Is your kitchen wrecking your diet?

It's Saturday afternoon, your home alone. Your very hungry. You walk into the kitchen in hopes of making a healthy meal. You open the fridge and this happens: "Oh yum, there's still cake left from the cook out we had. BUT I probably shouldn't because I just started my new diet Monday and I've been doing so good. HEY! That's right I've been good, so I'll have my eat and EAT IT TO. Heck ain't no body here to see me do it....."

How many times has that happened to all of us. I am definitely guilty of it. I can't tell you how many times I've ate the last of something so that it didn't go to waste or eaten ten of something because it was just that good. I think I'm safe in saying that we all have done this on every diet we've been on. Hince the need for starting another diet. But don't fret friends. There is a solution to the problem. 

First let's address the problem. Which is: YOU. You are setting yourself up for failure by even starting a "diet". When getting healthy you must change your lifestyle. The lifestyle your living now is what has gotten you to this place you don't like to begin with. What can you do to set yourself up for success you might ask? Start in your kitchen. The kitchen is the main hub for most households. We all have to eat and drink to survive and it's also where we naturally gather. I know for us, as soon as we walk in the door we go straight to kitchen to make our next meal, or put up groceries, maybe get a little something to drink, ect... 

When we start our new healthy eating plan we always go to the store to buy new groceries to feast on but what you might forget about, is all of the other bad groceries that are lurking in your cupboards and fridge. Before hitting the store, first take inventory of what you already have at home that would be healthy and CLEAN OUT all the crap that isn't. I don't care if you have teenagers and kids at home. Our a stubborn spouse that doesn't care about eating right. Clean it out. You don't need creme filled donuts and neither do they. Then, organize all of your current foods. Put all your baking goods on one side, spices on the other. Pasta's, oatmeal, cereal in another and so forth. Do the same with your fridge to. Clean out any leftovers that no one will eat. If there are any leftover's that someone might want, then place them on a shelf you can't really see at first glance. Then let everyone know that Granny's spaghetti from last night's dinner is on the bottom shelf, in the back of the fridge and if anyone want's it they better eat  it in 24 hrs or it's in the trash. Then organize all of your proteins on one shelf, veggies and fruits in another, cheeses and cold cuts in another. You can organize however you like but make sure it looks nice and clean. 

Once you've purged your kitchen of all things crap, then make a meal plan with your family. Ask everyone what they would want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinners and snacks. Compile a list of all the foods you will need and head to the grocery store. 

I know this seems like a lot of work. Quite frankly it is. However, all that hard work will pay off in a big way. YOU are now setting yourself and your family up for success. Everyone has to start somewhere, why not let it be in the kitchen?! 

I used my own kitchen as an example for everyone. 

Yes even I need to do this from time to time ;-)

This is my quiet, unsuspecting kitchen that's in need of a serious makeover but nevermind that, lol....

But when you open the cabinets, THIS happens!!!

My poor little spice cabinet. How do we even know what we have?

YIKES!

Time to take it all out and organize..

That's better  ;-)

I bet cha I know what we have now. But the poor hubby will be totally confused...

Then I tackled the fridge, but you all get the point of what to do.

Here's to finding your NorthStar....