My Plant-Based Fridge & Snack List

So I’ve been spending January expanding on my goals for 2018 and I’m sharing tips and how-to’s with you guys along the way.

Today, I’m excited to share my latest project with you, one that always helps me to better achieve my health goals. But first, I’ll share what those health goals are!

My Health Goals For This Year

1. Exercise daily.

No explanation needed here. I just need to get back to exercising, even if it’s just a little bit every day. Pregnancy has really put me back to square one; so far I’ve been spending no more than 5 minutes a day doing simple exercises, i.e. squats and inclined push ups. A bout with iron deficiency and very low blood pressure certainly haven’t helped!

My hope is to really hit my husband’s new weight rack hard once I’m in the clear postpartum.

2. Lights out by 10pm & rise by 5am.

This is something I plan to do every single year and I ALWAYS inevitably backslide–IF I reach the goal to begin with!

There is something so peaceful about practicing an “early to bed early to rise” philosophy, though. Even for a night owl like me. It’s something I hope to make a regular practice before I get old and decrepit.

Here are a few more posts that you might find interesting if you, too, are working on early rising!

The Miracle Morning: How I’m Transforming My Days

Preparing the Night Before: How to Streamline Busy Mornings

4 Reasons to Wake Up Earlier Than Your Family

3. Drink 48 oz. of water per day & strive for 5 servings of fruits & veggies.

This is where I get really excited. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition, so food is essentially what I do best. Although, not lately because my fridge got so backed up with old leftovers and rotten produce that I didn’t feel at ALL like choosing healthy foods.

It’s probably the #1 tip you read on every health website about how to make eating healthy easier: if you want to eat healthy, keep your fridge stocked with fresh, healthy foods and don’t bring the bad stuff in the house. It’s so simple! If you don’t have healthy food, you won’t eat healthy food. And if you don’t have junk food, you won’t eat junk food.

So, I got my fridge in order because an attractive selection of fresh, healthy food makes ALL the difference…

Just look at this magnificent, colorful array of fresh food:

Granted, I didn’t categorize everything into neat little bins like you see on Pinterest, but it does look inviting and appetizing. I don’t know about you, but when I see such a selection of fruits and veggies, I’m more inclined to choose those options.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a countertop overflowing with old food I had to throw out to make this happen. Too bad I didn’t think to take a “before” picture! It was well overdue.

If you want to read more about how we eat plant-based (almost vegan!), you can check out my post, Adopting a Plant-Base Lifestyle. In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see that the only animal-based product in our fridge is a couple bags of shredded cheese in the bottom left bin.

We’ve replaced all dairy except cheese. And that’s mostly because you can’t buy decent vegan cheese at Wal-Mart. Also, what is life if you can sprinkle a little cheese on your pasta every now and then?? Let’s be real, people.

Then I made a comprehensive list of all our snack options so nothing would be forgotten or go to waste…

I woke up before 6am this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I spent some time brain storming ideas for keeping the kitchen in shape after all that hard work. And, guys, this is my new favorite idea ever. 

My husband is always asking me what there is to eat; I’m always grappling with what to feed my toddler for lunch; I often find myself resorting to the same 4 foods when I get the munchies. NO MAS, I tell you!

I listed everything in loose categories with the healthiest foods at the top. Now I can see all the options in one place and nothing will be forgotten or go to waste. And it’s much much easier to plan toddler lunches and eat a bigger variety instead of the same old chips and bananas

Don’t have a chalkboard wall in your kitchen?

You can buy one to hang up if you have the wall space or a chalkboard wall decal, which I would recommend. In that case you can use chalk pens instead of using old fashioned chalk. An unfortunate downside to the chalkboard wall.

You can also keep a list posted on your fridge or a cabinet. As foods get eaten, mark them off the list or erase them. If you tend to eat the same snacks a lot, you could printed a list and laminate it or stick it in a page protector and use dry erase markers.

Here’s to making healthy eating a little bit easier this year!

 

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