I actually enjoy my weekly farmer’s market shop, I get so much satisfaction from buying my food direct from the source. But there’s one part of the process I really don’t enjoy…the packing it all away.
One thing I’ve found that makes my life as a working mum way easier, is developing systems. Mainly because systems take the thought out of tasks leaving me with more mental reserves and stamina for all the other stuff I need to get done in a day.
As it happens, I have a system for storing my food in my fridge and pantry that whilst it adds a bit of time and effort in the unpacking process, it saves me time and money in the long run. It also allows my family to be able to navigate the fridge without opening multiples of everything!! And when it comes time to re-stock, I can see, at a glance, what we are needing more or less of the coming week, so there’s way less food waste.
Though I will acknowledge that whilst the fridge starts off ultra organised, as I introduce leftovers and the kids don’t always replace items to my assigned positions, it isn’t quite as systemised toward the end of the week. But by then, it’s time to restock and re-organise it all anyway.
So I thought I’d share the things I do to make my weekly meal prep less time consuming and ensure nothing gets wasted. You don’t need to follow my lead exactly, but I do advise having some formula for storage in your fridge and pantry that suits you and your family.
I’ll be sharing regular videos in the members only Community Group to help to inspire you and show you some of my systems.
Fruit
Fruit I always have stored at eye level so it’s one of the first things my kids see when they open the fridge. I have three containers that divide the fruit up into one or two varieties. When it comes time to I restock it with fresh produce, I always place any old produce towards the front so it’s used first.
Salad leaves and herbs
I always wash and spin dry all salad leaves and herbs. Then I store them in big airtight containers lined with paper or cotton towels. This way they are ready to serve up or throw a salad together quickly and they keep for the whole week without going slimy.
Having ready-to-go leaves and herbs makes it so much easier to add to the meal you are creating. My kids are also more likely to add leafy greens to their school lunches (sandwiches, wraps or rice paper rolls) if they are washed and ready to go.
If my herbs have the root attached (often the case with coriander), sitting it in a jug of water in the fridge will keep it fresh too. It’s a good idea to change the water every few days.
Other vegetables
I store in my fridge drawers (though I have a really good fridge that keeps them fresh this way). Alternatively, I store them in cloth Swag Bags which keep them fresh and crisp.
I store vegetables I know my kids enjoy as snacks like carrots, cherry tomatoes and snow peas or sugar snaps in containers or bowls near the fruit (at eye level). I know many people go to the next level and peel and cut their vegetables and store in airtight containers. I’m a bit concerned about the loss of nutrients, so try to prepare fresh produce as close to eating as possible.
Onions, garlic and potatoes
I have a drawer in my kitchen with them stored in separate containers.
On the counter-top
I keep bananas and unripe fruits like avocado on my countertop. Tomatoes I also keep out of the fridge unless it is hot weather, then I store in the fridge.
Eggs
I live in a warm climate so I store mine in the fridge in a pull out container which holds almost 3 dozen eggs and makes it easy to carry them to the pan or BBQ for cooking.
Meat
I again have a container that I keep my weeks worth of protein in one section of the fridge. If it’s near the use-by date or I haven’t used it like I expected, then it goes into the freezer.
Condiments
I like to keep all of my condiments in the fridge door. When I had a smaller fridge I put them in a shallow rectangular storage tray, so I could slide it out and wasn’t searching all over the fridge for long forgotten jars of mustard or capers. This also kept the fridge cleaner as any residue from the jars went into one washable container.
TIP… keep tomato paste and other sauces upside down once opened as this will stop them going mouldy indefinitely.
Cheese
Once opened, I keep it in a glass cheese caddy so it’s not in contact with the plastic.
Butter
Butter I keep wrapped in the paper I buy it in. I also put some in a glass butter dish and store it at room temperature to soften it (unless the weather is steaming hot, then it’s kept in the fridge).
Leftovers
I have a heap of pyrex, glass lock containers and recycled jars that I use for leftovers and other bits and pieces like olives. Again, make sure you store the stuff you want to be able to grab out easily or want your kids to eat, so it’s easily accessible.
Nuts, seeds, flours and meals
I personally store these in large glass jars in my pantry (in a slide out drawer). I do find nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans go rancid quicker than other nuts so in the warmer months I squeeze them into my freezer. In a perfect world I would store them full-time in the fridge or freezer but I don’t have the space currently.
When decanting the nuts, seeds, flours and meals into the jar, I use a wide mouth stainless steel funnel. It makes it a really quick and easy job with no rogue nuts spinning across the kitchen floor or flour bombs going off. I’ll give you a demo in the Community Group every now and again.
Herbs and spices
I cook a lot with herbs and spices and I don’t want to waste time searching for what I’m after. So I have a drawer with an insert for spices so they lay face up, and can be found easily. You can buy inserts like this at kitchen storage places and also at Ikea.
As I buy most of my herbs and spices in bulk, I have glass containers (from Ikea) that I have labeled (now I’m seeming very OCD). I decant the herbs and spices into the jars (using the before mentioned funnel).
I keep my most used spices in the bottom row for easy access. Like the fridge, it requires reorganising a couple of times a year due to my kids and husband messing with my system ha ha.
Oils and vinegars
I keep these in shallow storage trays so they don’t make a mess of the pantry and it also keeps them more organised. I have one for oils (olive, macadamia, lemon olive oil, chilli oil, coconut oil etc). One for vinegars (balsamic, red wine, apple cider, sherry, raspberry, chardonnay, rice wine…I have a thing for vinegar lol). Also one tray for other condiments like mirin, tamari, coconut amino’s etc.
Canned tomatoes and legumes
I just line these up in the pantry.
Back-ups
I have a section in my pantry where I keep un-opened back-ups (of things like mustards, nuts butters, oils, sweeteners, tomato paste, capers) and ingredients I use frequently and don’t like to run out of. This helps me to identify right away what I need to buy more of before I shop (I just check the back-up section) and it saves me having to run out to the shops because I always have a back-up.
Other
Everything else is just shelved in sections, nut butters, spreads and honey together. Crackers, pasta and other grains together. The out of reach top-shelf of the pantry is where I keep party bags or anything else I don’t want the kids to eat a lot of.
I hope this helps to inspire you to develop some systems around stocking your fridge and pantry. Remember to post questions or share organisations tips that help to keep you and your family well nourished over in the members only Community Group.
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