My Fridge Runneth Over

Yikes!  Eating healthy and planning meals is making it a constant jigsaw puzzle to fit everything in the refrigerator.  I guess I never realized how empty it used to be… but that makes sense because all my favorite junk food resided elsewhere.

Now keep in mind that I do share the fridge with two teen boys and a DH who has some interesting food items of his own and likes to buy in Costco sizes.  Here are just some of the highlights:

• Leftovers from the past two dinners, which will be eaten for the next two lunches
• ingredients for the next two night’s meals including the protein and veggies
• oranges newly arrived from Florida, apples, and kiwis (which DH eats with the skin on)
• cheese, cheese, and more cheese… shredded, round, slices, sticks, spreadable, full-fat and low-fat
• turkey pepperoni and the regular kind
• drinks for us all (including two pitchers of my Crystal Lite, gatorade, both skim and soy milk, orange juice, and beer)
• flax meal and wheat germ
• lf ricotta cheese, lf sour cream, lf yogurt
• banana pudding and sf chocolate pudding
• eggs and egg substitute
• turkey sausage and bacon
• leftover refried beans (for breakfast)
• spinach, peppers, green onions, carrot, salad in a bag
• carbs for the guys including pizza crusts, tortillas, and Pillsbury breads/rolls
• and a plethora of condiments including one huge bottle of minced garlic, two kinds of salsa, three flavors of mustard, and four different barbecue sauces.

Maybe you can guess which foods are “mine” and which belong to the men in my life.

I do love being able to open the door, reach in, and pull out healthy leftovers to quickly heat for lunch.  And I feel good about having the ingredients on hand for a low-carb dinner plan.  But it sure can be hard to find what we want!  And making space to marinate meat or fish or chicken (which we’ve been doing a lot lately) is a particular challenge.

And the changes don’t end on the inside of the refrigerator:  the door now boasts a sticky note listing the dinner plan for the next several nights.  Now that I have meals planned out in advance and since I have been trying new recipes, my older son asked to know what is coming.  I admit that I get a little thrill seeing those healthy, tasty menus in print.  (I have historically not been either a good meal planner or a good cook – this is quite a departure.)

Your turn.  Open your fridge door and take a peak inside.  Let us know what healthy things are waiting … or, if you want, confess to those items that should be tossed!