Filling your kitchen with healthy foods makes cooking delicious dishes a pleasure, not a chore.
1. VEGETABLES
For vegetables, stock up on carrots, celery, beets, and bell peppers because they have a better shelf life than other vegetables. You can use them in stews, for making stock, with dips as a snack, and in a lot of other types of recipes.
2. FRUITS
For fruit, stock up on apples, grapes, berries, and pears. These last a long time in your fridge, and are good for snacking or in oatmeal and baked goods. You can freeze fresh fruit for even longer storage. Also, Be stock up on some citrus fruits, too: Zested, juiced, or sliced, citrus fruits bring fresh, tangy flavor to any dish, and lemons, limes, and oranges all last around two to four weeks if stored in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Store lemons and limes in water in the refrigerator
3. GREENS
Fresh greens such as Swiss chard, spinach, and collards and kale are always good for making a quick salad or for steaming or sautéing. You can also throw them in stews, soups, and healthy scrambles.
4. FRESH HERBS
Fresh herbs add flavor and freshness to almost any recipe you’ll make. My favorites are cilantro, parsley, thyme, sage, dill, and rosemary. If the herbs are damp, then wrap them in a dry paper towel before storing; if dry, wrap them in a damp paper towel before storing.
5. DATES AND DRIED FRUIT
It’s always a good idea to have dates and dried fruits in your fridge, where they will last longer than if they were stored at room temperature. Keep your favorites on hand, whether they’re raisins, dried figs, dried apricots, currants, or cranberries. You will get a lot of use out of a small amount in place of sweeteners and in baking.
6. NUTS AND SEEDS
Nuts are good to have in case you don’t have nut milk—you can quickly make some at home. You can also use nuts and seeds to garnish your salads or main dishes.
7. PLANT-BASED MILKS
Plant-based milk is great for making baked goods and any dish that requires a creamy texture. Stock up on any kind that you like, whether it’s almond, soy, rice, cashew, hemp, or rice.
8. SALSA
Good quality store-bought salsa makes cooking easier, as you can use it in main dishes and as a dip or a dip ingredient.
9. MUSTARD
Always have some mustard you like in the fridge, whether it’s Dijon, yellow, spicy brown, or another variety. You can use it on sandwiches and in dressings and sauces.
10. HUMMUS
Some good oil-free hummus is always useful to have in your kitchen, since you can use it as a dip or as a sandwich spread instead of mayo.
This handy shortlist will help you stock up on essentials that store well in the fridge or freezer.
