Stocking Your Refrigerator for Everyday Healthy Meals

By Nava ? On Aug 27, 2012

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VegKitchen?s post on stocking a healthy vegan pantry is one that gets a lot of views, so it occurred to me, in this bountiful season of fresh produce, that we should explore what it takes to keep your refrigerator stocked with fresh foods as well as other natural, wholesome edibles that compliment and bolster them. Read on for my recommendations on how to put together a well-stocked refrigerator that will make healthy plant-strong eating a breeze, as well as how VegKitchen readers can enter to win a gorgeous GE French door refrigerator.

When we moved five years ago, I left my side-by-side refrigerator behind, and purchased the contemporary-style French door refrigerator. I like the set-up so much more ? in the side-by-side, the freezer takes up too much space, and personally, I?m not that big on freezing. The French door fridge has the freezer on the bottom; it?s just as spacious but doesn?t take away much-needed space from the refrigerator section. That said, it?s to my everlasting regret that we outfitted our renovated kitchen with mediocre appliances ? they?re not terrible (well, the dishwasher is), but they?re at best mediocre. If I were able to replace any of them tomorrow, I?d start with the refrigerator, as that?s the centerpiece of kitchen appliances. I?ve been very impressed with what I?ve seen of the GE French Door Refrigerator, and that would be my top choice if I could toss my current fridge!

I like the fact that it has a built-in water-filtration system, as we go through gallons of water for drinking and cooking, and a filtered water ice-maker (no more yucky ice cubes), neither of which my current fridge has. The freezer has several drawers, which prevents it from becoming a big jumble. I?m also impressed with the full-width deli drawer which would helps to keep our vegan deli (different kinds of tofu and tempeh vegan cheeses, etc.) more organized.

On the shelves: First, let?s stock the refrigerator we?ve got! Let?s start with the shelves. Here?s a basic list of what you?ll find on mine:

• Earth Balance
• Larger bottles of juice
• Nondairy milks that have been opened (we mainly use rice and almond milk)
• Store-bought hummus (my family is addicted!)
• Salsa, after it has been opened
• Breads
• Olives
• Perishable seeds like flax, hemp, chia, and sesame
• Fresh coffee beans
• Well-sealed containers of leftovers
• Summer only ? whole-grain flours, which can be perishable at warmer temperatures.

On the side doors: These are great for smaller containers that would get lost in the refrigerator, such as:

• Mustards
• Vegan mayonnaise
• Sriracha and other hot sauces
• Lemon and lime juice (for those times when we run out of fresh)
• Smaller juices and coconut water
• Nutritional yeast
• All-fruit jams

Produce or crisper drawers: These two drawers are the centerpiece of my fridge, where I keep an array of year-round and seasonal produce. Any spillover that won?t fit in the drawers, such as large bunches of greens or lots of ears of fresh corn, goes on the shelves.

Our vegetable drawer almost constantly contains: Scallions, cabbage, lettuce or baby greens, cukes, peppers, carrots, celery, apples, hardy greens (kale, collards, chard), leafy greens (baby spinach is my favorite) broccoli, and cauliflower. Occasional veggies I enjoy but which aren?t continuous: sweet potatoes, eggplant, fennel, jicama, watercress, broccoli rabe, beets, fresh corn, and asparagus. Fresh herbs frequently on hand include parsley, cilantro, and dill. I like to wrap more perishable leafy greens and fresh herbs in paper towel before storing them in plastic bags or containers.

The fruit drawer varies a bit more than the vegetable side, as fruit still seem to be more seasonal. A few fruits that are always present are: Ripe avocados, lemons, limes, and apples. In the winter, pears and oranges are added to those. In the summer, there?s a changing array of grapes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, stone fruits and melons.

Deli drawer: This looks much different than one that stores Standard America Diet items! Here we keep tofu, tempeh, seitan, tempeh bacon, vegan cheese (our favorite is Daiya), vegan ?meats? like sausages, frankfurters, deli slices, and the like, if you?re into such things (I?m not; my kids, who have never tasted actual meat, really like the fake stuff, but I try to keep it at a minimum!).

Freezer: Here we keep basic frozen veggies (corn and peas for the most part, but I also love whole organic baby green beans, as the season for fresh and really good green beans is so very fleeting), berries (for smoothies!), nondairy ice cream, non-daily type breads such as corn and/or flour tortillas and pita or panini breads.

On the kitchen counter: There are a handful of fresh foods always in my kitchen but which are best stored at room temperature. These are tomatoes, bananas, onion, garlic, and white or yellow potatoes.

Stocking your kitchen and fridge with this or a similar array of foods will ensure that you have the basic ingredients with which to make fast, healthy meals, whether you?re following a recipe or improvising! It?s always nice to plan ahead so you can get your fresh foods before your crazy work and/or school week begin, starting with at least two menu plans. But even if this ideal scenario doesn?t happen, you can be assured that you?ll have plenty of healthy ingredients with which to improvise.

Check out the Freshpedition ? The new French Door Refrigerator is so advanced, GE filled one with the freshest food they could find, hooked it up to a generator and ventured over 2000 miles in a Ford F-150 to a remote desert to surprise a homesick scientist with a home-cooked meal. Watch the adventure!

GE also invites you to enter the Freshpedition Sweepstakes: Just pin a favorite fresh dish or your very own recipe and you could win all new GE kitchen appliances! You can also enter each day for a chance to win a $100 Visa prepaid card. To enter, click here.

Be sure to visit the GE Appliances brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers? posts!

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Source: http://www.vegkitchen.com/product-guide/stocking-your-refrigerator-for-everyday-healthy-meals/

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