September 19th, 2023

Coach Jen

Refrigerator Storage/Prep!

Keeping a healthy and well stocked refrigerator can be essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’ve found it much easier to eat a balanced diet when I have a wide variety of prepped, nutritious options in the house. My goal with maintaining an organized refrigerator is two-fold; to make it easier to cook well rounded meals, and to make sure I have healthy options on hand throughout the week. Because of the busy lifestyles we all lead, it can be daunting to come home at the end of a busy day, dig through the refrigerator in search of something to make for dinner, and then spend an hour of our evening cooking brown rice and chopping veggies. I’ll be completely honest with you, leading a well balanced and healthy lifestyle will probably take more time than heating up a pre-packaged meal. However, with just a little planning, prepping, and organizing that time can be significantly reduced.

Before putting away my groceries, I take everything out of the bags and see what I can wash & chop-that way I can just grab the item when I’m running out the door or making dinner. The refrigerator also looks a lot cleaner and more appealing which helps me be creative and excited about preparing meals throughout the week.

Fruits, Veggies & Grains

Each weekend I try to chop bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets. I will then either keep them raw, steam, or roast them. This makes it so easy to prepare meals like curry, stir fry, and veggie burgers. I will also wash and chop fruit to then freeze for smoothies or keep fresh to top things like oatmeal. Some fruits, especially berries, tend to waste faster if you wash them too far in advance- so if you’re not planning on eating them in the next couple days refrain from washing. I use some type of grain in almost every dinner, so I’ll usually prep a big batch of something like freekah, quinoa, or bulgar and keep in the refrigerator for quick access. Grains keep uncooked in dry storage longer than cooked in the refrigerator so be sure not to prep too much.

Sauces & Condiments

Having sauces like pesto and hummus pre-made in the refrigerator can allow you to turn a mediocre meal into a hit in just no time. However, I usually don’t feel like pulling out the food processor when I’m already rushed on time to blend up these sauces, so I’ll make a big batch that will stay fresh for a couple weeks in an air tight container. They are also great for dipping your pre-cut veggies into for a quick, on-the-go snack! I do try to make a lot of my salad dressings by scratch but sometimes I’m just not that motivated to make every single condiment we use, so I try to find an organic, minimally processed dressing like primal kitchen. Food marketers love to trick us with fancy gluten free, vegan, low calorie labels, but aren’t always convincing when we look at the label and we see ten ingredients we can’t even pronounce. Thus, if I’m going to buy packaged items I always look at the label to see if there are any ingredients that look unfamiliar. Shooting for less than five ingredients is always a good rule of thumb.

Liquids

Having a variety of drinks on hand can be helpful when you’re rushing out the door. I’ll always keep something like smoothies or kombucha available for a quick pick me up. Again, make sure you’re looking at the label to make sure there are no added sugars. I always keep almond milk & coconut water on hand to mix into my smoothies. Coconut water is also a great option by itself during or after a difficult workout because of its great source of electrolytes, potassium, and sodium without all the added sugars found in gatorade and powerade mixes.

Breakfast

I try to have a few jars of overnight oats prepped along with a handful of breakfast burritos and sandwiches. These items certainly don’t have to be limited to breakfast only and make great snack and lunch options too.

I try to keep primarily healthy options in my refrigerator to avoid grabbing a sub-nutritious option, but let’s be real, you might find the occasional container of chocolate almond milk or blueberry bagels- and I’m okay with that. In addition, you won’t always see my refrigerator meal prepped or completely organized every single week! It all comes back to balance and doing the best you can to lead a healthy lifestyle in this crazy life we lead.