It’s Spring Cleaning Week here at Juggling Real Food and Real Life.  My usual busy schedule combined with below zero temperatures has really left me feeling tired and worn out.  Please tell me that I’m not alone!  However, now that it is spring I feel a renewed sense of energy.  Sure, there is plenty to get done and the kids are busier than ever, but I actually want to get things done now.  My kitchen is one of those things that has been put on the back burner, but no more!  It’s time to get it cleaned up and organized.

 

If you have been following Juggling Real Food and Real Life for a while then you probably have heard my story of buying my house with a super tiny kitchen because “all I needed was a microwave”.  Yes, I actually said that.  Now that we eat real food and I cook in my kitchen it is really important that I keep it clean and organi.  There is no extra space for clutter and messes.

I love the FlyLady’s idea of having a shiny sink in your kitchen.  If you don’t know the FlyLady, you really should check out her website.  So many great organization ideas.  The “shiny sink” concept is that no matter what……….you will have your sink cleared out and cleaned to a shine.  We do a pretty good job of that thanks to my husband’s OCD tendencies.  The refrigerator…….that’s another story.

When you are a busy family you just can’t do everything.  I don’t care what Pinterest, Martha Stewart, or your favorite mommy blogger says.  Something will fall.  For us……it’s definitely our refrigerator.  The outside is completely covered with picture magnets from every year the kids played a sport or marched in the band.  I can’t help it.  They make me happy.  We also have lots of notes, artwork, and schedules attached to the refrigerator.  That’s the mess on the outside.  Now to the inside……we make lots of food and will have leftovers.  If I plan things right, we u up those leftovers and are nice and organized.  However, lately I must not be planning right and we have lots of ummm……..science experiments going on in those containers.  I’ve also noticed that there seems to be tons of spills in the refrigerator.  Maybe that has something to do with the kids helping me cook or helping themselves to things in the refrigerator.  My husband will probably say that it’s all me.  What can I say……..great chefs make messes, right?

Here are the steps you and I can take to really clean out our real food refrigerators.  Make sure you have a bucket of hot soapy water, a cleaning cloth, and your trash can ready.

Spring Clean Your Refrigerator

1.  Take everything out of the refrigerator and put it all on the counter or kitchen table.

2.  Wipe down all of the shelves and pull out the drawers and make sure to give them a good washing as well.  Hot soapy water will do the trick.  You may need to use some elbow grease.  I know I have a maple syrup spill that’s going to take some work.

3.  Throw out old or expired condiments.  Toss out all of the science experiments.  Throw away anything that no longer works with your real food lifestyle.  Return only the foods that you know you will use to the refrigerator.

4.  Repeat with the freezer.  I bet you don’t even know what you have in there. I know I don’t.  Make notes of freezer meals you have so that you can include them in your meal plan.  Toss anything that is a mystery or has freezer burn. Your cleaning cloth will quickly get cold in the freezer.  Make sure you keep heating it back up in your bucket of hot soapy water.

5.  Remove anything that might be on the top of the refrigerator and wipe it off. Again, hot soapy water will do the trick.

6.  Now for the hard part……remove any artwork and locate it to a new spot. If nothing else, it’s time for new artwork, right?  Remove anything else you have on the outside of the refrigerator and give it a good scrubbing.  Make sure you get those little slats at the bottom.  I have no idea what they are called, but boy oh boy do they get dirty!

There you go……..it’s not a new kitchen remodel, but it sure will be nice to work in a kitchen that is sparkling clean, right?  Organization is one of the key components to Juggling Real Food and Real Life.  Take a few minutes to clean out your refrigerator.  You will be glad that you did.

Tell me your refrigerator horror stories.  Were you surprised by anything you found in your refrigerator?  Do you keep artwork on your refrigerator?  Do you have lots of pictures of your kids on your refrigerator?  What are your tips for maintaining a clean refrigerator.

If you are looking for help in making the transition to eating more real food, you should check out the Real Food Experience posts. You can get get started at the beginning or jump around the challenges. You can find a complete round-up of the program here. Each week’s challenge is full of terrific advice to help you transition from fast and processed food to a real food diet. Changes that will help you to live a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule. I would also love for you to join me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a regular basis. Leave me a comment and let me know you are there. I love to visit with my readers. Yes, I’m a real person.

 

You might also be interested in: Spring Clean Your Diet…… Easier Than You Think.