Anyone who knows me, knows that I am OCD organised! I function so much better when everything is organised and tidy. The one thing I love and need is an organised fridge and freezer "a label maker is my best friend". As well as plastic storage drawers and containers. This is usually what my fridge & freezer look like after my weekly Sunday grocery shop. I am a really visual person so I try and make both my fridge and freezer aesthetically appealing. Our grocery lists vary week to week but the basic fruit and veggies stay the same. As I am looking after an athlete, a toddler and a baby. I make sure I buy healthy and nutritious foods, and purchase organic when I can. I believe it is so important to educate your children on health and nutrition from the beginning so they make positive food choices. I spent 10 years starving/ bingeing and abusing my body. I am finally realising how important it is to nourish your body with good food.
Always keep expiration dates visible. I always leave my fruit and veggies unwashed until I use them. Excess water can breed mould and bacteria. Every week I wipe my fridge down with Milton (baby friendly antibacterial spray) to keep my fridge clean and smelling fresh. I have a Kiki K magnetic shopping list I keep on the fridge. So whenever we run out of something I write it down straight away. I keep everything to the front of the fridge: the chances are if it's not visible it is forgotten and too much becomes waste. On a Saturday I do my online Woolworths order for it to arrive on a Sunday. Once it arrives I pre chop some of my fruit and veggies for the week, which I keep in the Sistema containers. This makes it easy to quickly prepare snacks for the kids.
FRIDGE
The Door:
In the door at the bottom drinks such as milk, juices, coconut water and wine or champagne. At the top I keep my spreads like salsa, mustards, vegemite and jam as well as herbs and any medications that need refrigeration.
Top Shelf:
On the top shelf I keep our bread in a plastic Kmart drawer, aswell as two sistema fresh works containers where I store grapes and strawberries. These have a built-in fresh vent lid filter and a crisp tray at the bottom so are great for keeping our fruit fresh. This shelf also holds our sauces in a narrow clear drawer from Kmart.
Second Shelf:
On this shelf I keep my sterilised baby bottles, my condiments and cut up fruit (in sistema containers) and any meat we have purchased. I keep the meat in a clear drawer purchased from Kmart. I prefer to purchase organic meats; chicken breast, steaks and mince, but if its not an option I will settle for hormone free. I find that if my fruit and veggies are all cut up it makes it super easy to prepare fresh snacks for my kids.
Bottom Shelf:
I keep all dairy products in a separate handled drawer from Kmart. The usual suspects consist of cheese slices, sour cream, feta, grated cheese and creamy dips. Next to the cheese drawer I keep the kids snacks which are also in a handled drawer. In here I keep kids yogurts, food I prepare for Hudson and any home made snacks. (once again I prefer to buy organic) This shelf is also home to our eggs and yogurts.
*All of the above were purchased from Kmart: www.kmart.com.au
The Sistema Containers I use for storing Fruit and Veggies.
*purchased from Woolworths www.woolworths.com.au
Fruit and Vegetable Drawers:
I keep the majority of our vegetables and salads in the top draw. As you can see each vegetable has a designated area because naturally I couldn't just throw them in willy-nilly. Although it is a struggle to get to my local farmers markets I make it a priority to purchase organic veggies. I love organising the fruit and veggie drawer, its so colourful! (I know it sounds silly but that’s my OCD).
Weekly Vegetable Shopping List:
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Cucumber
Red Capsicum
Carrots
Potatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Broccoli
Spinach
Pumpkin
Red & Brown Onions
Weekly Fruit Grocery List:
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Mandarins
Strawberries
Rasberries
Limes
I recently came across a list of fruit and veggies that tells you what is necessary to buy organic, and what is not. Its called “The Dirty Dozen”
Dirty Dozen (choose organic)
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Capsicum
Spinach
Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes
The Clean (okay to buy commercial)
Onions
Avocado
Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Kiwi
Sweet Pea
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato
FREEZER
Top Drawer:
In this drawer I keep any frozen baby food I make as well as frozen kids meals from the store. These are super handy to have on a weekend or a night when you can't be bothered to cook. I love the Baby Bistro meals and Annabel Karmel frozen meals. We also keep ice cube trays, iceblocks and any meat we freeze as well as youfoodz.
Second Drawer:
This drawer is where I keep all our frozen vegetables and Hudson's Nourishing Bubs veggies. Which is a company that have created a range of ten single vegetable purees, frozen into easy-to-use individual portions. Snap-frozen to hold in all nutrients using only locally-grown Aussie veggies. This means there's no sugar, no salt, no fruit, no thickeners and no preservatives. They have been a life saver for me. I also use them to add veggies into my cooking. www.nourishingbubs.com
Bottom Drawer:
In this drawer I keep all our frozen berries and any meals I make that I freeze such as savoury muffins, rissoles or bolognese sauce.
All labels are Little Label Co Use my code NATASHA10 for 10% off (labels only)
Little Label Co.