Organizing Your Raw Kitchen

[Bunny Berry]

For the last year and a half, I have been sharing cabinet and counter space in the kitchen with my son and my husband who are not raw. I've decided that this is one of my biggest downfalls. When I have to open the cabinet, looking for a snack, and a bag of Wavy Lays potato chips is staring me in the face, I become a week, sick, food addict.

So, this weekend, I am totally reorganizing my kitchen, and making it raw friendly for me. I'm even getting brazen, and labeling parts of the fridge that are for produce only. I'll sneak my hand in a drawer to get an apple, and pull out a bag with a chocolate cupcake in it!

I have to do it. And starting after the holidays, I'm starting Beckett on a gluten free vegetarian diet. And Basil, too, if he'll agree. I know Basil will sneak a Wendy's burger now and then, but as long as it's not in the house, I'm fine with it. I'm ready for FAMILY SUPPORT HERE!

I'm taking back my kitchen. And asking my husband to put a lock on his snack cabinet.

What have you done to reorganize your kitchen to be more raw friendly? PICTURES! We want PICTURES!! To add a picture, click on the little camera icon under the title, and upload your pic.

[Tiffany]

This is so inspiring! I have been staring at my kitchen for a few months now and shuffling stuff around but it is still a hodge podge of clutter no rhyme or reason to my food storage. I will take a before picture this morning so ya'll can have a good laugh. My other dilemma right now is that I have scads of harvested vegetables all over the place bc of lack of storage bc I am so unorganized...geez! Then I will take an after picture when I get my kitchen pulled together. Fortunately my family is pretty willing to eat anything I prepare, so junk food is not a problem. However, gluten sneaks in the door in so many forms! That is driving me crazy! I'm excited to see other people's raw kitchens!

[Lori_G]

What a fun thread! I just did this not too long ago. My husband and children do eat some raw foods but I still have to cook and prepare a lot of cooked foods for them. I realized that the way that a cooked food kitched is organized is completely different from a raw kitchen so I just got in there and emptied every cabinet and made one side of the kitchen my raw side. I just took pics of my top 4 cabinets on each side of the sink to spare you too much info!! ;)

Above is my cabinet to the left of the sink. I keep the counter below it clear so that I have plenty of room for blenders, cutting boards, food processor, spices, etc etc. I moved all of my spices over here. I used to have them by the stove, because, I mean, that was where you season your food - while it's cooking. I found with raw I chop, blend/mix/process and season my food all in the same area. Plus, my spices and seasonings many times ARE the food, not meerely something to make it taste better. Anyway, all spices, teas, nut mylk bags, mixing bowls, syrups, oils came here. Below this cabinet are all of my silverware, my food processor, my cutting boards and any nifty cutting gadgets that I have aquired along the way. I love having everything in one spot. I grab what food I need and bring it all here and all of my tools are within reach. Before I was bringing all my food to one spot and then running around grabbing all of my tools and spices too.

And here is the other side of the sink:

Here moved all of my foods except for the things that I keep in my freezer or fridge. I keep all of my nuts, raisins, seeds, powders, etc in here. Below this cabinet are more of my foods and my raw food storage containers, etc.

I basically took over one side of the kitchen! I found that my plates, cups, pots and pans and baking dishes and tupperware, etc that I used for cooking all fit nicely on the side of the kitchen with the stove. I love it so much better like this.

Anything to help me succeed!! I look forward to seeing everyone elses handiwork! Hopefully I can pick up some new ideas.

[Angie]

Good for you, making it work! I love it. :)

[amysue]

I've done the same. Had to split up the kitchen so I had my own cupboards where I knew everything in it was good stuff. It's a great strategy, glad you're doing it, Bunny.

I'm sure you know this but my daughter is gluten free and casein free vegetarian so if you need any recipe ideas for kid-friendly stuff let me know. We've done a lot of experimenting to come up with all of the favorites - pizza, pasta, bread, mac n cheese, chocolate chip cookies, although she eats about two-thirds raw with me. I'll be excited to hear how it goes for you - my daughter was transformed.

[Cheyenne]

Bunny, I'm the same way with the potato chips, I think that they're my gateway drug back into cooked foods. And they're ALWAYS in my house.

I've asked my husband to keep his chocolate hidden so that I can't find it. I put my raw snacks in with the vitamins so I don't have to go into other cupboards, and no one else finds and eats my yummy rawness that is for people who eat raw.
Don't get me wrong, I want my family to eat more raw (and they have been getting MANY more greens as of late), but the raw snacks that I buy are spendy, and I'm not about to spend a lot on raw pistachios for people who eat wendy's in their spare time.

Excuse the Digression.

I've never found sweets hidden in the fruit & vege, but its surely tempting when there are bakery items in the fridge!

[Magda]

Great shots, Lori! How lovely to see everything looking clean, neat and tidy and organised.

[Bunny Berry]

Some progress photos!

[Bunny Berry]

NEW APPLIANCE CENTER! Figuring out how to incorporate my books into this space, too! :)

[Angie]

Beautiful! I love your appliance/book center! Way to create what you want/need. :)

[Angie]

Lori G - Thanks for sharing your photos - it looks wonderful! I like the idea of having it all in one area. I am constantly running around the kitchen gathering up stuff. :)

[Meredith]

I SO need to do this!!

[Karen OBrien]

I am just getting started transitioning my kitchen to raw. I'm lucky because I dont have to worry about anyone else having other food in the kitchen to tempt me.

One thing I struggle with is what to do with the SAD food that I want to clear out of my kitchen? Pasta, flour, sugar, packaged foods that I will no longer eat? It seems like such a waste to throw it out, yet I also no longer want to enable anyone else to eat that way. Any suggestions?