A Convenient Kitchen

“Organization is like exercise. It’s not very effective if you do it only once; you have to keep at it.”
-Organizing Pro, Jill Pollack

Here are a few tips I try to practice regularly to help keep things in the kitchen running smoothly. Consider implementing one or two of these at your house this weekend.

Conquer and divide. After I head home from the grocery store, the last thing I want to do is stand there washing, cutting, slicing and dicing. Even though I hate it, I do it anyway. This is how I’m sure that I will take my lunch or eat a healthy breakfast during the week instead of eating out. Next up, pre-portion your snack foods like grapes, cherries, carrots, peppers and celery. If you have some extra time after tackling the produce, pre-portion your dry snacks for the week. Crackers, almonds, bread slices, whatever you use on a daily basis that makes life a little easier. It’s all about making the good for you stuff easy to grab and go.

If it is out of sight, it is out of mind. At our weekly grocery trip this week, my husband said to me, “You have to remind me that we have that, if I don’t see it, I forget.” I made a joke about that while we were in the store, but the truth is I sometimes have this problem too. Why do they put the veggie drawers in the bottom of the fridge? Even though I know what I buy at the store, I’m guilty of forgetting about what I actually have tucked in the bottom drawers.

A quick fix – stop giving away your prime real estate to bottled drinks and condiments. Put your freshly sliced, snack-worthy goods on the top shelf. Stick the drinks and condiments in the drawers; you know they are in there and if you really want them, you’ll take the time to find them. Think you’ll miss having a drawer to hold your fruit? No problem, they make clear storage containers in all shapes and sizes. You organize your closet so why not organize your fridge too? Next stop, The Container Store!

Make a menu for the week. It’s better for your waistline and your wallet. I have my mom-in-law to thank for this one. As long as I’ve known her, she has listed the meals for the upcoming week on her fridge. It’s brilliant! You won’t go out to eat, if 1.) you know you already have the groceries to make what is next on the menu, and 2.) you think about the money you’ve already put to good use on a healthy dinner at home. By actually writing down the options for dinner that week, you remove any stress associated with the age-old question of, “what’s for dinner?” Another bonus of the weekly menu – the first person home can get dinner started right away! Plan ahead and save big.

It’s okay to cheat. Working women of the world, you can’t do it all (even though we think we can). You should take advantage of the little things in life that save time and sanity. And, if these time savers help contribute to a healthy lifestyle, you get bonus points for putting them to use! Here are two items that are almost ALWAYS on my grocery list: Wholly Guacamole and Ziplock brand Zip & Steam Bags. I love guacamole, but I don’t love taking the time to make it. Wholly Guacamole makes 100 calorie packs that are perfect to throw in your lunch bag or top your homemade burrito. My number two item sounds hokey, but it really works. You can actually cook fish, chicken or veggies in these little bags in your microwave. You can go from frozen to dinner plate in less than 10 minutes. If you haven’t tried these yet, please do. I use these when I need a chicken breast to top a salad, or if I want to make a whole meal like fish and asparagus in a flash.

What are some of your kitchen organization secrets? Share your tips with us!

-Sara