Trim Healthy Mama Basics – What’s in my refrigerator

Sometimes bloggers get odd requests, but this one made total sense to me – some of my readers want to see what I have in my fridge! And I was happy to oblige…after I gave it a good cleaning, that is. I mean, my fridge is always sparkling clean and organized, of course…right. No one's buying that. Anyway, I cleaned it out, and took pictures. This is my refrigerator about halfway through the week, so some of our staples have disappeared. Including the rotisserie chicken I picked up at the store last week. But here's a guided tour so you can see how easy it is to shop for THM…it's basically a whole foods fridge. With a few off-plan items for the rest of the family (which you'll see detailed below). Trim Healthy Mama Basics – What's in my refrigerator – will show you what we've got. No weird ingredients here! I follow a pretty simple system for THM meal planning, and I'm usually able to buy close to the same things at the store every week. 

If you haven't read the Trim Healthy Mama book, it's time! This book has changed my life and my family's health in incredible ways! I've been on plan for two years now, having reached my goal weight over eighteen months ago. 

I know that there are refrigerator organization geniuses who have it all mapped out and have the right foods in the right places for maximum cooling benefits. I am not one of those people. I'm sure my fridge could be WAY better organized, but hey, it is what it is!
Let's get started:

1. Trader Joe's sprouted bread – I keep food items with gluten in designated areas to avoid cross-contamination (we have kids with Celiac disease). I also have a printable shopping list for Trader Joe's if you need one!

2. Low carb Mission tortillas and Joseph's wraps and pitas. Again, these are kept separate, but they don't need to be that cold, which is why I keep them in the door. They stay fresher in the refrigerator. I stock up on Joseph's products and freeze them. I've kept them for up to a year with no problems so far! I just thaw them in the fridge (they thaw quickly) as needed. 

3. Drinks. Ahhh, I love using drinks as special treats. As a reformed soda drinker, I always keep something fun and plan-approved handy. I have a whole post about THM-friendly beverages here, if you want some more ideas. 

4. Off-plan items – This is where I keep my kids' gluten-free bread, anything off-plan that we have in the house (including leftovers from restaurants, if we have them), and those off-plan convenience items that my husband uses for THM. Like Reduced-Guilt Spinach and Kale dip from Trader Joe's, or the 505 chili that has rice flour in it. Both of those items fall into THM by the numbers, but both include off-plan ingredients, so my husband uses them for THM but I don't. 

5. Dessert – I try to always have some kind of special snack or treat available to keep me from sugar. Right now, it's my THM-ified Double Chocolate Fudge. I also keep berry cartons here (so that little people need help to get them and can't sneak in eat whole cartons of strawberries as soon as you get them home from the store…not that that's ever happened).  And I've got some Kerrygold butter there, too. 

6. Here I have a big carton of spinach from Costco and a fridge bin full of cheese. Right now I've got monterey jack, cheddar, cream cheese, Brie bites from Trader Joe's, goat cheese, and laughing cow. It is so easy to wash a handful of spinach and throw it in a bowl with some leftover meat or boiled eggs and cheese and make a quick salad. 

7. This is where we keep our snack vegetables, like carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers. 

8. Here is the meat drawer, with, I'm kind of embarrassed to say, lots of pork products. Right now there is Canadian Bacon for my THM mini-pizzas, bacon, and Trader Joe's pork belly for a quick dinner this week. I've also got lunch meat and ground beef, so it's not all pork. But it's mostly pork. And even though that's a personal choice item with THM, I'm OK with that. 

9. Unsweetened Silk Cashew Milk and eggs (self explanatory).

10. Dairy – Oh boy, there's a lot here. I've got egg whites, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese. 

11. I picked up some Trader Joe's pre-made salads to send to work with my husband, but this is where I keep any pre-chopped veggies, hard boiled eggs, or other salad ingredients that I can toss in with my spinach. 

12. Fruits and Veggies – I've got brussels sprouts, fresh green beans, and washed apples in here. 

13. I've got parmesan in the green can here, along with Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and no-sugar-added peanut butter. 

14. Condiments – salsa, mustard, mayonnaise, and some low carb salad dressing (right now it's Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar). 

That's it! Simple, fresh ingredients are what make up the bulk of our Trim Healthy Mama meals. Here's an unimpeded view: 

Now I have to get serious: Writing this post nearly had me in tears. Why? Because my family has SO MUCH! In addition to this fresh food, we have food in our pantry and food in our freezer! We have SO much more than most of the world can ever dream of having. If you, like us, have healthy food to eat and feed your family, and feel urged to help others, I just wanted to throw in a link for Compassion International. For many of us, we don't even give sacrificially, we give out of our abundance. Just throwing this out there – I'm so incredibly thankful to fill my kids' bellies and eat as healthy as I can with Trim Healthy Mama. 

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