Rockell Williamson gives us her top tips for pantry organisation
Rockell on Pantry Organisation
I remember the days when my linen cupboards and panty and fridge were practically colour coded and folded or stacked on the shelves like a high end department store. Then....... I had 2 beautiful boys 
However the wonderful thing is that my pantry and fridge is much healthier and my linen cupboard has star wars prints instead of stark white!
In our home it is about trying to eat good nutritious food while being time efficient. I love baskets in my pantry to keep things organized and zip lock bags and glass containers to store dry foods. Those cute little fabric boxes are great for keeping all the bags of nuts together, rice and pastas in another, baking supplies have their own etc etc. Being able to see everything I feel is also important or it is out of sight and out of mind and if the only thing you can then see is the chocolate chip cookies, well that is all that is going to be on your mind instead of some dried fruit or nuts. I have a tiered shelf for sauces and spices and you will always find Nori which the kids love to snack on and Miso soups.
My fridge is never one of those fridges that is overflowing with food. We keep a fruit bowl on the counter ( again remember the out of sight out of mind idea) and the fridge stores dairy/almond milk and any other perishables. The children will see the fruit and request an apple or orange before something else as that is what they see first. In saying all of this though, its not to say there isn’t things on the naughty list. You need those breaks in the routine/discipline or whatever you like to call it. As long as most of the time you are eating well then it is nice to treat yourself.
Not so long ago I used to say I have a weakness for cheese and champagne and then I thought to myself, actually it is not a weakness, it’s a pleasure and a treat. I don’t have cheese or wine every night or week but on a night off with my husband or friends I love great cheese. Christmas saw some extra St Andre Triple Brie and now it is back to normal.
I often see people putting all these restrictions on themselves and then end up in this vicious circle of only focusing on the foods they are not allowed to eat instead of focusing on all the nutritious and yummy things they CAN eat. Once they let go of this they end up reaching their goals quicker. If having a a little dark chocolate satisfies a craving to then move on, well it’s much better than fighting it and crumbling and being so desperate that you eat a whole block of chocolate instead.
I am not a whizz in the kitchen and am totally that girl who needs a picture of what the final result should look like! What is important to me is knowing that for the most part my family eats well and my kids know or ask whether something is healthy or not and are the kids in the lunch room at their school telling everyone that Jelly and Peanut Butter sandwiches every day are not good for you.
I am a student of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and love learning. I know that in another 3 4 or 5 month I will look at my pantry and want to give it a total makeover again. It’s actually fun doing that stuff.
Rockell's top 5 tips
1. Use baskets, ziplock containers and glass jars to keep things organised
2. Try and use clear containers so you can see what you have and if you're running low
3. Being able to see everything is important (except maybe hide anything tempting...out of sight, out of mind)
4. With kids, keep fresh fruit on the counter, then they are more likely to request this than something unhealthy
5. Keep pictures of quick and healthy meals on your fridge or pantry for inspiration when you are tempted by less healthy treats
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