Fridge & freezer essentials for healthy, home cooked meals
What should I make for dinner?
Does this question plague you every night? A well-stocked kitchen makes it so much easier to create healthy meals on the fly if you literally don't have time to think after work. Or if you're like me, and don't like to make Sunday grocery shopping/meal planning an all-day affair. (I like to spend most of that day relaxing, not cutting vegetables!)
Below, I'll share my fridge and freezer essentials:
Produce
I eat fruits and veggies every day in mass quantities. The foods below often end up in smoothies, or salads, or serve as a side, snack, or topped on my oatmeal, unless otherwise noted.
Leafy Greens – I'll pick up whatever catches my eye – swiss chard, romaine, mixed greens, spinach, kale. I like to switch up my greens each week so I'm getting different nutrients and I use them for smoothies, juices, salads and side dishes.
Bananas
Apples
Lemons – Every morning I have a mug of warm water with ½ of a lemon. So good for getting the body going.
Limes – Essential for guacamole.
Jalapeño – See above!
Celery
Cucumbers
Avocados – They go with everything! I eat one every day in some capacity.
Sweet potatoes – Talk about a wonder food. I'll bake these and keep them in the fridge for lunch with fresh guacamole, topped on a salad, or mashed as a side dish.
Zucchini – Makes a killer noodle replacement when peeled.
Mushrooms
Frozen Goods
There is no shame in the frozen game. Not all fruits and veggies are in season at all times and honestly, I'd rather you have this stuff frozen than not have it at all. Plus it can make a dinner happen in five minutes.
Broccoli, Peas – Lifesavers when you need to make a quick stir-fry or side dish to your grilled chicken.
Berries – Typically strawberries and blueberries, my morning smoothie staple.
Peaches, Mango – For when my smoothie takes a different turn.
Quinoa, Brown Rice – Yes, it comes frozen and you just have to heat it up in the bag. No excuses to get take-out now. Perfect for your lunch salad, dinner side dish or stir-fry. Can you tell I'm a fan of stir-fry?
Brown Rice Wraps – I use these as a pizza base, or to make wraps for lunch.
Corn Tortillas
Meat/Seafood/Dairy/Prepared
I like to have a few options cooked in advance that I can throw into a lunch or dinner without a ton of prep work. Like, baked chicken or even just hummus. I make it a point to try to purchase everything in this category organic, free-range, pasture-raised, and wild-caught. It truly is SO important that you aren't adding extra hormones and other crap into your body that you don't need to be there.
Almond Milk – My entire family drinks this in some form or fashion. My daughter in her bottle, my husband and I in our smoothies. Our favorite brand right now is Califia Farms but I do sometimes make my own if I'm ambitious.
Chicken – Organic, free-range (fresh or rotisserie)
Shrimp – Wild-caught, frozen
Salmon – Wild-caught, frozen
Eggs – Pasture-raised is the only thing that means anything. The rest of the labels are full of it.
Organic goat cheese or goat's milk feta – For homemade pizza, salads or rice bowls.
Whole Foods original hummus – Usually has the least crap added and the taste is on point.
Whole Foods guacamole – If I'm super lazy and don't want to make my own.
This list doesn't include staples that start in the pantry and end up in the fridge (like condiments or sauces). Those will be included on my Pantry List, which I'll share with you soon.
If you find it hard to get out of your cooking rut (or get IN to one) – hopefully this list has helped to inspire you to get creative with ingredients you can keep on hand each week. Worst case scenario – add these to your list and have them delivered!
Jessica Baumgardner, aka Health Coach Philly, is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who hates diets. Focused on women's health, hormones, and fertility, she brings super-practical support to help ladies feel great, take care of their bodies, and actually enjoy the process.
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