Stocking Your Fridge and Pantry Tips
Tips on Stocking Your Fridge and Pantry
Getting food for yourself and your family has gotten a bit more difficult in this time of quarantine. Food delivery has be halted or very limited, there are lines to get into the grocery stores, there is limited availability in certain food items, and you may not be able to get to the store as much as you would like.
Here are some tips to help you stock your fridge and pantry with items to continue to eat healthy and allow for more flexibility in your meals while in a quarantine situation:
If you like to use shopping services (pick up or delivery) order at least one week ahead. These services are very limited at this time. Ordering at least one week in advance of needed the items should give enough leeway in case your time has to be pushed further back.
Check in your community for grocery pick up at restaurants or restaurant supply services. Some restaurant supply companies are offering produce and meat packages to purchase since the businesses they supply are not needing the food.
Be sure you have good storage containers with tight seals for food to be stored safely.
Stock up on canned goods when you can. Socks and broths, tomato sauce and flavored spaghetti sauces, beans, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, vegetables, fruit, and canned meats and fish are all good to have as backup in case you are unable to purchase fresh items.
When in stock, purchase fresh produce each and every time you visit the store. More hearty vegetables include potatoes, carrots (whole), squash, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Keep in mind, you can freeze most vegetables and fruit for future use. Don’t forget garlic, onion, and peppers that can be used to add flavor.
Purchase protein each and every time you visit the store (if it is in stock). You can freeze any meat, fish, poultry if you do not cook it right away.
Nuts, nut butters, and powdered nut butter are all great nutrient dense food items to always have on hand. Don’t forget you can use nut butters for baking, and you can use nuts as toppings for cooking and salads.
Dry items like beans, brown rice (or any rice), quinoa, chickpea pasta, rice based pasta, and edamame pasta are good to have on hand to make a variety of dishes.
Already frozen foods are great to buy because they are already frozen and ready to go for when you are ready to prepare them. Frozen meat of all kind, fruits and vegetables are things that you should have stocked in your freezer.
Have a good stock of butter, cooking oils, dressings, sauces and spices in your fridge and pantry. Having these on hand will give you many more options to vary the same food items with different flavorings. Don’t forget about minced garlic and peppers sold in jars.
Keep some baking supplies on hand. I like to keep almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and honey on hand at all times. These items allow you to bake most paleo based recipes
Bread can also be stored in the refrigerator or freezer so you can buy extra loaves when you can. Most of the specialty breads need to be stored in the freezer anyway.
Coffee and tea. If you need your coffee fix everyday, be sure to have some beans or ground coffee to brew at home.
Eggs are a great food item to have on hand at all times. Keep in mind most milk can be frozen safely but shelf stable milk or evaporated milk are some items that you can keep in the pantry. Hard and aged cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar and Swiss will last longer than other cheeses.
Avoid purchasing junk food. These can be temptations to mindlessly snack on when you are stuck at home. If you don’t have it, you can’t eat it.
Following these tips will allow you to continue to eat healthy meals and not get sidetracked during times of quarantine or limited food availability.
If you feel like you are spinning out of control with your eating, purge your pantry and freezer of the junk food and start tracking your food in a food tracking app like My Fitness Pal. This will help keep you honest with how you are eating and more mindful of what you are eating. If you need help with a customized nutrition plan to keep you on track The Refine YOU Program can help. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
