Scenes From a Professional Organizer's Home: My Kitchen

Last week I promised to give you little glimpses into my home in addition to some tips along the way. One thing you may not know about me is that I'm also a registered dietitian and have transformed my canned corn and chicken parm-eating husband into a baby spinach and apple-loving fool! So I thought it would make sense to start in my kitchen.

So here you go, this is my flatware/utensil drawer. I chose this little space to show you because it makes me happy - in my eyes, it is a perfectly organized spot - it has the division it needs to keep like with like, we have plenty of what we need, but not too much more, and I can find everything quickly. My husband can even unload the dishwasher (which he does do) and all the forks and spoons end what where they're supposed to!

Enough about my drawer, here are some of my 'organized dietitian' tips for a healthy, organized kitchen:

1) With busy schedules, being able to eat healthfully depends on a well-stocked and organized pantry and fridge. So get to know what's in there! Pull it out, get rid of expired foods, items your family doesn't use, and ditch foods that don't support your nutrition goals. When you put what's left back, group like items together so you can easily find what you need - put your healthy snack foods, like yogurt and fruit, in the same zone in your fridge so you have an easy 'grab and go' snack. If you need ways to maximize the storage space in your 'pantry', check out The Container Store's kitchen section for some ideas.

2) When it comes to pots, pans and kitchen gadgets, the key is to own just what you need and use. Avoid buying what Unclutter.com refers to as 'unitaskers' - items that serve just a single purpose (they are often kitchen items). On the contrary, owning basic kitchen items, such as good knives, nesting bowls, and a basic set of cookware, and items that can multi-task, is the best way to avoid kitchen clutter.

3) Own a single good set of plastic food storage containers - I have a set of Rubbermaid's Easy Find Lid containers plus a few good Tupperware pieces. If you have an overflowing stock of plastic containers, go through them, keep the best and get rid of the rest! Trust me, this will make a world of difference in terms of kitchen storage space and your sanity when trying to find a matching set. And bringing dinner leftovers for lunch is a great way to save money and your waistline!

We'll come back around to the kitchen in a bit, but hopefully that's some food for thought (I couldn't resist) for this week! In the meantime, tell us about your kitchen successes and challenges...