Spring Clean Your Kitchen [CHECKLIST]

Make a plan to spring clean your kitchen – the perks go far beyond fewer dust bunnies and a dirty oven top. In fact, a deep clean and quick makeover can help you make healthier choices daily, and reach your health and fitness goals far faster.

Anyone else go through cleaning spurts? Every couple of weeks months I have an epiphany and I print out weekly cleaning schedules and I clean our home from baseboard to light fixture. It usually starts when I’ve had enough of the small piles of mess on the coffee table and backs of chairs. But it doesn’t last (sorry, honey).

Nevertheless, nothing feels quite as good as a spotless kitchen where everything has a place and everything is in it’s place. Which is where spring cleaning comes in because even though it should happen more frequently, I’m just happy it happens when it does!

Like any good project (for me, at least), it starts with a list. I break the task down into sections and make sure I’ve got my supplies in reach and Beyonce Radio on Spotify.

Step 1: Sanitize Your Space

Did you know that dust might actually be linked to an increase in body fat? House dust can contain chemicals called EDCs (endocrine-disrupting chemicals), that trigger the production of fat. Additionally, dust can trigger allergies, so it’s a good idea to start by wiping and sanitizing every surface from your counter tops to your windowsills to the top of your refrigerator.

Have you ever pulled a box of cereal of spice jar from your pantry only to find the remnants of half a bottle of garlic powder behind it? I know it’s not just me…

Start on the highest shelves and work your way down. Pull everything off of your shelves now, you’ll be going through it in the next step anyways so you can get ahead of the game!

Step 2: Throw Out the Junk

Now comes the my favorite part of spring cleaning my kitchen: the kitchen makeover. I don’t mean a fresh coat of paint and a remodel (although that’d be nice too). I mean take this time to chuck all of the junk food that isn’t serving you OR your goals right now. Goldfish? 100-calorie Cheez-it packs? Bye!

Here’s why a Kitchen Makeover works:

A Kitchen Makeover works because you get rid of the temptation before you are too tired/stressed/rushed/lazy/emotional to deal with making the ultimate decision:

“To eat or not to eat”.

Think about it this way…if you typically never eat candy, but there’s a bowl of Peanut M&Ms sitting on the counter and you walk in after work starving and stressed out, can you say with 100% certainty that you’ll skip a craving-satisfying handful?

Me either (and I don’t even like chocolate).

Grab my Kitchen Makeover Checklist here:

Or, get my complete guide to the ins and outs of kitchen makeover here.

Step 3: Organize

After you’ve pulled everything off the shelves, thrown out what is no good and donated what you don’t want around as temptation, it’s time to get organized.

Keep the tools that help you eat healthier close by. Sharpened knives, a high-quality blender, InstantPot and heavy duty cutting boards are always within reach in my home. Start a list of tools that you don’t currently have, but always find yourself wishing you had when you want to make zucchini noodles, or quinoa muffins or homemade veg juice!

Invest in clear storage bins. Anyone else see beautifully organized kitchens, with a bin for everything, and feel like THAT is the epitome of adulting? Keep products like whole wheat flour, grains and cereals in clean, clear, easily seal-able containers so that no food goes to waste or goes bad.

Which leads me to…

Step 4: Restock with Healthy Ingredients and Supplies

You just spent time (possibly lots of it), throwing out the junk food and opening up space in your pantry, cupboards and refrigerator…so fill it back up with ingredients that you know support your health and fitness goals.

Here’s an idea of what I keep stocked at (almost) all times:

Dry:

• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Oats
• Beans: kidney, black, cannellini…
• Canned tomatoes
• Vinegar: balsamic, red wine, rice…
• Coconut milk
• Nut: walnuts, almonds, pistachios…

Fridge:

• Greek yogurt
• Hummus
• Veggies galore
• Kombucha
• Salad greens
• Hot sauce
• Bone broth
• Fresh herbs

You can use my Healthy Eating Grocery List to start to restock your kitchen. Knowing that you have all of the ingredients you need to make a healthy, delicious meal takes the stress out of cooking well!