What's In Your Fridge?

What's In Your Fridge?

It really is true, If you stock good food, you will eat good food!

Dairy - Low fat Milk, Almond, Rice, Hemp milks--Just be sure there isn’t too much sugar or fat in the kind you prefer.
Cheese - like bleu, goat cheese, or feta are great in salads because you need very little to go a long way. Adding shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese to side dishes, on top of roasted vegetables or as a finish to soups add a nutty flavour and heartiness with few calories. Avoid processed cheeses, waxy, or fat free cheeses. The less flavour, the more inclined you are to add more cheese to the dish.

Eggs - Eggs are the most easily absorbed protein source for our bodies. I keep raw eggs and hard boiled in the fridge, so they are ready for a snack, salad topper, or quick protein to go with my breakfast.

Nuts – In the refrigerator you say? Yes! Nuts are high in fat, which is why you have to be careful about your portions. That fat can turn rancid quickly when left in a pantry. Especially if you buy nuts in bulk, like I do, you should keep them in your refrigerator for freshness.

Lean Meats or Fish – Any raw meats, thawing or fresh, should be on the lowest shelf and in a container to catch any draining liquid. You don’t want that leaking onto your salad greens!

Yogurt – Like many of you, I like Greek yogurt for its lower carbohydrate and high protein amounts.

Salad Fixings – I have found that I dedicate a drawer (or more) to all the ingredients for a salad – salad greens, cucumber, tomato, carrots, or whatever you like. It makes it super easy to throw a salad together when everything is in one place.

Lemons and Limes – A clean eating essential! Lemons and limes are great when cooking, the zest can be used on salads, side dishes, and the juice in salad dressings and marinades. Slices of lemon and lime are a great way to give water a bit of interest.

Fresh Herbs – My dream is to have a massive herb garden.  When you buy herbs, you can wash them and wrap in a damp (not overly wet) paper towel. Place this is a resealable bag and herbs should stay fresh for several days.

Fruit – I like to keep hearty fresh fruit like apples, oranges, and pears in a bowl with bananas on the counter in my kitchen. Statistically, we are more likely to eat what is convenient and what we see. Other, more fragile fruit like berries, grapes, or melons I store in the refrigerator. I line my produce drawers with paper towels for easy clean up in case I should have something go bad or when the drawers need the occasional cleaning.

Other Vegetables – If you are going to have healthy side dishes with your meals, you need to have a variety of vegetables on hand. Of course, you could use frozen (canned is less preferred), but the key is to plan your meals so that good produce doesn’t go to waste.

Prep baggies filled with cut up carrots/celery/cucumber/cherry tomatoes for a quick snack. Pair with hummus and you have a protein and complex carb snack.

Mustard – All kinds! Since mustard is a natural emulsifier (meaning it combines oils and vinegars well), Dijon is great for making your own salad dressings. Mustard can add a lot of flavor when cooking meats or fish and is a great alternative to mayo on sandwiches and wraps.

Hummus, easily substituted for spreads instead of mayo, or dips.

Nut Butter, almond, or natural peanut butter, again easily used to spread on a wrap with banana's or to dip fruit into to.

Breads- wraps, WW English muffins/bagels for the kids, and as a complex carb (slice of bread) to add as a side to a salad.

Water- I buy bottled water, and keep the fridge well stocked so that I always have a cold bottle to add a slice of lemon to or plain to quench my thirst. Some of you may have a water dispenser, or a filtered type like Brita.

What's in your fridge? Make sure its keeping you healthy!!

This will also cut your grocery bill, shop the produce, the meats, and the breads..outside isles!  A few items in the frozen, and a few items in the canned isle.

Stay well! Be well!