9 Things to Do In Your Kitchen

I found this article by Jenny Sugar (do you think that's really her name?) about how to make your kitchen work for you when trying to lose weight.

9 Things

1. Make fruits as accessible as a bag of chips.  I'll add veggies to that.  When you get home from the grocery plan on spending an hour to clean fruits and veggies and package them up for grabbing easily out of the fridge.
2. Prepare a big container of salad.  Salad is a good way to fill up on veggies and nutrients.  You can make a big bowl or individual containers of salad and then grab and go for lunch/dinner.  Try adding things like mushrooms, eggs, cheese and lean meats for some protein.
3. Keep your measuring cups and spoons on your counter.  I challenge you to measure your food for just one day.  First put what you think is a portion out and then measure it.  You'll be surprised.
4. Make your own snack packs.  My favorite lately is raw nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate chips.  I mix up a big bowl of them and measure out 1/4 or 1/2 cup in a snack baggie.  My other favorite is 2 slices of good hard salami, 1 slice of good cheese and 3-4 strips of bell pepper.  It's got protein, carbs and fiber.
5. Stop buying the unhealthy things.  Really, just stop buying them.  We no longer keep chips or crackers or cookies or cake mixes on hand.  I don't miss the chips.  I miss the cookies and cake.  But if I want it, I force myself to make it at home, from scratch.  Usually by the time I mix it all up and bake it, I eat one or two and I'm done.  The process helps me realize that I don't always want it, I'm bored.  And when I make it at home I know what I'm putting into it.
6. Use smaller plates.  Take you dinner plates out of the cabinet and use the salad plates.  Pete and I started this years ago.  We rarely use the dinner plates anymore.  In fact when I go to my sisters house and we use her dishes, I grab a salad plate there too.
7. Freeze fruits and veggies when in season. Wash your berries and lay them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they're hard.  Then put them in baggies/containers.  Take them out on hot days and eat them frozen as a treat.  Blend them up for a shake.  Do the same with veggies and add to pastas, soups and other meals.
8. Double the recipe and package up for lunches.  If cooking is a chore, do large batches and use the leftovers in new ways or for lunches. 
9. Put all the food away before you eat.  Dish up your salad plate with your meal and package up the rest before you eat.  I will often times package up the extra and leave only enough for Pete and I to eat from, purposely so we don't over eat.

Your challenge is to use 1 or 2 of these in the next week and then keep adding new ones each week!

(PS.  I'm pretty nervous about my appointment with the surgeon tomorrow.  It's strange walking around calmly with something bad in your body.)