11 Healthy Items to Always Keep Stocked in Your Refrigerator

After transitioning from a bachelor to living in a shared home with my fiancee, often we have differing opinions between what food to buy and meals to cook during the week. However, one thing we both agree on is to try to eat healthier, live productively, and be happy which is the over arching theme we try to provide to our readers. To help you all I put this guide together as a reference on healthy items you should have in your refrigerator and on your shopping list and some nutritional info on why these are an important part of a person’s diet. Note I am not a nutritionist, nor am I aware of your individual allergies so take these as my own personal recommendations and if you don’t like something feel free to leave it off your list.

Milk

Milk is an important part of everyone’s diet because it’s a drink that is low in sugar, adds protein as well as fortified Vitamin D to your diet which many people that don’t live near the equator are deficient outside of the summer months. This Vitamin helps with immune function, energy regulation, and bone strength. I have personally struggled with this deficiency most of my life and since learning about it I’ve taken a daily supplement and increased the amount of fortified foods to my diet and feel noticeably better. Before taking any supplements be sure to check with your Primary Care Physician.

Milk can be animal or plant based but most Milk from animals contain lactose which many people are sensitive too or completely intolerant of. If you have increased gas, bloating, or irritated digestion after drinking animal based milks that may be the reason. Plant based milks such as Soy, Almond, or Coconut have become increasingly popular in our more health conscience society and can be readily found in your local grocery stores.

Eggs

Eggs are one of those foods that have received scrutiny as raising your cholesterol levels. However when doing some research I couldn’t find anything confirming this. However eggs do contain benefits such as being rich in antioxidants, a good source of protein, and they are high in iron and B12. They are also a filling food that does not contain many calories so this can be helpful in losing weight for some people.

Eggs are also an easily prepared food through cooking techniques such as scrambling, frying, poaching, or boiling to give different flavor and texture to this versatile food! One of my favorite breakfast foods is to fry two eggs and eat them over a toasted bagel with a few tomato and avocado slices. This dish can be cooked in under five minutes, is low in sugar, and can be eaten on the go for the busy professional who needs to get the kids to school or make an early meeting.

Butter

Although it not the healthiest item on this ist, it is a great way to add flavor to your cooking or to your morning bagel. As long as you’re eating this in moderation I still consider it an essential item to have in your refrigerator for any home chefs reading this. I’m also not talking about that land-o-lakes junk or I can’t believe it’s not butter but natural butters you find from the deli or a local butcher. Butter is also essential for sauteing, making cookie dough, spooning over a seared steak, or dipping crab, shrimp, or scallops in. My fiancee has also fallen in love with butter browned panko bread crumbs on her pasta dishes! I highly suggest trying this if you haven’t done so already.

Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are one of those easy things to forget at the store or chose not to buy because of the extra costs but they really elevate cooking to make those evening dinners more enjoyable and appreciate the cooking experience. They also add extra vital antioxidants to your meal compared to cooking without them. I find I’m more productive after eating a tasty dinner cooked with flavorful herbs too then compared to eating a drab piece of chicken or slice of dry meat loaf. Here are the critical herbs we often buy for our dinners: Mint, Cilantro, Parsley, Oregano, Sage, Basil, and Rosemary. It is even better if you grow these yourself and pick them fresh from the garden!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a versatile everyday fruitable (fruit + vegetable Frankenstein). While I do have a seperate section for fruits and vetagables this guy is so important in our household that he warrants his own section. In our kitchen we pretty much use tomatoes everyday for either a breakfast side, put on our sandwiches or salads, make homemade pasta sauces or Vindaloo, or eat as a fresh snack.

Dark leafy greens

Although in our household we don’t often eat enough dark leafy greens such as Spinach, Kale, and Romaine Lettuce these group of foods have a ton of health benefits to improve your antioxidant balance, improve iron levels, and aid in healthy digestion. Every few weeks we will juice with Kale or cook with it from our Blue Apron recipes. Chen also makes spinach, avocado, and fruit based smoothies several times a week which I need to do more often.

Fruits

Fruits are essential sources of vitamins and minerals. They are a naturally sweet snack to keep yourself and kids away from all the cookies and candy bars. Fruits can also be incorporated in your dinner recipes such as Apple glazed pork or Mango Chicken Curry. Limes are also commonly used in tropical or Mexican based recipes to elevate the citrus notes of the dish.

Our Frequently Purchased Fruits: Apples, Oranges, Mangos, Avocados, Berries, Lemon/Lime

Vegetables

Just like Fruits but without all the natural sugar, vegetables are a critical source for vitamins and minerals as well as fiber to aid in essential digestion function. Also the trio of onions, mushroom, and green peppers are key ingredients in many recipes like philly subs, omelets, fajitas, moo goo gai pan, and pastas and since we cook these so often we always buy these items.

Also it’s worth calling out that Garlic and Ginger are members of the root vegetable family that are super-foods to add delicious flavors to your dishes as well as important antioxidants with numerous health benefits.

Our Most Valuable Vegetables: Onion, Mushrooms, Green peppers, Zucchini, Garlic and Ginger (honorable mentions: Broccoli, Cucumber, Carrots and Celery)

Salmon

I’m a person that likes steak more than fish since my mom didn’t it cook it much when I was growing up, but now that I’m older and have been more health conscience there’s no denying the benefits of fish and how unhealthy red meat actually is. However, a well cooked Salmon does not have that notable ‘fishy’ taste and can actually be a delicious protein! Blue Apron has sent us some really good Salmon recipes that incorporate searing and glazing cooking techniques that I enjoy just as much as a rib-eye.

Other recommended fish: Mahi-Mahi, Halibut, Sea Bass, Snapper

Chicken

Chicken is a cheap lean meat and is a way to ingest the bulk of your recommended daily protein allowance. It can be cooked in many ways and compared to red meat is much healthier and is more environmentally friendly especially if you are buying local farm raised and grain fed chicken from a local butcher.

There is also much debate of whether one should eat dark meat over white meat. Chen and I both prefer dark meat and it has only 6 more grams of fat per serving than white meat and considerably less than red meat. Breasts or Thighs. Thighs only have ## more grams of fat than breasts which is still %% percent less than red meats. More eco friendly

Sandwich stuff

I won’t go too deep into this section but I do buy stuff for my own Sub Sandwiches weekly. One because I love sandwhiches and two they’re quick to prepare, delicious, and cost a few dollars per sandwhich compared to spending 12-15$ on a takeout near my office.

The essentials: Lunchmeats, condiments, fresh vegetables from above, and sliced cheeses

Bonus – Infused waters

If you are buying the items above you should always have the ingredients to make fresh infused waters. This is a great alternative to sugary drinks and sodas which I have been drinking as long as I remember as a way to lower calories and other unhealthy processed ingredients from your diet in favor of natural sugars, vitamins, and antioxidants.