Meal prepping is big at my house. I take a few hours on the weekend to make sure we have all of the ingredients ready to make for simple meals during the upcoming busy week. I keep some basic items in the fridge and freezer that have become the backbones of my cooking!
In the Fridge
Fresh Fruit and Veggies
I pre-wash and cut various fruits and veggies. I found doing it this way allowed for a one time prep and clean up as well as ready to go snacks and meal components.
I have a variety of sizes in the Rubbermaid Freshworks Series to keep them fresh
Rubbermaid Fresh Works
Citrus
Great to have on hand to add some flavor to dishes
Olive Puree
We love this on EVERYTHING! Wonderful on meat, seafood and vegetables.
Tomato Sauce
I always have a batch of homemade sauce in the fridge for quick pastas, stews, soups and even as a pizza sauce.
Minced Ginger
Mince ginger and store in an airtight container. Add to marinades, veggies and sauces. Making a larger batch and storing makes meal prep easier.
Bone Broth
Another item that is ALWAYS in the fridge. I make my own poultry bone broth using leftover poultry bones that I collect in the freezer until I have enough to make a big batch.
Lemon Juice
Great to have on hand for marinades, sauces and salad dressings. Juice a batch of lemons and store in an airtight container.
In the Freezer
Wild Fish
I always look for sales on wild fish. When I find a good sale I purchase FRESH WILD seafood and use the food saver system to air seal the fish and freeze for later use.
Food Saver System
Organic Poultry
I always have organic whole chickens, chicken breasts and chicken thighs in the freezer. This way I know I always a have protein base to build a recipe from.
Another favorite thing of mine is to stock up on fresh organic turkeys during the holidays. Turkey is probably my favorite type of meat! It is hard to find fresh organic turkeys throughout the year. During the holidays when stores are running promotions on the organic turkeys I grab a few! I store some whole and others I cut into pieces and store using the Food Saver System.
Note on freezing fish and poultry! You should only use FRESH product not product that says previously frozen!
Frozen Veggies
Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh as they are frozen at peak freshness. Often this is a great way to save time and money.