If you were like us this winter, we filled up on a lot of soups, heavy stews, pastas and feel-good desserts. Blame it on cold weather which makes us crave high fat, high carb dishes! Now that spring is finally here, the best part about it is getting out the clutter and starting fresh for the season. Forget cleaning out closets and scrubbing floors to welcome spring – instead, start by cleaning up your eating habits from all the heavy winter food! We’ve got some tips below to kick start your spring cleaning eating.

Time to spring clean that pantry! First off – get rid of anything in a box or can. Of course, feel free to keep tuna, rice, quinoa, peanut butter, bread (or wraps!), canned beans or lentils but toss out your pre-prepared foods. “Complete” meals like frozen TV dinners and Hamburger Helper are full of fat and salt that you just don’t need right now so clean those out! Tip: If it grows from the ground, you can (and should) eat it!

Nutrient-rich food contains many vitamins and minerals but not very many calories. In the winter, it’s not uncommon for your body to naturally crave foods that are high in calories and low in micronutrients because it helps to keep your body warm. But it’s spring now so come out of hibernation and begin consuming more nutrient-rich foods such as whole wheat breads, brown rice, seeds, vegetables and fruit to provide your body and mind with nutrients.

Do you ever find that meals at home may not taste as flavourful as in restaurants? One of the main reasons why people are discouraged by cooking at home is that the food does not taste as good as in restaurants. Why? Because (besides the copious amounts of salt) restaurants know how to season! Tip: Avoid bland food at home by using spices and herbs to enhance the natural flavour of food (not disguise or obscure it!). Not only will these bursts of flavour keep your tastebuds happy, but spices are composed of an impressive list of phyto-nutrients, essential oils, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for overall wellness.

Now that winter is finally over, it’s nice to see the first signs of spring pop through the ground! You’ll start seeing brightly coloured produce, such as apricots, green beans, broccoli and more, make an appearance at your grocery stores or farmers’ markets. The more colourful the fruit or vegetable, the more vitamins and minerals it has. Tip: When you’re going grocery shopping, try to buy everything from the perimeter of the grocery store and very little from the aisles. Fresh produce, meat, seafood and cheeses are typically all located on the perimeters of the grocery store while everything artificially made is within the aisles.

For the next few weeks, we’re taking advantage of the beautiful spring produce in a few of our recipes:

Arugula is featured in our Sweet Potato Latkes with Dukkah and Arugula Salad (available for delivery on the week of March 28, 2016). Arugula is an aromatic, peppery-flavored salad green. A full cup of arugula is only a whopping 4 calories!

Broccoli is one of the main veggies featured in our Hand-Pulled Mediterranean Pizzas (available for delivery on the week of March 28, 2016) In addition to being very low in calories, broccoli is full of fiber which helps to keep us feeling full longer, so in turn, we eat less!

Mixed Greens are featured in our Steak with Salt & Vinegar Potatoes (available for delivery on the week of April 4, 2016), features a mixed green salad. Spring’s rebirth of greens means you can put in-season salads back on the menu and reap the many health benefits of mixed greens – such as stronger bones, sharpening your eyesight, protecting your heart and reducing risk of diabetes.

Snow Peas – featured in our Curried Pad Thai (available for delivery on the week of April 4, 2016), are chock-full of healthy veggies! Snow peas (or green peas) are known to be filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties to help you flush out any toxins in your body that you may have gotten from winter eating!