I had the pleasure of teaching a class last week with the lovely Emma Malina of Basking in Goodness (if you don’t follow her, check her out: @baskingingoodness on Instagram) at Municipal Winemakers in Santa Barbara. We called it a Thoughtfully Curated Plant Based Kitchen and our goal was to inspire everyone to breathe new life into their own kitchen and see how easy it is to incorporate a plant based diet into your routine.
First and foremost, we wanted everyone in the class to feel like they could find something about their kitchen they love. Too often we focus on the negatives and what we want to change. When we do a little kitchen refresh we can be inspired to be more creative and motivated to try new things.
The first step is a kitchen refresh:
Pull everything out of your drawers & cabinets so you can really see what’s in there.
Wipe down!! When is the last time you really did this?
With each item ask yourself, do I really use this? Really, be honest!
If not, it goes. Perhaps to the garage first. Make space and breathe life into that space.
Take note of anything you are missing. A good non-stick pan, cutting board or knife?
Bringing it back to the basics, how are your knife skills? Did you know that if you hold an onion against the cutting board and make your hand into a “claw”, you have a much less chance of cutting yourself. It’s amazing how easy it is to almost cut your finger off when cutting an onion but when your knuckles are bent in this claw shape, the knife just rolls right off.
Some pantry staples to have in a plant-based kitchen include grains, beans, legumes, seeds and nuts, in addition to lots of fresh veggies. One of the most important things to remember in a kitchen refresh is that when we acknowledge and celebrate what we’re good at, we can build from there in the kitchen.
I love talking to my clients about time saving and meal prepping and here are my top five favorite tips.
Time Saving/ Meal Prepping
Keep a running list of groceries you need and run out of during the week.
On Sundays (or whatever day makes sense to you) grocery shop and prep for the week.
Choose a few simple meals that you can make during the week. Plan for leftovers.
Always have prepped veggies for salads, stir fries, lunchboxes or unexpected guests.
Cook a few staples like rice, quinoa, couscous or lentils that can be used as the foundation for simple, but nourishing dishes on the fly.
What do you do to stay organized in your kitchen? If you’d like help with a kitchen refresh, give me a call!