A major part of healthy eating is planning and preparing of food. So, I decided to share what my pantry, fridge and freezer looks like and offer some handy tips to help sort out yours at home.
In my Fridge:
You will always find the following in my fridge:
1. Milk- I buy fat free milk but if you prefer, low fat milk is also a good option. I use milk daily for tea, coffee and sometimes a good cup of Nomu Skinny hot chocolate :)
2. Yoghurt- I use plain fat free yoghurt almost daily when I add it to my overnight or cooked oats and I love yoghurt as a healthy snack option, mixed with fruit or some cocoa powder for a chocolatey flavour :)
3. Eggs- I always have eggs in the fridge to use for weekend breakfasts or Sunday night dinners (like shakshuka, omlettatas or poached eggs). I often boil some eggs for the week and take 2 as my lunch protein portion or 1 as a snack.
4. Cheese- I am obsessed with cottage cheese and always have it in my fridge to add to my lunch salads, crackers or sandwiches. It is an easy, low fat source of protein that adds a nice creaminess. I also often buy Slimmer's choice feta, ricotta, mozarella and parmesan to use in cooking or with crackers or salads.
5. Fruit- I always have at least 2-3 types of fruit in my fridge on any given day so that I can change things up. My standards are strawbs, naartjies, bananas and apples/pears because they are quick to grab on my way out to work.
6. Veggies- I usually buy veggies twice a week to make sure they are always fresh and I use them within about 3 days. I always have salad ingredients like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, celery and carrots available to chop up for my work lunches. I switch between different types of veggies all the time for dinners, but I always plan for 2 types of veggies at each dinner meal.
7. Condiments- mustard, light mayonnaise, pesto, Nandos Peri-Peri sauce or chilli sauce.
In my Freezer:
I generally do my shopping twice a week so I don't generally need to freeze much because I buy and use food within 2-3 days.
If you don't have the time to shop as regularly however, it is a great idea to buy meat/chicken/fish in bulk and keep it in the freezer. Then you can just run into the shops to buy some fresh veg and fruit when you need it. Keep a variety of protein sources such as chicken breasts, fillet steaks, extra lean mince and frozen fish fillets.
It is also a good idea to keep some frozen vegetables too (they actually hold in nutrients really well by the way!). Keep a bag of frozen peas or mixed veg for times when you don't have the opportunity to get to the shops.
I always keep my breads in the freezer since I don't use them daily and I generally keep a variety: rye bread, Low GI bread, wholewheat pitas and wholewheat wraps.
Another thing that I always keep is frozen berries, which I love adding to my oats. They are also delicious as a snack in the summer time :)
I also use my freezer to store cooked portions of bolognese, curry or soup. When I make these sorts of meals I generally cook in big batches and freeze leftovers into portions that can then be defrosted again for another meal or two when I am pressed for time.
In my Pantry:
These are pantry foods that I will always have on hand:
1. Sauces & Condiments - reduced sodium soy sauce, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, Woolworths organic crunchy peanut butter, honey, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, stock powders.
2. Herbs & Spices - thyme, oregano, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, paprika, fennel seeds, bay leaves, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper. 3. Canned foods - tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, lite coconut milk, corn kernels, dill pickles, sun dried tomatoes, beetroot, tuna in brine, tomato paste & passata, palm hearts. 4. Grains - wholewheat pasta, wholewheat Chinese noodles, brown basmati rice, brown & wild rice, bulgar wheat, barley, buckwheat, wholewheat couscous, quinoa, Ryvita, Finn Crisps, Wholegrain Corn Thins. 5. Other - Long life fat free milk, Rooibos tea, Ceylon 5 Roses tea, Instant coffee, Nespresso pods, Coffee beans, Nomu Skinny hot chocolate, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, rolled oats, steel cut oats, chia seeds, ground linseeds/flaxseeds, ultimate seed mix, walnuts, mixed nuts, Woolworths date balls (my favourite are the carrot, clementine & turmeric ones at the moment), Woolworths 25g biltong snack sticks.
I hope this helps xxx
For a personalized meal plan and more healthy lifestyle tips, tricks and recipes visit my website www.gabilaskerdietician.com/book-online to book a consultation.