Home improvement message board – Here is a question I often ask: “how to stock fridge with healthy food?”
It’s great to cook from scratch, but not everyone has the time to cook. Also, many people don’t even know what they should make for dinner or lunch for the next day.
This is my system for stocking the fridge with healthy food. It’s not perfect, but it works pretty well for me, and I hope you can pick up some ideas to try in your situation!
How To Stock Fridge With Healthy Food?
I have a simple system for stocking my fridge with healthy food – this means there are always boiled eggs, vegetables & fruit in the refrigerator. I also make sure that I have white fish and salmon stored in the freezer.
The Basket Method
Here is how it works. Each night before going to bed, I prepare a small wicker basket full of healthy food. After taking out the cooked leftovers from dinner, I add the desired amount of boiled vegetables and fruit into the basket.
I also include two large eggs (also stored in a small wicker basket) and two pieces of fish or salmon – all covered with plastic wrap to keep fresh. The next morning, before going to work and in a hurry to get out the door, I grab the basket and run. It usually contains enough food for breakfast and sometimes even two meals.
How do you stock up on healthy food?
So, you start by cooking up all the meat, chicken, or fish you need for at least a week. If you are using frozen items like veggie burgers or prepared meats, throw them in the freezer when you get home from the store.
I cook off about 4 lbs of ground beef at one time because it’s easy to brown off that much. I make spaghetti with it, shepherd’s pie, chili, and many other dishes. If you are cooking fresh fish or chicken, leave them in the fridge until you can cook them up.
Then wrap them well and freeze them for later use. If you have leftover veggies from dinner that night, throw them into a big plastic container and pop them in the freezer. You can use them for a stir fry or a casserole later.
How do I make a well-stocked fridge?
After you have cooked up all your meat and veggie items, it’s time to make some dinners. You can search our site for delicious recipes, or you could even buy some of the books I recommend on this site. The point is if you are not great at cooking but want to maintain a slim waistline, healthy meals must be made!
Don’t be afraid to buy some pre-made items at the store, though. Soup is a lifesaver if you don’t feel like making dinner and The Hungry Girl book has some great recipes for frozen meals that are super simple and healthy!
What can I stock up in my fridge?
You have to be careful about what you stock up in your fridge. If it’s junk, you are going to return to eating that junk! The key is stocking things that are nutritious and satisfying. Don’t load up on salads or veggies unless they will get eaten because they are healthy.
Stuff that works well includes sandwiches, pre-prepared frozen meals, soups, and hummus and veggies.
If you make a big pot of soup on Sunday or cook up some chicken breasts, break it all up and store it in plastic containers. If the food won’t get eaten within a week, pop it into the freezer. Healthy foods like this can be thawed out and eaten at a moment’s notice.
What A Healthy Fridge Looks Like?
In a healthy fridge, you will find some healthy frozen dinners but also plenty of fresh foods. You will have lots of vegetables and fruits as well as lean meats and protein sources.
Please note, if your fridge contains processed junk food, you are not getting the full benefit from eating right!
If it’s hard to resist these things, please consider cleaning out your fridge and stop buying them. You can always eat fruit or other healthy food if you are really hungry!
Top 10 Ways to Stock Your Fridge for healthy food:
1. Buy a whole chicken and then cook it up on Sunday! Even if you only eat half of it, you will have some for a sandwich or quick meal later.
2. Slow cooker meals are great because they make the house smell good, and you get to come home from work to a fully cooked meal! Here is my mom’s awesome slow cooker chicken recipe.
3. If you don’t have time to cook, buy some healthy frozen dinners. There are a lot of these on the market now, and I recommend Hungry Girl’s Lean Cuisine alternatives
4. Make a big pot of soup on Sunday that will last all week! This works well with almost any kind of soup.
5. Buy a rotisserie chicken and chop it up to store in the fridge for a quick lunch or dinner later!
6. Keep some frozen veggies handy, so you can pop them into any soup or dish you make. This is super easy and will help ensure you get your 5-9 servings of vegetables each day!
7. If you are making a sandwich, buy some lean deli meat and throw that in the fridge too!
8. Make sure your freezer is stocked with healthy frozen dinners like Lean Cuisines.
9. Have some fresh veggies in the fridge like carrots, broccoli, and celery for snacks or to put into anything you make.
10. Have some healthy dips like hummus or salsa in the fridge for when you want to snack on something!
Do I need to stock up on food 2022?
I’ve been doing this for around 15 years, and I’m glad to say it has improved my health. When I started, I was trying to get rid of so many processed foods from my home that the only healthy choice left in the house was fruit!
You mustn’t buy a bunch of junk to stock the fridge with. Instead, put some effort into cooking up deliciously nutritious food and encourage yourself and your family to eat these items when hungry!
Now I have a well-stocked fridge but still struggle sometimes while others seem not to have a problem at all. Yes, some people can look in their fridge and think about what they are hungry for. I don’t have that skill set, but you can add some prepared healthy meals to your fridge!
How do you stock a small fridge?
When you have a little fridge, then it cannot be easy to stock up on food. But, there is no need to buy processed foods because if an item isn’t in the fridge, you could always eat fruit!
Prepare some sandwiches and freeze them (they taste great heated up!). Buy pre-prepared salads and stuff like jello or pudding cups. You could even bake up some healthy muffins and freeze them for later consumption.
Buy some Lean Cuisine-style food boxes because they are inexpensive, easy to prepare, and low in calories. And if you have a really small fridge, limit yourself to what you can store there, so you don’t buy too much stuff!
How much does it cost to stock a fridge?
The cost of getting a fridge stocked can be as low as $5 if you buy some sandwiches and freeze them. Or it could set you back $50 or more if you want to stock up on healthy frozen dinners.
The point is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money –make sure your fridge contains the right things and you won’t buy as much junk!
Don’t think that you can go out and eat all those tasty processed foods just because you stocked your fridge.
You should still be planning and preparing your meals and snacks, so it’s up to you to stay the course and resist the temptation!
The Bottom line
When it comes to eating healthy, most people know that the best bet is to prepare your meals. But with a busy schedule and no time for cooking, how can you stay on track?
One option would be to stock up on fresh food at home, so you have plenty of snacks nearby when hunger strikes. This way, instead of reaching for those chips or cookies from the pantry shelf after work, you’ll have nutritious options within arm’s reach in your fridge!
If you have any questions, please leave a comment and share this post with friends who may also need help stocking their fridges full of good-for-you foods.
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