On any given week, a peek into my fridge will look very different. Ingredients for meals will change with the season and how much time I have for cooking that week. But all foods that cross the fridge threshhold have a purpose and today I will introduce you to a key question to help make your food life easier:

What does food need to do for me this week?

Do they need to be pre-cooked? Do they need to be comforting? Do they need to fuel a workout? Do they need to be delicious? Convenient? Cold? Hot?

I have included my “needs” below to help get your mind moving on this concept. All the foods I eat regularly fit into one of the below needs. It helps me ensure I have access to nutrient-dense foods but also tasty foods. This approach also helps me to think about foods differently, which can help me get new ideas each week!

My client’s and I often discuss meal planning at length and identify a specific plan that works best for them and their scheduling/nutrition needs — it can take some time to land on what approach works best for you so if you haven’t found ease with meal planning, don’t lose hope!

That just-moved-in-clean-fridge feeling

Without further ado, I need…

Foods with a plan

• Ingredients needed to make meals
• A variety of produce items (bonus points for numerous colors of produce items)
• A few protein choices to last throughout the week (tofu, chicken, eggs, beef, etc.)
• Pre-chopped/washed produce to make cooking easier

Ready-to-eat food

• Leftovers or meal prep
• Washed berries
• Washed apples
• Noka Smoothie pouches
• Perfect Bars
• Pasta sauce or parm/butter combo to whip together a quick sauce

Foods to make nutrient-dense choices easy:

• Pre-made breakfast burritos (example from this week)
• Batch cooked miso white beans (example from this week)
• Batch cooked wild rice (example from this week)
• A leafy green (change this weekly!)
• Pre-made smoothie base
• Veggies to eat raw (tomatoes, carrot sticks, cucumbers, olives, etc.)
• Pickled vegetables

Flavor enhancers & joyful foods

• Sauces, pickles, dressings, bullion
• Iced tea
• Iced coffee
• 100% juices
• Cheeses
• Lemon/lime juice
• Jams/jellies
• Capers
• Tomato paste

Culturally-relevant foods:

• Turkish cheeses & sparkling water from Turkey, Ayran (salty yogurt drink)
• Hummus

Foods high in important, harder-to-get nutrients

• Salmon (omega-3 fatty acids)
• Kale, yogurt (calcium)
• Soy milk (Vitamin D)
• Potatoes (potassium)
• Oatmeal muffins (fiber)
• Nuts, seeds, nut butters (minerals and heart-supporting fats)

Bonus! Organization with food safety in mind:

• Meats are housed in bins to prevent leaking onto other foods
• Foods are cooked, eaten or frozen before the best buy/sell buy date
• Research food safety guidelines for leftovers and follow expert recommendations
• Food is stored in glass containers as opposed to plastic
• Temperature is maintained <40 degrees F
• Non-perishable foods stored in the door (this is the warmest spot of the fridge)

Re-make the lists above with foods that work for your food preferences and your life! You might even have a look through your fridge and see where different items fall.

This post was originally featured on Substack!

If you are healing your relationship with food and seeking an IFS dietitian, book a free Discovery Call today to see how nutrition counseling can support your healing from disordered eating or an eating disorder.