Healthy Foods to ALWAYS have in Your Refrigerator
If you’re trying to build a healthy fridge the best way to start is by starting with a clean slate. Yes, you heard correct THROW OUT food!!
Ok, maybe not everything…but you know what I mean…throw out anything that is:
- Not healthy and you KNOW it…but you can’t bring yourself to throw it away because it would be so wasteful (you can always donate it, or give it to a friend!)
- Something you will never eat — like that hot sauce if you don’t like spicy foods!
- Any expired food
Having a cleaned out refrigerator will allow space for all of your new healthy foods! It will also allow you to easily ORGANIZE your fridge so that you will make healthiest choices every day.
Healthy Food to Keep in Your Refrigerator
Organic Free-Range Eggs – For many years, these little guys have gotten a bad rap, but more research has come to show that eggs are one of the best sources of protein available. And with SO MANY ways to prepare eggs you’ll never run out of recipe ideas!…oh, and let’s not forget eggs are pretty cheap in comparison to other protein sources! I always try to get organic, pasture-raised eggs — a little pricier, but trust me once you taste the difference you will never want to go back! Try hard-boiling a half dozen each week so that you have a protein-packed “grab-n-go” snack.
Non-Fat PLAIN Greek Yogurt – This is one of my MUSTS for a healthy fridge. It’s my absolute favorite healthy ingredient swap for making a healthy dish! I love to mix fresh fruit, vanilla, and simple homemade granola into plain Greek yogurt for a healthy protein packed breakfast parfait. You’ll get 20+ grams of protein without all the added sugary syrup that those fruit-loaded ones have. Try using Greek yogurt in baking as a substitute for oil or butter. You can even make yummy desserts with it such as our chocolate chip cookie dough yogurt or peach Greek yogurt popsicles!
Fresh Lean Protein – Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Lean Ground Beef, anything that is lower in fat and high in protein. Try keeping some organic ground turkey in the freezer as well as a few wild salmon fillets. I like to buy a bulk pack of organic, antibiotic-free chicken each week at Whole Foods. Then I’ll do a big weekly meal prep on Sunday for my meals throughout the week. I always prepare some simple baked salmon each week to make sure I get omega-3s for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Ezekiel Tortillas or Bread – These are great for when you want to make things like skinny fish tacos, skinny chicken tacos, or even skinny pizza! They’re also great for making healthy wraps for lunch or even quick breakfast wraps. Ezekiel bread (or buns, or even pita!) is great for healthy sandwiches or for tasty turkey burgers!
Almond Butter – If you haven’t been able to tell from my homemade almond butter, these five-minute freezer fudge, or these grain-free almond butter brownies… I LOVE almond butter! Almond butter (or peanut, or cashew, or whatever your fancy…) is a great way to get healthy fats and protein. If you don’t want to make it you can also buy it — I LOVE Justin’s for when I’m not in the mood to bust out my food processor.
Filtered Water – Having ice cold water in my pūr water filter makes it much easier for me to drink plenty of water. I just can’t get myself to drink room temp water. BLAH! Filtered water makes sure your water stays free of harmful contaminants that tap water can have. You may also like to have some cold infused water or infused green tea in your fridge too if you’re not one for just plain water! I’m LOVING iced peppermint tea right now, and always have it in my fridge!
What are some healthy staples in your refrigerator?
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Reblogged this on One Regular Guy Writing about Food, Exercise and Living Longer and commented:
Having a clean slate will allow space for all of your new healthy foods you will pick up. It will also allow you to easily ORGANIZE your fridge so that you will make the best and healthiest choices every day.
Great post! I think your fridge looks a lot like ours 🙂 One great idea in addition to restocking your refrigerator with the right choices is to think about your meals and portions for the week before you go shopping. If you plan your meals a little bit in advance, you’re more likely to stick to your healthy options and shop accordingly, saving both time and money. We have some articles and suggestions at http://www.ironcookclean.com if you’d like to check us out!
Thanks ironcookclean! I am TOTALLY all about the meal prepping game!! Everything is prepped on Sunday or Monday and no looking back the rest of the week! 😉