Happy spring, everyone! Now that the later sunsets and warmer temperatures have arrived, it’s time to open those windows and dive into a nice spring cleaning. As you organize and throw out all of your old belongings that are accumulating dust, why not take this opportunity to clean out your pantry, too? In this blog post you’ll find tips on keeping up with a pantry that is organized, up to date, and filled with healthy and nutritious foods.
Have you ever noticed an accumulation of food products that end up expiring by the time you pull them out of your pantry? This might be because items can easily be pushed to the back of the shelf when new ones are bought. To prevent this, try using a first-in, first-out approach. You can achieve this method by putting your new items towards the back of the pantry and moving your older items towards the front. This ensures your older products are being used in a timely manner to prevent expiring.
If you notice when you look in your pantry that some items are completely blocked from eyesight, you might benefit from organizing your items based on height. Storing taller items towards the back and shorter items towards the front will ensure you can see all the contents of your pantry without them growing mold or accumulating unwanted pests. This method can even help you save money because you’ll be able to see everything and won’t mistakenly buy more of what you already have at the grocery store.
Oftentimes, pantries can be a place to “hide” snack items, like cookies, chips, and candy. If you find yourself placing times like these towards the top of your pantry so they’re harder to reach, it might be beneficial to start prioritizing healthy, shelf-stable snacks instead. Some great options that are shelf-stable in the pantry include whole grain crackers, nuts, trail mix, and nutrition bars.
Filling your shelves with healthy basics can also be a way to eliminate the space for all that junk food. Some great shelf-stable items that are also incredibly nutritious include dried beans and lentils, no added salt canned beans, whole grains, whole wheat and lentil pasta, low sodium vegetable broth, unsweetened almond milk, brown rice, nuts, and dried fruit. If you’d like to fill the remaining space with a couple treats, that’s entirely ok! Just make sure you enjoy them mindfully alongside a complete, nutritious diet.
Hope you found these tips to be helpful and enjoy the warmer days to come!
Until next time,
Emily