Is eating healthy one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Eating healthy in some ways is such an easy thing to do: Eat more vegetables; cut out sugar; and cook at home. Simple, right? But then life happens. You are tired, the kids are hungry, and the pantry is empty. In this moment, it is so easy to give into the lure of fast food and pre-packaged meals. Then there goes all your healthy eating efforts down the drain.
One of the most important strategies to combat this pitfall and stay on track is to keep a well-stocked and organized pantry. If your shelves are stocked with healthy foods that are easily accessible than putting together a nutritious meal is much simpler and stress-free. Check out our 5 tips to organize and stock your pantry to make healthy eating easier on you.
5 Tips for a Well-stocked and Organized Pantry
Tip #1: Assess Your Pantry Contents and Space
First pull out everything and group like items together both in terms of type and size, and throw away out of date items and junk food. Measure your space and determine the size of your largest and smallest pantry item then re-arrange shelves to accommodate these sizes.
Tip #2: Create an Essentials List
Think about the foods you use to cook with everyday; the snacks you need to keep on hand and the healthy foods you want to incorporate into your diet. Make a master list of all the foods you want to store in your pantry at any given time. Download my pantry essentials list here. Finally, plan for storing all of these items within your space for a well-stocked and organized pantry.
Tip #3: Use Shelf Organizers and Re-usable Containers
To store all of these pantry essentials and make them accessible use gravity fed racks, lazy-susans, and shelf risers. Store small items, packets, or awkwardly shaped foods in baskets. Put essential pantry items like flour, sugar, and grains in air-tight canisters.
Tip #4: Put a Label on It
Put pretty labels on anything you cannot see in to or on canisters when the contents are not easily identifiable. Use large labels that include cooking instructions with measurements on them to make cooking healthy foods easier.
Tip #5: Make Space for a Grocery List
Designate a space to make notes about re-stocking. A chalkboard is a great idea if you have the wall space and want to incorporate a little farmhouse style into your apartment. You could also print off your master pantry essentials list. Place it on a clipboard attached to the back of a cupboard door, and then mark needed items.
A well-stocked and organized pantry is key to keeping your healthy eating New Year’s Resolution and to make it less of a hassle. What are your essential items? Let us know below!