What’s in my fridge?

DAIRY:

Whole fat dairy products are a great source of  the fat-soluble vitamins A , D, E, and K. They also facilitate your body’s absorption of other nutrients. Even lactose-intolerant people can handle real butter and real cream pretty well, and its worth it for the flavour and vitamins from these nutritious foods. If you don’t mind paying a little extra for quality, Organic Meadows brand is a local dairy co-op based out of Guelph.

Butter: I buy Organic Meadows cultured butter. A bit more expensive but much better, and even if you put it on everything (like I do), it lasts a long time.

Cream: Organic Meadows makes a great whipping cream. Add to scrambled eggs, coffee, oatmeal…

Kefir or yogurt: a cultured dairy product, great as a snack with berries or in a smoothie.
Get the full fat stuff and from whole milk, not “milk ingredients.”
I get my kefir from Starsky, either the affordable Elite Dairy brand or the Organic stuff from PineHedge Farms in glass bottles.

Whole Milk: If you’re going to drink milk, enjoy as it was made: with fat! Partly skimmed milks (2% etc) contain powdered milk, which has been heated to extreme temperatures and lost nutritional value. The vitamins are in the fat, and have to be re-added synthetically to skim milk. Powdered milk also contains oxidized cholesterol which, unlike naturally occurring cholesterol, causes arterial plaque build-up. No place to get raw milk around here so we won’t get into that.

Cheese: Good in moderation, always full fat.

MEAT:

Meat: Omega-3 Eggs, chicken breast, ground meats (great and cheap for homemade burgers!), canned tuna, fresh fish/seafood…
Starsky has small containers of ready-to-eat salmon pieces, cheaper than any smoked or fresh stuff and great in salads.

Bacon: from Starsky. Superior quality and taste than the standard packaged stuff. Longos deli counter also apparently has decent stuff.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES:

Assorted frozen berries, great for instant shakes.

Bananas: great for after a workout.

Pineapple: goes great with chicken, on its own or in a salad.

Apples: raw or make applesauce to have with chicken.

Avocado: fresh guacamole tastes great on a burger patty or as a dip for fresh veggies! Choose avocados that yield to the touch and have darker skins, but not too squishy. Buy the firmer ones and let them sit on the counter or place in a brown paper bag til they ripen, then keep in the fridge. Throw an avocado and a clove of garlic, maybe some tomatoes or salsa in the Magic Bullet.

Broccoli Slaw: pre-packaged salad from Sobeys or Metro. A $2 bag makes 4 salads, mostly shredded broccoli stalks with a bit of carrot and red cabbage.

Red pepper: relatively expensive but so good! Also use jalapenos liberally!

Salad: Throw whatever you like together – carrots, celery, cucumber, pepper, zucchini, green onions…
If you pre-chop a bunch of veggies and toss with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegar (balsamic, or I also use Eden Foods red wine and apple cider vinegars, from Metro), the salad will stay fresh all week and you can just grab a scoop and go each day!

POST-WORKOUT CARBS: Earn your carbs!

Bread: Ezekiel bread is made from sprouted organic grains, which are nutritionally superior and easier to digest than those in regular processed breads. I found it in the freezer section at Metro, but you can get it and other fresh sprouted grain breads at organic stores everywhere. According to NT, if you put raw honey on the warmed bread and let it sit for 15 minutes, the enzymes in the honey will help digest the bread! I keep it in the warmed toaster oven, then slather with almond butter.

Brown Rice: When soaked overnight in water and cooked for at least 50 min, brown rice is easier to digest and the nutrients absorbed easier. Make 2 cups to last the week. A small serving goes great with vegetables in cold salad or with stir-fry.

Steel-cut Oatmeal: Add a bit of yogurt to a 1/2 cup of water and a 1/2 cup of oatmel and let it sit overnight. This small amount of prep will make the oatmeal cook up easily in 5 minutes, and make it more nutritious. Enjoy with butter or cream, raw honey, and berries.

Sweet Potato: Try mashed or sliced and baked with apple.

Purple Potatoes: Allegedly higher anti-oxidant value, same price as regular potatoes.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Sea Salt: The all-natural stuff. Sea salt has many important minerals that facilitate digestion and nutrient absorption, and makes food tastier. Limit your refined iodized stuff hiding in processed foods and add a bit of good quality sea salt to your meals.

Almond butter, Raw Honey, Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk, Mayo with Olive Oil…