Your fridge/pantry must haves

leafstucker16

Okay so I cleaned out my fridge/pantry and threw all of the crap food out. I did some shopping today and am doing some more tomorrow.

What are your must haves for your fridge? Healthy meal ideas? Any advice, tips would be awesome!

healthynotthin

Pumpkin, Libby's 100% pure low cal. Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) and lots and lots and lots of veggies! Celery, green/red peppers, and apples are my go-to generally. Smart choices you're making sir!

vtmoon

Eggs, Chicken, some sort of lean deli meat, Tomoatos, lettuce, HOT SAUCE :-p

vtmoon

oh Apples and yogurt

Brandi1168

Fridge/freezer: chicken breasts, fruits and veggies, low fat cheese, almond milk, cottage cheese (2%), wholly guacamole (love that stuff).

Pantry: tuna pouches (in water), almonds, old fashioned rolled oats, black beans, and spices that I like for recipes.

I don't have healthy meals to give off the top of my head, but I use Skinnytaste.com a lot for ideas.

leafstucker16

Eggs, Chicken, some sort of lean deli meat, Tomoatos, lettuce, HOT SAUCE :-p

OH man I can't believe I forgot the franks!!!!

Skinny_Beans

Eggs- quick, delicious protein that can be eaten with a variety of foods(hummus, vegetable omelette, baking)

Versatile fruits-My favorite fruits that can be eaten alone, with yogurt, in a spinach salad, or in cooking (pears, strawberries,blueberries, mandarin oranges, plums, and honey dew melon are my favorites!)

Vegetables- Stuff that can be dipped in hummus, put in an omelette, or cooked quickly (mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, spinach, sweet potatoes, cauliflower)

Did I mention sweet potatoes and cauliflower?! Eat sweet potatoes instead of stuffed potatoes, eat with salsa, hummus, and mashed! Cauliflower is GREAT mashed as well, and i use it instead of rice to stuff peppers

BEANS/LENTILS- also versatile, and pretty cheap and nutrient dense

Greek yogurt-use instead of sour cream, buy plain, you can also add honey/splenda/fruit for a sweet

My favorite low-cal or nutrient dense condiments are mustard, poppyseed dressing, and hummus

unsweetened almond milk- the half coconut milk is creamy and delicious

ponderosakaren

Lots of carrots, caulifower and houmus ingredients (canned chick peas and skinny cottage cheese, garlic), tuna in water,m low fat mayo, weight watchers jellies, almonds and a truck load of skinless chicken. ...I live in New Zealand where we don't have the range of low-fat/diet products that you might have access to..if we had them here I know I'd buy them! Good luck with your new healthy eating!

deniseblossoms

Eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, salsa, baby spinach, romain, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumber and banana's are must haves. I buy skinless boneless chicken breast at a local italian market for usually less than $2 a lb. Also don't forget avocados and I usually buy at least one different type of berry a week. rasberries tend to be my favorite, plus I like them in the yogurt. Oh and I love red grapes, usually keep some fresh and freeze some. Not sure if you've ever tried frozen grapes before but they're awesome.

Not sure if you like fish but tilapia or cod can make some nice fish tacos. I'll pan cook the fish with some salt and pepper (optional) a squeeze of lemon juice. I make the taco's with the fish, broccoli slaw and usually make some homemade pico de gallo but you can use salsa instead.

Regardless of what anyone else gets, find your favorite fruits and veggies, that way you'll eat them more. I am not a broccoli or cauliflower fan...so lots of zucchini and asparagus when it goes down in price. A good general guideline is to eat the rainbow. Orange, red, green (dark leafy(spinach, kale, chard) tends to have higher nutrient content than light (iceberg)).

I'll do a lot of salads using mexican type ingredients...greek yogurt for sourcream and I use regular cheese, just measure out my serving, and salsa for the dressing. Sometimes I'll take a couple tortilla chips and crumble them over the top that way I'll still get the crunch of it. I do a buffalo chicken salad that's the same idea, I bake my chicken and brush the chicken with franks inste.ad of giving it a bath...

not sure if you have a decent protein powder but a smoothie is great for after a workout, or just to fill in some gaps in nutrition. I freeze my bananas for those and use that Blue Diamond Almond Coconut milk, soo good.

And a good olive oil, must have that in my pantry:D

nikilis

organic baked beans (lowest in sugar)

free range eggs

all natural peanut butter (no sugar no salt)

avocado

tomato

potatoes

large carrots

fruit toast

wholegrain toast

alfalfa sprouts

salad greens

tomato and minestrone soup

falafel

couscous

soba noodles

cocoa + splenda = HOT CHOCOLATE!

frozen vegetables!

nikilis

Lots of carrots, caulifower and houmus ingredients (canned chick peas and skinny cottage cheese, garlic), tuna in water,m low fat mayo, weight watchers jellies, almonds and a truck load of skinless chicken. ...I live in New Zealand where we don't have the range of low-fat/diet products that you might have access to..if we had them here I know I'd buy them! Good luck with your new healthy eating!

tis true, I'm in nz right now.

Enigmatica

Fridge: almond milk (store bought or homemade), coconut water, Garden of Life RAW Protein Powder, ground chia, flax, and hemp seed, avocados and fresh greens, onions, tomatoes, usually some kind of prepped beans, quinoa, rice,chicken, and fish, and a dozen different gluten-free baking flours.

Freezer must have plenty of frozen veggies, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, frozen diced peppers and onions, fish, turkey and bison burgers.

Pantry is stocked with oatmeal, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, dried cranberries, a variety of dry beans, short grain brown rice, quinoa, Pamela's gluten-free bread mix, olive, grapeseed and coconut oils, various Mrs Dash and other herbs and spices.

aussiemegs82

Eggs, chicken, tuna, yoghurt (make sure its not packed with sugar), a big variety of fruit and veg and protein bars and shakes for on-the-go meals.

SomeoneSomeplace

Siracha...because it's amazing. And it's crack in a bottle.
Almond milk.
Almonds (100 Calorie Packs for me or else I'd eat like a million in one sitting)
Eggs.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Avacado
Old Fashioned Oats
Joseph's Flax Tortilla
Baby Spinach
Honey Crisp Apples
Low Carb Pasta
Black Beans
Brown Rice
Protein Powder
Greek Yogurt
Regular Yogurt
Diet Lemonade
Water
Salsa
Hummus
Baby Carrots
Low Sodium Soups
Frozen Veggies
Broccoli
Healthy Cereal
Luna Bars
Peanut Butter
Amy's Frozen Meals
Nutrigrain Bars
Frozen Greek Yogurt
Chickpeas
Lentils
Onion (This is used in so many recopies)
Sugar Free Jello & Pudding
Low Fat or Sugar Free Cool Whip (Depends on your preference)
Joseph's Flax Tortillas
Lavish Bread
Pickles
100 Calorie Guacamole Packs
Sugar Free Instant Pudding ( I like using a tablespoon or two in shakes)

newmein2013

Plain Greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, skim milk, eggs, sugar free jelly, tofu,
chicken breasts, light/low fat cheese, lots of fresh veggies, bananas, berries, avocados, salmon, tilapia, frozen veggies & berries, deli flats or sandwich thins

Peanut butter, oatmeal, Nutella, tuna, sardines, fruit and/or granola bars, dried (or canned) beans, pasta, olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate, protein powder, barley, low sodium canned veggies, diet snapple individual packets to go, cannellini beans, red kidney beans, black beans, protein bars

Roasted veggies (olive oil & fresh garlic) I make a huge tray for a few days

Roasted chicken breasts (with olive oil & either garlic & parsley or Montreal Chicken seasoning)

Pasta with olive oil, chicken, & veggies

Lentil soup

Chicken soup

Pasta Fagioli

3 bean Turkey chili (skinnytaste.com)

Tofu broccoli stir-fry (eatingwell.com)

Tilapia with fresh garlic & a tiny bit of butter & lemon juice & lemon pepper seasoning

Poached Salmon with lemon pepper seasoning

Baked salmon with low sodium teriyaki sauce


Feel free to PM me if you'd like more ideas.

Ejourneys

Protein sources: Tongol tuna, no salt added; canned free-range chicken; Greek yogurt (both plain and with fruit); canned organic garbanzos; cheddar; dry roasted unsalted peanuts; walnut pieces. Those last two are also high in fat but it's monounsaturated. I use them (and the saturated fat cheese) in controlled amounts.

Veggies: lettuce, frozen broccoli, with the occasional addition of frozen green beans and frozen Brussels sprouts (nothing added to any of the vegetables, e.g., no sauces built in), potatoes, canned crushed tomatoes. During colder weather I add cabbage to the mix. For emergencies (e.g., I've forgotten to restock the fridge) I keep canned spinach. I also keep liquid vegetables in the form of low-sodium V-8.

Fruits: bananas, oranges, grapes, canned pineapple, raisins, prunes.

Carbohydrates/sugars: crispbread (I'm partial to WASA Multigrain), honey.

Condiments: extra-virgin olive oil (which I mix with white vinegar, lots of garlic powder, and paprika, to make homemade salad dressing); hot sauce (added to, among other things, the low-sodium V-8, to give it a kick).

COFFEE! And (for variety) Guayaki Chocolatte mate tea, which tastes like a liquid dessert when I add honey.

JosephVitte

I'm not going to say it's "healthy"...........but you did ask for must haves.........I'm going with Doritos, nacho cheese....it's not cho cheese!

darleyschroeder

These are the things I almost always purchase:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Eggs
Whole wheat bread
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Strawberries
Coke Zero-It's something of an indulgence
Frozen Veggies-I buy a big bag of broccoli and I really like the steamer veggies that come with sauce
Whole wheat english muffins
1/3 less fat cream cheese-tastes great and not fake like the fat free
90-96% ground lean beef-whatever is cheapest
Bananas-easy snack
Dried beans-when I am feeling poor I bust these bad boys out

darleyschroeder

Meals I like to eat on a regular basis:

1) Cheeseburgers made with fat free cheese singles, super lean beef and whole wheat buns. Top with lots of veggies.

2) Eggs in any way. I really like to use a whole wheat tortilla and make a breakfast quesadila, top with salsa and sour cream.

3) Re-fried black beans and salsa. I use the dry beans, cook them and then blend/mash them with some chicken broth and top with salsa and sour cream. 1/4 cup of dried beans are only 100 calories. This is a light and filling meal.

4) Chicken with a veggie-I like to do bbq chicken a lot and a light chicken parm (use panko crumbs and bake)

5) Mac and cheese, but I cook it with very little butter and add sliced, sauteed zucchini and tomatoes. It makes the meal go farther and much healthier.

6) Homemade chili. Enough said.

7) Sweet and sour meatballs. Use the lean beef and add some store bought sauce to meat mix. Serve with steamed veggies, rice and some extra sauce. Delish.

mgobluetx12

Chicken breasts
99/1 Ground turkey
greek yogurt (NOT Chobani with 17g of sugar!!!)
sugar free jello
apples
pears
raspberries
spinach
green beans
lettuce
green peppers
eggs
egg whites in a carton
low fat cheese
oatmeal
light string cheese
strawberries
tomatoes
Bolthouse Farms yogurt dressings
mixed nuts
whole wheat pasta
garlic
onion

msbunnie68

Jalna greek yogurt
fat reduced tasmanian fetta cheese
baby bocconcini cheese (I love my cheeses so I look for little alternatives so I don't feel deprived)
rocket and baby spinach mixed bag
fresh seasonal vegetables (usually carrots, beans, celery, lettuces, fennel, avocado,cucumber, cabbage)
strawberries
kiwifruit
apples
oranges
watermelon
bananas
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
cashews
pistacio nuts
rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
wholemeal flour
mountain bread rye wraps
rice paper for wraps/rolls
medium grain rice
nori
skinless chicken/lean lamb steak/lean beef steak (split into roughly 80-100g portions then frozen so I can ONLY use the smaller portions when I cook it for me)
eggs
Tip Top The One bread (Australian: iron and folate fortified)
baked beans in little cans
chickpeas/lentils/cannelli beans/butter beans dried and tins
rice noodles
tinned roma tomatoes
weetbix cereal
white vinegar
a GOOD quality first pressed extra virgin olive oil (if you are gonna have an oil it has to taste GOOOOOD)

I make loads from scratch - always have so the most important thing that I have in my pantry? An accurate set of food scales.

smilebhappy

greek yogurt
fruits
veggies (all colors)
almonds