it, remove it. Chances are they will entice you in your moment of weakness! Replace those items with healthy treats such as trail mix, protein bars, nuts, dried fruits, etc. Take your family on a shopping trip and teach them about healthy snacking. Let them pick out healthy items for themselves. This will help you hold each other accountable as a family. If it is expired, get rid of it. There is no sense in taking up space with something that could harm you.
Next, hit the fridge, striking the dreaded side door of condiments first. Remove expired salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, etc. How long has that butter and margarine been sitting there? Clean out the shelves of crusty, dried up barbecue and soy sauce. Remove the expired, moldy cheese from the cold cuts drawer. You may even discover where that funky smell was originating.
Freshen up your produce and take a look at what you are actually eating. I love grapefruit, but sometimes I buy too many and they end up hanging around for a month or two. I have recently opted for just shopping for what I need and always making sure my produce is fresh. If you are the only one that eats fresh spinach, buy only one package. Chances are you will end up throwing out one of them.
Do not forget the freezer! Remove all of your crystallized ice cream. Throw out those freezer burned popsicles. Stock up on frozen berries for smoothies and other healthy frozen treats that can take you into the summer months. Stock up on healthy frozen meats and fish. I love frozen salmon burgers! They cook up easily for a quick healthy dinner. I enjoy them with frozen edamame as a side dish.
Joanne Sgro is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training. Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her fiancé, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.