I didn’t start out on a fridge cleanout the other day, it just happened. Although, I do like to do this every few months. We were low on most everything, and it was grocery delivery day. Before the groceries arrived in the afternoon, I spent some time in the morning cleaning out items and throwing away anything that was expired. Once I got all the items out of the fridge, it was time for a wipedown.
I took everything out of the refrigerator that could be removed. I used my favorite Mrs. Myers dish soap to wipe down the containers, shelves, and drawers. I then used a toothbrush (I always keep a pack of THESE on hand for cleaning) and a spray bottle with vinegar and water and scrubbed any crevices that needed extra attention. I let everything dry on the counter and took a break for reading/naps/rest time for the boys. After that most everything was ready to put back in its place.
I’m going to link some storage and organizing ideas at the bottom of the post. But you can also find many very similar ones at places like HomeGoods or TJ Maxx for a lot cheaper. Just have in mind what foods you normally buy to determine what size/type containers you’ll need. This will save you time and money!
What’s in our fridge on a regular basis:
TOP SHELF:
- Annie’s biscuits. We usually have these or the Annie’s cinnamon rolls once a week when we do breakfast for dinner.
- Orange sweet rolls. The boys have recently been introduced to these and they’re big fans. We do something like this as a treat one morning a week.
- Container for seeds(pumpkin, chia, flax, hemp hearts, sesame, sunflower) and container that holds the mix. I’ve been experimenting with seed cycling for hormone health the past few months since stopping breastfeeding. Recipe I use is HERE. Have you tried this?
- Plain Yogurt. We use this for snacks a lot with a variety of toppings including frozen berries.
- Cottage cheese. My first breakfast and coffee I have by myself every morning before the kids get up includes one egg and a forkful of cottage cheese cooked together.
- Sour Cream. Always have on hand for tacos, soup topping.
SECOND SHELF:
- Yogurts. Individual Greek yogurts in a variety of flavors.
- Yogurt smoothie drinks
- Eggs. We use a LOT of eggs during the week.
- Container of shredded white cheddar cheese. This is one thing we always have on hand. It’s always handy for quesadillas for lunches, pizza bagels, tacos or taquitos, so many uses.
MEAT AND CHEESE DRAWER:
- Deli ham
- sliced deli cheese
- Bacon
- Cheese sticks
THIRD SHELF:
I have two containers that are for drinks (similar ones HERE) on this shelf. You can use these a variety of ways, actually. I use them to group similar items we have depending on the week. On this particular week, I was using one for grouping types of cheeses and one for small packs of olives. We rotate a variety of individual options like hummus, ranch, olives, etc for snacks and lunches each week.
Use bigger containers to group smaller items, especially ones that are individual sizes that come several in a package. It will keep neatly in one spot.
BOTTOM SHELF:
- Whole milk(Isaac loves and MUST have). On average we use 3 gallons of milk a week. That’s a LOT of milk for a LOT of boys!
- Sparkling waters
- Beer
VEGETABLE DRAWER:
This particular week we had:
- Organic spinach
- Organic romaine
- Organic broccoli
- Coleslaw
- Avocados
FRUIT DRAWER:
- Organic apples (all the boys love apples)
- Organic strawberries and blueberries
DOOR:
- Butter
- Condiments
- Homemade dressing
- Maple syrup
- Heavy Cream
- Baking soda
- Almond milk and current opened whole milk on the bottom
What are some of your favorite fridge staples?
