11.14.2016

# meal plan # what's in my fridge

What's In My Fridge? Costco 2016 + Meal Plan



Hello Daily Connoisseurs,

I'm off to Japan right now with the baby, so please pray for our safe arrival! Today's post will be short, but I do have a great video for you that shares what is in our fridge and a quick meal plan.

I shot this video back in September, but am just now able to post it. It shows how my grocery shopping has evolved with our growing family.

In the video, you'll see our fridge after a trip to Costco. Shopping at Costco saves us money and enables me to only go shopping once every few weeks, yet still provides fresh food for our family. In between shopping trips, I supplement with fruit and vegetables from our local grocery store. With a new baby in the house, this is the best way for us to grocery shop right now.

I hope you enjoy this week's video!


Comment of the Week

Carrie W. writes:
Great post! I am always looking for ways to incorporate more movement (I avoid the word "exercise") into my life. I've learned a lot by reading Katy Bowman's books and blog on this topic. She's a biomechanist who talks a lot about natural movement and how it's missing from our sedentary lifestyle.

Recently I began biking to the WalMart down the street. I love it! I get a few groceries at a time and get to hang out with my teenage son. It energizes me, and I wear my same stylish clothes. And since it's fall, I don't get sweaty. I don't even own "exercise" clothes because I find them ugly and immodest. I hate the "mom uniform" I see around me - sweatpants or yoga pants that are stretched out and thinning in the wrong places, ponytail, sports bras - so not chic!


Hi Carrie, Thank you for the recommendation for Katy Bowman's books. I see she has a new one coming out called, Movement Matters, which is exactly what I discussed on my video on exercise. I think it's great that you ride bikes with your son. You can't go wrong mixing quality time with exercise!

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I would love to know... what's in your fridge? How do you meal plan? Do you shop in bulk for your family? What do you love to buy from Costco? Let me know in the comment section below, and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.

See you in Japan!



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10 comments:

Amy K said...

Love these videos, and love your books! If you can, try leaving your tomatoes out on the counter until you're ready to eat them. They will be MUCH more flavorful!

taylorcait said...

Thanks for sharing! We are on an extremely tight grocery budget for the three of us (myself, my husband, and our six year old son), but Costco allows us to eat well and include lots of organics! I shop there once a month, at the beginning of the month, and then every week I stop by an Aldi - some weeks I'm even able to skip that stop. We first eat the produce that goes bad the quickest, and things like apples will last a couple of weeks before going bad. We live 45 minutes away from the nearest decent grocery store so I make my trips into town count!

Cindy said...

I agree about leaving the tomatoes out of the refrigerator! Loved the video. Enjoy Japan.

Anonymous said...

I have a dedicated calendar for meal planning purposes, and once a week, after checking the contents of my freezer , I plan meals for the week to come. I have my recipes close at hand, and any that I am going to make that week, I either post on the fridge or make note of what page it is in and in which cookbook. I check to see that I have all the necessary ingredients. If I have a busy day, I usually heat up one of the frozen meals that I make ahead and stockpile (chili, stuffed peppers, meatball sandwiches...). I even have homemade buttermilk biscuits frozen and stockpiled. All I have to do is take as many as I need and let them sit at room temperature for a while.

I don't have a Costco nearby, and don't belong to one of those big box stores. Our local groceries are a little organic with a LOT of conventional items, so I go over the state line (a few miles away) to shop at Whole Foods, where it is mostly organic. I consider this "voting with my wallet". But this is not where I buy the bulk of my food items -- only things I cannot procure at the farmer's market (where I buy meat, dairy, and bulk food items such as dried beans and other staples) or a wonderful farm market just a couple miles from me (where I buy all my produce, eggs, and honey). I am almost militant about buying organic, and about supporting the local economy when possible.

Technically, I shop twice a week, since the farmer's market is only open on weekends, so that is when I must shop there. I go to the Whole Foods on Monday, when It is not busy. (I hate waiting in line.)

Instead of keeping fresh vegetables in the fridge, where they may go bad before you use them, once a week, I roast them in olive oil with a little salt, then store them in individual containers. They are ready to eat, cold in a salad, or I warm them up as a side dish. I do this with broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, eggplant, beets... almost any veg can be roasted. I also buy a "mess of greens" once a week, and saute them with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. I store them in a container also, and use them as a salad instead of bagged salads. It makes meals come together so much faster when I don't have to prepare the salad or side dish because it's already done. I do make fresh salad dressing rather than bottled, as they can contain a LOT of sugar, which we try to avoid. I just mix up a couple teaspoons of cider vinegar with a teaspoon of olive oil... add a squirt of mustard, mix, and drizzle.

This may sound like a lot or work up front, but I no longer have to stand in front of the fridge, wondering what I'm going to make. I know ahead of time and in some instances, it is already prepared. So much less stressful!

Margi said...

Thank you for showing us an updated version of what is in your refrigerator. You mentioned enjoying apples and almond butter in the evening. Do you keep apples someplace other than your refrigerator? I would love to see what is in your pantry too (if that feels comfortable) as I got so many good ideas this post. For example, I think I am buying too many things all at once. I love how you go deep but have fewer choices. I think this would help my budget and also help me waste less food. Thanks again for a very useful post!!

Lori said...

Thank you for this video! I am hoping to adopt the French way of shopping when I retire next year rather than our current Costco practice of stocking up for the end of the world (my husband's preference).
I would love to see your recipe on how to prepare the red lentils.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Jennifer for this video. I find it very helpful to get ideas for easy but healthy meals to prepare. It also helps to look inside someone else's refrigerator. I don't know if you've ever done a "What's in my bag" video but that might be fun too. Many thanks again for always being so inspiring, Have a safe trip to Japan!

Anonymous said...

At this point in our lives, we definitely love Costco as well! I have access to some great markets and a huge garden, so I go to the grocery store every other week, and just do produce from the garden, freezer, or market in between. However, I have definitely struggled mentally with the whole bulk food concept, so it's very nice to hear your thoughts and opinion!

Vicki Zimmerman said...

I love this video, because it's so informative and it's fun to see what's in your refrigerator. I also really like seeing your meal planning and how you purchase for the menus you create for the week and the fact that you write it down. I can totally understand the cost-saving factors of meal-planning and shopping in quantity at Costco. With a small family of two, the Costco/large warehouse quantities don't work for us, but I'm intrigued with some of your refrigerator items. For example, I'm always using a garlic press and it is so time-consuming. I'd like to try this Kirkland brand of easy-to-use garlic that's out of the clove and I love that teriyaki sauce for the salmon furikake, too. What was the marinade you used in the bag for steak? Again, I really enjoy your food videos as much as your home and fashion ones and it's always good to hear a Madame Chic story no matter how long ago it was when you stayed with Famille Chic, because I really like to hear about these cultural comparisons and similarities. Thank you, Jennifer.

Unknown said...

Thank you for this peek into your life! Love watching you live "real" life in an elegant manner...so refreshing in the midst of all the "fashiony" blogs that seem to put forth an impossible ideal.

Just a little tip: your tomatoes will be a lot more flavorful if you leave them out on the counter! The cold temperature of the fridge actually destroys their flavor and makes them mealy and watery. A lot of people think they don't like tomatoes, and I'm convinced it's because they eat them in restaurants, where (presumably for health code reasons) they are refrigerated. Thankfully, tomatoes can last for weeks at room temperature! I've let both homegrown tomatoes and storebought sit out for about two weeks with success (maybe even longer).

Best of luck in Japan! Sending prayers your way that you and your son have happy and safe travels.