Happy Wednesday, friends! Tomorrow is our kids’ last day before a four-day weekend to celebrate Easter! We are pumped! Not only for a four-day weekend, but because it’s one of the BEST days of the year! Spring is in the air, good food and family time is in store, and Hope is rising because of ALL Jesus accomplished on the cross! Get your shofar and some dancing shoes on!
It’s the April edition of PEEK INTO LIFE!
This is where, once a month, I show you a “peek” into different aspects of our life. Topics ranging from our house, how I organize, plan, and do regular life. I love seeing how other moms run their homes, do family, and I always enjoy learning new tips!
In January, we took a peek into our coffee bar.
In February, we took a peek into our enneagram types.
In March, we took a peek into our perfect date.
Today, we’re taking a peek into OUR FRIDGE & PANTRY!
I enjoy organizing, I really do. I am a very spatial-oriented person, so my brain goes into obsessive mode if I see a can not lined up or a box turned upside down. And don’t even get me started about when someone rips open a bag and creates a tear the whole length of the said chip bag. I’ve taught my kids how take scissors and make an even cut across the top of a bag, because I just can’t handle.
BUT, I’m not interested in everything being organized. Mostly because I live with five other people that don’t necessarily prioritize maintaining my systems, so it just becomes futile at some point. And I’d rather spend my energy elsewhere. However, there are areas of my home that are non-negotiables for me when it comes to organizing.
My pantry is one of those. As for my fridge, every Monday I clean it out, throw out the leftovers that I know won’t be eaten, sort through the produce that has gone bad, and re-establish some order with what is left. And of course, I’m left to wash the copious amount of tupperware after freeing them up from rotting or shriveled food.
This reset on Mondays helps me to menu plan for the week and also frees up space for when I grocery shop on Tuesdays!
We have two pantries in our kitchen. One is a cabinet pantry…
…with pull-out drawers…
Our cabinet pantry stores most of the kids’ snack items, lunchbox supplies, water bottles, etc. I love our pullout drawers, they are my absolute favorite! I would put them in every room if I could.
The upper cabinets are where we have less used items like tea, treats (out of sight and reach of the kids), coffee supplies, vitamins, and spare kitchen paraphernalia that isn’t used often.
We also have a walk-in pantry…
Our walk-in pantry stores our baking and cooking essentials, paper products, bulky appliances, entertaining serving pieces, cookbooks/binders, birthday supplies, our microwave, and special snacks for entertaining (an attempt to hide them from our kids, so they don’t get gobbled up).
I keep a small whiteboard for our weekly menu in here, which is helpful for a quick at-a-glance reminder of what I need to prep for dinner that night. Nothing is worse than realizing at 4pm, that I forgot to thaw the meat! On this whiteboard, the kids jot down any items they want/need me to pickup or replenish. I also use it as a reference for what activities we have going on each night, to help me time when to make/serve dinner.
It’s been nice to have a microwave hidden in the pantry instead of taking up counterspace in the kitchen…
Our main fridge is mainly organized so that my kids can see and access their own snacks, lunch items, and whatever they need to accommodate their breakfast.
The bottom drawer is solely for their lunches…
…the drawer above that houses our salad greens, produce, and cheeses that I need for making meals…
The lower shelf is our breakfast items, additional fruit, pickles/olives, and any condiments the kids like to use. While the middle shelf is where I like to put leftovers, and the top shelf is for milks, syrup, juice and other less used condiments…
And here’s a peek at our freezer, just a top drawer (where our ice maker is)…
…and bottom drawer…
Nothing earth shattering about our freezer.
We also have a spare fridge in our mudroom for overflow groceries, which is super helpful for when we host or have people visiting us.
I put backup lunchbox items in there as well, and replace items in our main fridge as needed. That way our main fridge is somewhat minimalistic and organized, so the kids can quickly see what is available when they pack their lunches.
I also usually put dinner ingredients in the spare fridge, to ensure someone doesn’t accidentally use it up for something else! Some weeks I’ll buy pre-made salads from Trader Joe’s for my lunch throughout the week, and I will hide them in there!
And a quick glance at the freezer…
…which has two drawers as well. I store my spare flours in the freezer (if they won’t fit in our canisters in the pantry) after one run-in with flour moths ten years ago. #notworthit
We also have a deep freezer in the cellar of our house where we keep bigger cuts of meat, large volumes of vegetables from our garden, and ice cream that we try and hide from the kids. Doomsday prepping at its finest…beef, veggies and ice cream. What more do you need?
Whew! That’s a wrap for our fridges and pantries!
I’d love to hear about YOUR FRIDGE AND PANTRY! Comment below with your useful tips! I’m always interested in how other moms organize these areas.
Happy Wednesday! xoxo
