12 months of sustainable health practices – a challenge
52 Weeks is launching a monthly sustainable health challenge, intending to lay the foundation for a healthier mindset and sustainable habits all year long.
Each month will nudge you to build sustainable health practices, because, ultimately, they’ll become your life.
This month's topic is kitchen organization. Some upcoming topics include:
grocery shopping (pantry staples, farm boxes, shopping lists)
batch cooking with 52 Weeks
gratitude practice with The 5 Minute Journal
morning movement, an at-home Pilates routine
intuitive eating, a mindful exercise
12-minute HIIT with burn founder Lisa
I hope you’ll join me.
I’m starting the year off with 12 Months of Sustainable Health Practices — having kitchen organization be the 1st.
Your environment helps inform the food choices you make and healthy eating starts with what you have in your fridge and kitchen. If your pantry and fridge are stocked with healthy, easy food options, you’ll be a lot less likely to rely on take-out, delivery, and highly processed pre-made meals.
So as we begin 2022 — a new decade — I’m excited to share a new collaboration with you. I met Cherie of Well Edited Co at a coworking event a few months back. She helped me organize my workspace, and we got to talking about sustainable habits in regards to eating and living. We quickly noticed a strong connection between kitchen organization and healthy habits. Knowing this would be beneficial for both our readers, we decided to collaborate.
I’ve teamed up with Cherie of WELL EDITED CO. to simplify the task of organizing my kitchen.
We’ve both compiled 10 tips to help you organize yours. You can read them below.
This is my refrigerator.
My freezer, freezer door, and pantry are pictured below.
Food Organizing Tips From Cherie
Focus on one area at a time. Start at one place and pull everything out. This will help you avoid making a huge mess in case you need to finish at another time.
Compost/toss/donate. Get rid of expired items and donate unexpired foods that you aren't going to use.
Sort. Categorize and place like items together.
Relocate. Find a home for items that don't belong in the space you are working in.
Get rid of the packaging. Decant grains, lentils, spices, snacks, etc. in glass jars, remove bulky packaging and buy what you can in bulk.
Space plan. Measure your space and place categories where they make sense. Keep oils and spices close to the stove and items that are used often front and center.
Keep it fresh. Store fruits and vegetables properly to keep them fresh. I'll admit, I am no expert in this area but here are some helpful tips from the Edible Terrace and Life Storage.
Create a list. Make a shopping list and stick to it, buy what you need to keep your fridge, cabinets, and pantry from overcrowding and food waste.
Maintenance. Do a sweep of your fridge every couple of days or weekly and a quarterly cabinet, pantry, and freezer cleanout.
Products. Check out your categories and inventory. Try not to overbuy, purchase what is useful now and look for items that can be reused in other spaces in case your food inventory changes. Place products in an aesthetically pleasing way and don't overcrowd them to where you can't find things. Also, when it comes to labeling - label where it's needed but don't over-label.
With that being said, here ate my top organizing products:
Beans. Legumes. Grains.
Store dried goods in glass jars so you can quickly see what ingredients you have on hand.
Health and Wellness Tips From Kelly
Have a meal or two to fall back on. A favorite of mine is pasta con tonno or tuna pasta. It uses minimal ingredients that are mostly shelf-friendly. Think pasta, canned tuna, tomatoes, and fresh parsley. You simply saute the tomatoes in olive oil until they form a sauce; season with salt then mix in cooked pasta, a splash or two of pasta water, and some tuna (ideally packed in olive oil). Finish with some fresh parsley, if you have it.
In the fridge, keep fruit and vegetables where you can see them. This is particularly great to do with the items you need to use up. It’ll help you gravitate towards healthy, unprocessed items while you reduce food waste.
Have a countertop fruit bowl. Fill it with seasonal produce and stock up on citrus. It’s amazing what some fresh lemon or lime juice can do to a meal (lemon on fish, lime crema for tacos, lemon-based salad dressing). Place it at your kitchen entrance for a colorful reminder to get your fruit in. Because it’s a lot easier to grab a pear that’s in plain sight rather than one that’s hidden in a closed drawer. Especially when you have to bypass 5 less optimal options to get there.
Have two or three grab-and-go breakfasts ready. Weekday mornings are hard. Make them easier with staple overnight oats and yogurt, berry, and muesli parfaits.
Stock up on legumes, beans, and whole grains. They’re the foundation of many meals. They’re also great to batch cook, helping meals come together in no time. Lentils, farro, brown rice, barley, steel-cut oats, and couscous are great options. If you get canned beans, rinse them before you use them.
Follow FIFO. Practice first in, first out to reduce food waste and work through the items you have.
Use your freezer. It’s a great place for bread, tortillas, seafood, meat, and smoothie essentials. I’m often cooking for one, so I need to have proteins I can pull and quickly defrost for weekday dinners. Shrimp are great for this, and so are individually packaged fish fillets.
Batch cook. Once a week for an hour or two can get you meals in less than 10 minutes Monday – Thursday. Think grab-and-go breakfasts, packable lunches, and homemade dinners.
Keep your cookbooks in the kitchen. Use them for inspiration before you grocery shop and while you assemble meals or cook throughout the week.
Don’t stress. You don’t have to be so precise (unless you’re baking). This is a place to relax and reconnect with yourself. Put some music on and pour yourself a glass of wine. Play a little.
Benefits of Implementing These Practices
Eat better — your environment impacts what you eat.
Save time — be more efficient while cooking.
Save money — know/quickly see what you have = reduce food waste.
Feel comfortable in your space and make it inviting.
Be more creative, and have fun!
Update!
I recently contributed to a Redfin blog covering all things kitchen — the heart of the home. Take a look for expert tips and advice covering …
Tips for a clean and organized kitchen
The experts’ most-loved kitchen tools
Game-changing kitchen hacks (where you’ll find me!)
Kitchen Hacks: Expert Tips for an Organized and Functional Kitchen
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This post was written by Kelly Powers, MA, RDN. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist who takes a holistic approach to nutrition and health. She is a recipe developer with a food blog highlighting whole foods, simple recipes, and her life in San Francisco. Kelly is the creator of Weeknight Dinners, a weekly meal plan program that helps users get back in the kitchen and feed themselves well. Kelly specializes in the Mediterranean diet and sustainable behavior change, helping her clients reach their health goals while improving their relationship with food.