The Kitchen as Sanctuary
There’s a lot to be said about decluttering your life; home, emotions, body, social interactions, mind… phew! But, start here.. after all, a clean and spacious kitchen environment will bring good energy and creativity to your food adventures, and inner calm to your busy days. As well, it is easier and more inspiring to begin this weight loss journey
Step by Step:
1. Imagine your kitchen as the most inspiring perfected space it can possibly be. You don’t have to have a magazine worthy picturesque minimalist space to create beauty and flow. You CAN take steps to be organized, efficient and clean; and it won’t take long to make it happen!
Once you have a clear visual of your optimum kitchen potential, plan to make little advances in this direction. If you try to tackle it all at once, you may get burned out. So take this list into consideration and do one thing at a time.
2. This is the Kitchen Pre-Cleanse!
- Clean Your Sink! means clearing it out, using some cleaner and a sponge and then taking a butter knife to the edges to clear out the grime.
- Do the dishes or load the dishwasher.
- Wipe the counters and remove all items that don’t belong in the kitchen.
- Take out the garbage and recycling and give the floors a quick sweep.
Now you are ready!
Tackling the Fridge! (my first football joke, lol)
- Do a quick toss of old food from the fridge, i.e. forgotten stuff in tupperware, last drops of dressings and sauces, veggies that didn’t make it to the pot and all other questionable items.
- Make a designated shelf and drawer for your particular items. Wipe down these spaces. (paper towels in the bottom of veggie drawers & wire baskets to hold certain items keep it tidy!) (as a side note, there are products for veggie drawers that keep produce fresher longer.. worth it imo!)
Cabinet Composition!
- Clearing cabinet clutter, one cabinet at a time!
- Pull all items from one cabinet. Toss the old, have a bag for give-aways and quickly wipe down jars, if needed, with a warm damp cloth. The items to give away are things you will never use and foods that contradict your intentions (highly acidic, junk foods and temptation foods). If you live with others (kids, etc.), or if it makes sense for your situation, again create a designated cabinet for your foods and items that you will be using to support this journey. Decide what goes back into this cabinet and arrange the items in a pleasing fashion (group items together and tallest goes in back, rows are neat and you can see everything!)
- As you do this, it can be helpful to designate space for each type of item, for example, one area for grains, next to that, legumes. In another cabinet, dressings, sauces and liquid ingredients, like coconut milk, Bragg’s, apple cider vinegar and oil, lemon juice, etc… I have two designated areas for my kids foods that I do not eat. One has cereals and “granola bars” next to pastas and the other area has chips and snacks separated from my rice crackers. I put my “snacks”, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, goji berries, figs, kale chips, etc. in a bowl on the counter for easy access and I don’t even have to look at other foods for snacking! Do what makes the most sense for you!
- Spices! Designate a separate (if possible) space for spices. I buy spices in bulk and put them in jars, some with labels so I can see them all! I love the look of spices and bulk items in jars; clean and colorful whether in a cabinet or on the counter! I put a shelving unit on top of a bottom cabinet, that works great for me. *update, i painted some old shelves with metal brackets and hung them on a free wall… it added so much space! Love it!!!
- The last piece is to take a look at the appliances on your counter. Remove as much as possible and leave only the daily necessities out. The only appliances for me are the toaster oven\ and the (wheatgrass) juicer.
That’s it! While you are at it, feel free to declutter surplus dishes, cookware and utensils, unused appliances etc.. give yourself new and fresh space!
Clear Space Supports A Clear Mind!
P.s. It is easier to start The Slimmerveda Weight Loss Program with a clean kitchen, so once that is done, get into this beautification journey to support your internal cleansing! And before you go to bed tonight, Clean Your Sink!
If you have time, make a pitcher of water with lemon, mint and cucumber slices to sip throughout the process.