Functional Kitchen Tips for Families
If you're anything like me, you've probably spent an embarrassing amount of time searching for a Tupperware lid, or trying to remember where you put that one spice you need for your recipe. But fear not! With a little bit of organization, your kitchen and pantry can be transformed into a well-oiled machine.
The time between back to school and the winter holidays is my FAVORITE time of the year to organize the kitchen and the pantry.
First and foremost, let's talk about lunch packing. For busy moms, having an organized fridge and pantry can make a huge difference in the daily packing of lunches and snacks. Designate a specific space in your fridge for your lunch items, such as a drawer or shelf. This will make it easy to grab and go in the morning, and also help you keep track of what you have and what you need to buy more of. Similarly, have a designated spot in your pantry for lunch foods and snacks, such as granola bars or individual bags of chips. This will make it easy for you to grab a snack on your way out the door, and also make it easy for kids to grab their own snacks without making a mess.
Speaking of the kiddos, we really believe in teaching them while they are young to be independent in getting their own kitchen items, their own snacks and helping with packing and unpacking their bags.
This can be accomplished by making sure that everything is at their level. If your kids are constantly climbing up on counters to reach things, it's time to rearrange. Move their plates, cups, and utensils to a lower cabinet or drawer. You can even designate a specific "snack drawer" or "snack basket" in the pantry that they can easily access.
Now, onto the pantry. The key to a well-organized pantry is to make sure that everything has a designated spot. This means separating your canned goods from your baking supplies, and your snacks from your pasta. Use labels or clear containers to make it easy to see what you have and what you need to buy more of. And most importantly, stop overbuying food! Before you go grocery shopping, take a quick inventory of what you already have in your pantry and fridge. This will not only save you money, but it will also ensure that you're using up what you already have before it goes bad.
Nailing the function is key for smoother routines and independence from the kiddos. Imagine their cups and plates being eye level for ease of access when they want a little snack, that snack also tucked conveniently in a drawer at their level as well. Can we get the snack for them? Sure, but we want them to establish their ability to do it themselves too!
Marrying in the aesthetics is the super fun part! In the kitchen, we love clear containers and touches of wood/bamboo. Think drawer dividers, lids for spice jars, hyacinth baskets. If you aren’t a fan of “seeing all of your things”, white containers always look beautiful as well. We try and use consistent containers across the kitchen and the pantry to bring in uniformity. We like to have a mixture of clear, white and wood/bamboo. Lastly, a few styled visible shelves, whether in the kitchen or the pantry, always bring that aesthetic appeal.
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utilize lower levels for grab & go snacks, use clear bins to easily see what you have so nothing goes to waste! store bigger appliance in the pantry!
create “stations” in your kitchen like this cabinet for all the coffee bar things!
keep items you use often near the space you use them like storing water bottles next to the fridge to easily fill! bonus - the water bottles fit well in this more narrow cabinet too!
take advantage of corner cabinets but keep it minimal to avoid losing items easily & creating clutter!