Where my Wellness Warriors at? Today I thought I’d talk a bit about cleaning out and restocking the fridge and pantry. This topic provides a veritable smorgasbord (see what I did there?) of wellness goodness. Nutrition? Check. Self care? Check. Mindfulness? Double check.

If your house is anything like mine, the thought of probing the depths of said fridge or pantry might scare the bejesus out of you. There are three people living in my house all with different ideas on what they like to eat. While I am obviously an advocate of the whole foods healthy lifestyle, I also don’t pretend to be perfect. After years of living with me, my husband has adopted a much healthier eating style. But his metabolism is also the kind that has people cursing him. And there isn’t a toddler parent around who doesn’t have some variety of Goldfish crackers.

But clearing out the crazy from the fridge and pantry offers so many benefits. First, it’s a chance to check in with how you are eating in practice. What is bought versus what is actually consumed can tell us a lot about whether current purchasing habits are working. It’s fine to say we want that Keto lifestyle, but if eggs and avocado aren’t your thing, then the only thing losing weight is your wallet.

Second, clearing things out and evaluating what you have versus what you need will make meals so much easier. How many times have you needed to pull together a quick dinner just to find out that you are missing a key ingredient? Then you have two choices, run to the store or order in. By cleaning out the food storage vessels in your house, you’ll be able to easily see what gaps you need to fill in.

Third, never underestimate the power of organization. We get frustrated when we can’t find the right spatula and we also get frustrated when the leaning tower of cans finally tumbles and we can’t find the darn chickpeas. Cleaning this area of our homes takes this particular frustration out of meal times and allows us to actually cook.

Fourth, cleanliness. I don’t know how else to put this… Kitchens can get gross. When I clean out my fridge and pantry, I also wash them down before anything goes back in. And when you realize you are storing your food in that muck, well, let’s just say you won’t let it go so long again.

How do you tackle a project like this without needing to dedicate an entire weekend to it? Or by running up a $400 grocery bill to replenish things? Let me walk you through my method.

Marie Kondo said it best, get it all out. Clear out any and all cabinets holding food items and put it in a central location. We have an island in our kitchen so that is usually my go to, but your dining room table or even a tarp on the floor will work. Do a first pass and discard anything that has expired. Do a second pass and create a pile of items that aren’t expired but that you haven’t used. You know, the unopened sack of almond meal or the super specific ingredient you only bought for one recipe. Move this pile out of your way. Then sort everything else into categories.

Here is where you create a system that will work for you. A lot of people put like with like. Cans with cans, baking supplies together, you get the idea. But maybe that doesn’t work for how you cook. Maybe you and your family like a lot of ethnic foods, so it makes more sense to keep all your Mexican/Hispanic ingredients separate from your Asian ones. Or maybe your kids are old enough to pack their own lunches and you need a system to make it easy for them. Think about the way you cook and the recipes you gravitate towards. What would make cooking and using your kitchen easier?

If you have a dedicated pantry, take a second to evaluate your shelf space so you can decide how to best organize. In our house, the bottom shelf holds all my spices, oils, vinegars, and cooking accoutrements (i.e. aluminum foil). It’s the easiest for me to grab quickly when I am cooking with a toddler underfoot. The second shelf holds our most used items (canned goods, breakfast items). The third boxed items, bulk foods, and snacks. I like to keep the snacks here because it is a bit higher than (my) eye level. The top shelf houses my baking supplies and other miscellaneous items that are used less frequently. If you don’t have a dedicated pantry, that’s okay. Evaluate your cabinets and decide on what the optimal place is based on your cooking style.

Then wash those shelves. While you are waiting for things to dry, go back to that pile of things you don’t use. Reassess each item. Is it something you purchased for a diet you are no longer following? Is it something that you wanted to try and ended up not liking? Was it purchased for the purpose of one recipe alone? If it doesn’t spark joy in your food life, then it isn’t serving its purpose. Let it go. Anything that is unopened can be donated to a food pantry, otherwise pitch it.

Now you can put everything back. Nice and neat. You’ll notice that I don’t decant items into perfectly labelled jars. And you don’t have to either. While I love the way that looks, I don’t have the time or energy to maintain it. I also stack differently depending on type of container. My cans are in rows, with the oldest in front so I can use it first. Boxes are stacked vertically with unopened items on the bottom. Even without the Pinterest look, this allows me to see what I have and what I need to shop for easily.

Now, lather, rinse, and repeat with the fridge. You’ll obviously want to try and work a bit faster here, because you know, perishables. But I have found that if I do the freezer at the same time, I can put the freezer contents out and then layer my fridge stuff on top and everything stays plenty cold.

At this point, take a look at your pretty shelves. Yup, stop to admire all your hard work. Then go through and note any big holes you have and make a shopping list. Anything that was expired and needs to be repurchased goes on it. Anything that you are low on but use a lot should go, too.

Once you have gone to the store, restock using the system you created. It will be that much easier to grocery shop in the future because you’ll be able to see easily exactly what ingredients you need. Try to avoid purchasing specialized ingredients that you’ll only use for one or two recipes. I look for similar recipes or ingredient substitutions as much as possible.

Upkeep is key. You might find that you need to tweak your system a bit. Maybe you didn’t get the spacing quite right or you put something in an awkward spot. Change what you need to, but as much as possible try to maintain your system.

When was the last time you cleaned out your pantry?