Here is the WSS household, the fridge is a sacred place. There is an order. There are things that aren’t allowed. It’s a visual happy space. It’s done with intention. And it’s one of many things I use daily to influence and encourage myself to support my healthy lifestyle. It also seems to be one of your favorite things to see on my feed.
I recently asked the community on Instagram if you wanted all my tips/a very detailed look at how I organize our fridge and the answer was a resounding, yes! So today, we’re diving in. I’ll give you the why behind the flow, what I’ve learned does & doesn’t work and how to create your own dream fridge at home.
The disclaimer: I don’t live by always rules. I tend to flow a bit with whatever is going on at any given time. That being said, my insta photos aren’t the end home for where the items in my fridge live. So for all my favorite containers/tools for making food last longer, be sure to check the full carousel at the bottom of today’s post.
The flow
I am a visual person. Sometimes this works to my benefit and I can “trick” myself into remembering things. Other times, my anxiety kicks in making me think I’m going to forget all the shit and we go from a cute one or two things to a full hot mess. Which is why you’ll notice EVERYTHING has clear jars. With the exception of the occasional rogue Tupperware bowl, I always want to see what we have clearly at any given time. It means less waste. And it makes it far quicker to find food in a pinch.
Before our current fridge, we had a side by side combo. I’m still giving a tiny bit of thanks to Hurricane Michael for making that fridge disappear so I could convince my family to upgrade. But the concepts of how things flow in my fridge will work just as well with other styles. You just have to be mindful of the whole shoving all the things in and never paying attention bit, ya know?
Top Shelf
You can pretty much always guarantee that the top shelf of our fridge is strictly fruits and vegetables. The main reason: it’s where my eyes go immediately when I open the fridge and it cues me to eat more colors. I’m ALL about finding easy hacks to make creating a healthy lifestyle something you don’t have to think about. Subconscious cues are a great way to do that.
There’s almost always a container of spinach in our fridge, unless Momma Savvy has gone grocery shopping, then there’s the additional giant container of mixed greens. As well as, you’ll find other bits that we’re using for the week, typically something resembling a strawberry/blueberry/blackberry. And if there’s something I need to use up that day, it will be at the very front of the shelf.
I try to do my version of meal prep within the first day of having food. This gets divided up throughout the fridge. But on top shelf of the fridge you’ll find pre-washed lettuce/kale stored in either a salad spinner or my other produce saver, the always present spinach with a paper towel folded inside and any herbs I’ve picked up for the week in an additional produce saver.
MIDDLE SHELF
The middle shelf is what I like to consider our take out shelf. On the left side, you’ll find anything I’ve prepped for the week. I like to keep my lunch prep time to under 10 minutes so there’s typically at least 1 thing meat prepped as well as some chopped veggies. This is also where things like salsa, our marinara sauce, the pineapple chunks mom is currently obsessed with, our fave non-dairy greek yogurt and other bits live. There’s also typically at least 1 batch of my protein balls here.
By having a dedicated space for leftovers, I don’t have to worry about stumbling onto some moldy dish that got lost ages ago. It also makes it a lot easier for M.S. (momma Savvy) to know what she can prep for her night shift at the hospital. Or in the case of everyone’s favorite white pup, it’s what I reach for when he’s being particularly stubborn about being dragged away from his oasis in the corner of the backyard.
I try to stay on top of this shelf so that I know what we have in the fridge at any time. But I’d highly recommend adding a dedicated space for what you have prepped. If you find that you’re a grazer or constantly grabbing what you don’t really want to be eating from your fridge, I’d suggest making it a shelf that you’ll see immediately. Nevertheless, the middle shelf is my favorite (with the exception of my chocolate section – she’s essential).
BOTTOM SHELF
In case you were thinking that our fridge was perfect or had a space for everything, the bottom shelf is a bit of a free for all. With the adjustable shelf, this space ends up being a mix of whatever drinks I’m currently going through (wine, tea, almond milk), where I store soup in a tall jar and the home of the obscene amount of pasture raised eggs that always seem to be in the fridge. M.S. gets master manipulated by the fur creatures of the house for her eggs regularly. This is also where I store things like bread (both gf for MS and keto/paleo for me). And of course, there’s the odd bottle of wine chilling on this shelf as well occasionally.
My biggest thing for this shelf: I don’t store anything perishable at the back. Our house is rather hot so occasionally you’ll find things like candles, medicine and makeup here after they’ve changed forms in the mail/for their protection. But if it’s food, it doesn’t go past the middle divider. We occasionally thaw meat out on this shelf but I put it into another container to make things easier to clean.
THE DRAWER
This space is essentially where all things snack, alternative dairy and meat live. When we buy protein bars or chocolate, I stash them on the right side. And then on the left lives smoked salmon, sliced meat or anything else that might need to be prepped. In general, I’ve found by having a designated home for things in my fridge, it’s much easier to A. find the items. B. not waste $$ because I didn’t know I had it and C. helps me be a bit more creative in the kitchen.
How To Make Your Produce Last Longer
Depending on what I’ve bought for the week and how I think I’ll eat it, I adjust my food prep. For things like lettuce and herbs, I like to store them in either a salad spinner or a container that allows any residual moisture to fall away. I have several different size containers for things like berries and bundles of kale. But in general, I find they absolutely make a difference!
I also keep a small produce saver in each of the drawers. Fruit lives in one while all things veggie lives in the other. It’s a handy but small tool that doesn’t require much effort and makes a difference. I’ve noticed that I can stretch my produce life a few days to a week longer by using these savers.
Overall, I will say that washing and transferring your berries, greens and other produce into their containers for the week will save you time and help give you the most from your grocery budget. Especially if you enjoy blackberries and find they always end up moldy within a few days of getting home, removing the berries from the container into the saver helps prevent them from going mushy.
Storage Tips
Here’s how I store each item:
Prepped meats – glasslock containers
Soup – Large mason jars or small ones if I’m freezing half a batch
Fruit – Rubbermaid containers
Greens & Herbs – Oxo containers
Almond milk – glass jar
Avocado halves – I use this saver
Half a lemon (always on somewhere floating around) – stasher bags
In general, I prefer using glasslock containers for prepped veggies like chopped onion or cooked meals. But if I’m tight on space or it’s more of a breakfast dish (chia seed pudding, chocolate mousse, etc), I’ll store it in a taller jar in the door. Mason jars are great for this as they really help you maximize on the real estate in a tight fridge.
Let me know in the comments below how you organize your fridge! I always love hearing the fun ways people get creative with their space. Plus, your tip might help someone else in the WSS community. I’m off to convince Asher that there are other places to lay than directly behind my chair (his fave spot this week). Sending you all the love and positive vibes. Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
