Stocking your fridge and freezer with whole clean foods is an important part of healthy eating and being able to prepare quick and easy meals when needed. Below you will learn tips to stock a healthy whole food fridge and freezer.
The food items in the fridge usually need to be cooled to prevent spoilage. There is usually a shorter storage span on food items needing refrigeration, hence it’s important to know how to properly stock your fridge.
Freezing Food, helps to store the fresh food items for a longer time period. With proper processing and packaging vegetables and meat can last upward of 12 months sometimes longer. Blanching and vacuum sealing food items help to preserve the freshness and nutrition.
In my guide on How to Stock a healthy whole food pantry, I go over the bases of the benefits of keeping healthy clean ingredients on hand. Having healthy foods on hand in the fridge and freezer, save money, save time, and will incise you to prepare and eat what more healthy.
Here are some tips when stocking your fridge with healthy whole ingredients:
- Clean out the fridge and toss any expired or items you no longer what to eat.
- Deep clean the fridge. There is nothing nicer then a sparkling clean fridge.
- Look at getting some organizers to help keep like items together. Clear bins like the ones linked are great for kids snacks, keeping veggies together or storing condiments.
- Keep items that tend to spoil quicker closer to the front.
- Make use of the crisper drawers. Most fridges have drawers that have moisture control to help fruits and vegetables from spoiling.
- Only store food items that need to be in the fridge. (This article is great on explaining what produce that doesn’t need refrigeration.)
- Use a fridge thermometer to make sure the fridge is at the ideal 4 degrees Celsius or below, to prevent bacterial growth.
What healthy fridge items to stock up on?
Dairy – Choose dairy items with no added sugar, hydrogenated oils. Plain greek yogurt can easily be sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
- Milk and Cream (try to stay away from plant or nut milks since they tend to have added sugar and preservatives)
- Cheese (cottage cheese, cheddar, mozzarella etc.) cheeses tended to be one of the longer lasting items in the fridge.
- Sour Cream
Meat – Most lunch meats are highly processed and contain nitrates. I find it best to cook and store sliced chicken, or roast beef and occasionally ham, for sandwiches and quick meals. Store raw meat on the bottom shelf to prevent juices from dripping onto other items. Store raw meat on a plate or in a bag to prevent cross contamination.
Fruits – Most fruit does well at room temperature. Fruits that like berries that are kept in the fridge should be stored in a drawer or sealed container to prevent dehydrating. It is best to not wash the fruit before storing in the fridge.
Vegetables – Fresh vegetables have different storing tricks as well as spoil at different times. Fresh Herbs for instance will spoil quicker than lettuce. Try to store fruits and vegetables separately, to decrease the negative effects of ethylene gas produced by fruits on vegetables. Store vegetables in the crisper drawers, and check on them often. Having fresh cut up vegetables on hand for quick snacks is a great idea as well.
Condiments – Most condiments once opened, must be stored in the fridge to keep them from going stale. When looking for condiments, look for ones that don’t have added sugar, hydrogenated oil. or better yet, try to make some from scratch.
Leftovers – Leftovers are always great to store in the fridge. Make sure leftovers are in leak proof containers. Leftovers are usually good in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Here are some tips when stocking your freezer with healthy whole ingredients:
- Choose freezer safe containers. Some glass and plastic containers may crack and break when frozen.
- If wanting to store vegetables in the freezer it is best to look up if the vegetable needs blanching or not. Also some vegetables like potatoes do not do well frozen.
- I like to measure out portion sizes, and mark the containers or bags with the date and amount inside.
- Freeze meat in single layers. Do not stack thawed items on top each other. This can cause delayed freezing and meat can spoil if not cooled quick enough.
- Keep a list of items that are inside your freezer. This way you can use older items first, and not overstock.
What healthy freezer items to stock up on?
Meat – Stock up on meat when you find it on sale. Or better yet, find a local farmer and purchase directly from them. Frozen meat can last in the freezer upwards of 12 months, sometimes longer if packaged properly. I have found meat that is vacuumed sealed last longer then, in the store or butcher packaging. Here is the Food Saver vacuum sealer I use. I have had it for several years and have loved it.
Fruit and Vegetables – After my garden is done for the summer, I tend to freezer a lot fruits and vegetables to use throughout the year. Best sealed and vacuumed packed, fruits and vegetables portioned out, thaw quickly for all your baking and cooking needs. Also when I do purchase larger bags of bulk fruits and vegetables I also portion them out to prevent freezer burn.
Bread – Many different bread products do well in the freezer for shorter amounts of time. Store bread, buns, muffins, cakes for up to 3 months. When freezing for shorter amounts of time, I normally freeze bread items in freezer bags.
Storing food in the freezer isn’t just for the items above. There are many other items that freeze easily if the proper steps are taken. Items like freezer jam, freezer meals, eggs, soups etc. Learning how to properly store items in the freezer will help you save time and money. Here is a list of some great freezer meals from Happy Money Saver.
These tips should help you learn how to stock a healthy whole food fridge and freezer Over time you will learn how to cook healthy whole food meals all the time. You will learn that keeping healthy whole foods on hand, is more beneficial then relying on packaged convince foods. Cooking healthy whole foods for your family doesn’t have to take all day. Learning to cook more from scratch and properly storing items will not only save you money but also time.
