Simplify Your Kitchen

Live intentionally. Get rid of things that don't add value to your life or bring you joy. 

Do you ever get stressed or overwhelmed while cooking, or even just thinking about cooking?  This girl is raising her hand high because it's happened to me at least once a week.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with other things in my life, that the last thing I want to do is prepare dinner or meals for the week.  Well I have a solution to help you feel more at ease in your kitchen, so there is less stress when you have to cook! 

Simplify your kitchen! Research has shown that simplicity is the direct path to happiness, health, productivity, and success.  When I say simplify, I mean reducing or removing distractions physically and mentally from your life. In this case, removing physical distractions or things in the kitchen will help lead you to more happiness and less mental stress in the future. 

If you want to focus and get sh*t done effectively (in this case cooking), then you need to clear the clutter from your environment (kitchen). 
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3 Steps to Simplify Your Kitchen 

1.  Get rid of things you don't need in your kitchen.  
That's right folks, go through your pantry (see Healthy Pantry Makeover), fridge, kitchen cabinets and drawers to sell or donate things you haven't used in the past year.

*I discovered that I had five can openers in one of my drawers when I completed this step.  Why the hell do I need that many can openers? It's not like I have an Annual Can Opener Contest to see who out of my closest five friends can open a can of tuna the fastest- ha ha.  Someone else can surely get more use out of this tool in their kitchen!

2.  Focus on one thing at a time. Cooking. 
I know some of us think we are really good at multitasking (that was me), and can get a lot more done if we just use all of our octopus tentacles to do eight different jobs.  Boy was I wrong!  Multitasking is actually not beneficial to us physically or mentally.  If you try to take on too much at one time, say hello to rising stress levels and decrease in productivity. Instead, choose one thing to do (in this case, cook) and focus on getting the job done effectively (which usually leads to quickly, too).   

*Shut that TV off and tell your kids you will help them with their homework when they can have your undivided attention. They would prefer to have all of you, then some of you anyways ;)

3.  Choose your direction.  Meals.
Before cooking you need to intentionally choose what meals you and your family want to eat during the week. They don't have to be complicated or new fancy recipes that will only add stress to your life.  See how you can make meal planning easy: A Simple Solution to Plan Weekly Dinner Meals

*Every Sunday my family and I choose together what we want for lunch and 3-4 dinner meals to make during the week.  This way I only buy and keep ingredients in my kitchen that I need.  No excess food lying around or fresh produce will be wasted. Check out my Clean + Simple Shopping List to help make planning and shopping a little happier! 

I hope these simple steps help make cooking and eating a little healthier and happier! 

                        Thrive it up,
                                 Jillian