Oh, your fridge doesn’t look like the one above? Ok, me neither, but a girl can dream. Bonus points if you know who this famous fridge belonged to.
Whether you are moving to a new home and creating a kitchen from scratch, or you’re ready to clear out the clutter and refresh your current kitchen, with the right planning, you can set up yourself for clean & healthy eating at home. Clean eating might be Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, vegan, you name it. Think about what foods make you feel your best and use that as your building blocks for getting set up.
When Matt and I left NYC for San Francisco, we sadly had to leave nearly all of our kitchen items behind. I took this as a good opportunity to embrace my current way of eating (Paleo) and fill our kitchen with fresh items to get me excited about creating new recipes that will encourage me to stay on track.
Before we get to my tips, let me just say that this process costs money. You may find that the start up costs are high, but remember that it’s just that, start up costs. It may cost a lot up front, but it will pay off in the long run as your kitchen will be stocked and ready for at-home cooking every day (don’t forget, ordering delivery for all your meals adds up quickly!).
And remember, you’re investing in your health, and what better way is there to spend your money? You know what, don’t answer that. I promise this is a worthy investment!
So here we go, six tips to building a healthy, clean eating kitchen.
(1) Buy the Basics
Before you get to cooking, make sure you have all the essentials that will save you time and money by avoiding last minute trips to the corner store. Think about the things you use most in your cooking (or in recipes you’re researching) and buy those in bulk. For a well-stock Paleo kitchen, these items are a good place to start:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Beef, chicken or vegetable broth
- Mustard
- Coconut aminos (paleo substitute for soy sauce)
- Coconut milk
- Cacao powder
- Acai powder
- Shredded coconut
- Hot sauce (I like Cholula or Frank’s)
- Nut butters (cashew & almond)
- Compliant (with whatever clean-eats means to you) dressing (Tessemae’s is awesome for Paleo/Whole30, use code NewToTheFamily for 20% off)
- Chia seeds
(2) Stock Up On Spices
Don’t avoid recipes because you don’t have the right spices. Do yourself a favor and load up on the key spices ASAP. You can find most of these at Trader Joe’s for $1.99. Spices are the best way to add tons of flavor without adding calories. My most-used spices:
- Ground Cumin
- Basil
- Cinnamon
- Bay Leaves
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- Onion Powder
- Rosemary
- Nutmeg
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Cayenne Pepper
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Chili Powder
- Sea Salt
- Pepper
(3) Highlight the Healthy
An easy trick when assembling your kitchen is to put all the healthiest things front-and-center. Out of sight & out of mind holds true when it comes to food. If you don’t see the bag of chips, maybe you’ll forget they are there, or at least you won’t be nearly as tempted to grab for them when perusing your snack options. If the snacks are out of easy reach, the extra time it takes to get the food gives you a minute to pause and decide if you really want it or are just wanting it out of boredom. Perhaps it’s an avoidable craving if you take that extra moment.
In an ideal world we’d toss out all the processed food in our homes, but for most of us this isn’t a realistic expectation. It’s best to have healthy, fresh food at the ready, but sometimes you need chips, sweets, beer, wine, etc for entertaining (or for members of your family who aren’t quite as on-board with the clean eating plan as you). If you are going to hold onto less than ideal food, put it out of sight and out of reach.
(4) Fresh & Frozen Fruits & Veggies
Photo via. I’m a big fan of the frozen section at Trader Joe’s.
Maybe you’ve been led to believe that fresh is always best, but that’s not the case. Frozen fruits and veggies can be just as good, depending on what you’re using them for. Always fill your grocery cart with fresh produce if you know you’ll be able to use it in the coming week, but when that runs out or when you can’t get to the store, have your freezer stocked and ready.
Frozen fruit is perfect for a quickie smoothie and veggies can add extra nutrition to your stir fry. Check your labels! Some frozen packs have added processed ingredients and unnecessary sodium, always go for the natural option and add your own seasoning or sauces while cooking.
(5) Ample Snacks You Actually Like
Most of my snacks are from Thrive Market.
It seems like a no brainer but sometimes we get too excited about being really healthy and the only snacks we get from the grocery store are carrots and celery. Then when a snack attack hits, you do everything in your power to avoid those snacks in search of something better. To combat this, make sure to get a variety of snacks, some super healthy like your carrots and celery, but then some that are healthy-ish, but more exciting. Figure out your favorites are and always have a small portion available. My go-to’s:
- Dried fruit (make sure there are no added sugars or other ingredients)
- Dark chocolate chips
- Trail mix
- Jerky (again, check those labels)
- That’s It bars
- Almond & cashew butter (paired with bananas/berries)
You can read more about my favorites snacks and Thrive Market, a great discounted healthy food site in my previous post HERE.
(6) Be a Clean Eating Meal Planning Pro
Photo via
To ensure you actually make use of all the ingredients you just bought, get in the routine of creating weekly meal plans. Use a chalk board or tape a printed calendar to your fridge as a can’t-miss reminder. Always refer to your calendar and what’s in your kitchen, then make necessary grocery trips to get missing items.
If this all seems a bit overwhelming and like a lot of work, start small. While I recommend doing this all at once, if that’s not possible, keep these steps in mind each time you go to the grocery store and gradually transition your kitchen into a place that will keep you on the clean eating track.
Got questions? Curious about specific ingredients or recipes? Comment below!
