Ok folks here's something fun for y'all. YOU get to help ME fill my fridge.

Yesterday I came home to NO power at my house and I know it was turned back on sometime today and the fridge was never opened, but I look at this as the PERFECT opportunity to pitch the old and start over again. So I'm in the process of cleaning out my fridge. What should I restock with??????

Give me some ideas... Remember that there is just one person in my house.

Organic Yogurt is definitely on my list of things to keep in the fridge but what else should I put in there.

Expedition 1 of refill the fridge went very well.

I went to the two farmers markets that were open today. THere wasn't much there although I did get some radishes, organic cheddar cheese and texas wild flower honey.

I then went to the Randalls near my house. I got the following:

Two 1 lb tubs of organic spring/herb mix
1 bag of baby organic carrots
apples
red peppers
a really nice roast that I can divide in at least half if not quarters
a 4 lb bag of chicken breasts
vine on tomatos
1/2 gallon of organic 1% milk
1/2 Gallon of organic OJ
a bag of precooked shrimp (with the coupon it was cheaper to buy this way this time)
a bottle of cocktail sauce

There were a few other necessity items for my house... but when it was all said and done, I'd spent around $60.00 and saved $45 on my grocery bill with coupons and instore savings.

Here are my spice drawer essentials. These are the things I can't live without:

Garlic Powder
Toasted Onion Powder
Tarragon
Parsley
Dill
Chili Powder
Cumin
Curry Powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Black Pepper, whole
Kosher salt
Chili Flakes

If you have extra $$

Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Cayenne
Chipotle Powder

We are lucky enough to have a Penzey's spice store just up the road from us. There you can buy small quantities of spices that are really fresh. We have pretty much everything from there now. I love that you can go in and sniff stuff before you buy it.

My favorite Penzey's blend is the Bavarian Spice Blend. S likes the Chicago Steak Seasoning. I absolutely love their Sweet Curry Powder. It rocks on popcorn.

I decided I needed to clean out the pantry closet as well. OY what a mess. I've found stuff that expired at least a couple of years ago.

Don't know what to do about the spice section though. I don't even remember when I opened some of this stuff.

Fridge staples at my house:
Vanilla Yogurt
Low Fat Sour Cream
Mustards
BBQ Sauce
Eggs
Cheese--always parmesan and cheddar,others as well
tortillas
Milk
Carrots
Sugar Snap Peas
Broccoli or Green Beans
Bell Peppers
Romaine
Canadian Bacon --great in rice bowls, pizza, breakfast sandwiches...I keep finding new uses for it
Lunch meat
Margarine/Butter
Paste Boullion--in Beef,Chicken, and Vegetable flavors

In the freezer: a couple kinds of ground meat
frozen corn
Berries
Bananas
Chicken Breasts
Pork chops
Cooked Brown Rice
Potato products

In the pantry: Shallots
Garlic
Potatos
Onion
Noodles
Rice
Baking Supplies
Tuna

On the counter: Whatever fruit is in season.
Right now, Apples, Clementines, Pears, and Bananas.

With these things and a nice spice drawer, I can make just about anything.

Good Luck.
--Francie

Jen:

I'm planning to do a menu tonight or tomorrow. There's two Farmer's Markets that I am going to hit tomorrow as well as the seafood area.

I like to make a menu for the week before I go to the grocery store so that I have everything I need for a week's worth of cooking, though if I come across something fabulous at the store I can always sub it for one of the meals I planned. It might be a good idea to do that so you have an idea of how to use everything that people have suggested.

I always keep lemons and limes around, as well as at least one fresh herb -- basil is my favorite, and I also like parsley and cilantro. Since you're in a warmer climate, though, herbs in pots or a garden patch (if it's warm enough) would be even better. Just watch out because mints (oregano is a mint too) spread like crazy and you can't kill them no matter how hard you try.

Brie:

Since I live about 10 minutes from the Seafood Zone in the houston area, I'll go down to the Gulf and get fresh shrimp and fish

This is a good month... extra pay check and I get my vacation pay.

They've also just remodelled the store down the road from me. And even though I don't normally shop there, I do have two $10 off any grocery purchase of $50.

Just had a funny thought, if you put all of our suggestions together we could bust your food budget, but you'd eat good. I can't add much to these lists, but I'd be willing to help bag the groceries.

Fruit popsicles (Trader Joe's has these Fruit Floes which are quite good, and stop me craving ice cream/something sweet)

Scallops.

Trader Joe's has a red pepper spread that I use for everything.

A good hard cheese (pecorino/parm)

Goat cheese

Miso paste

Frozen fruit.

Ezekiel's sprouted corn tortillas (yummy!) (frozen)

I use regular mayo/sour cream/yogurt.

Good organic butter.

Frozen peas and spinach.

Here are some things commonly found in my fridge/freezer:

Skim or 1% milk

Low sodium soy sauce (I keep in fridge once opened)

Toasted sesame oil (ditto above)

Like Brie, I keep a variety of mustards (I esp. use Dijon in salad dressings).

Ditto Brie on the whole wheat (ww) wraps/tortillas (I like Tam-X-ico brand, though I currently am trying Mission's ww tortillas).

Being a live-alone, I keep ww bread and sometimes ww bagels in the freezer because I can never eat a whole package before it goes bad.

Though I am sensitive to sodium and rarely eat frozen dinners, I do sometimes keep 1 or 2 in the freezer for emergencies--and one just came in handy earlier this week when I'd been out and about all day and forgot to plan for dinner.

I keep frozen chix/veggie potstickers in my freezer for a quick work night supper (I use soy, sesame oil, honey and sesame seeds for my dipping sauce).

Though I am not much of a fan of frozen vegetables (maybe because I don't have a frost-free freezer), I usually keep at least a bag of peas in the freezer since they aren't as commonly sold fresh (at least here).

A jar of 100% fruit jam.

Smart Balance Light margarine. I don't eat it as a spread as much as I used to, but I do use it in cooking now and then.

Chopped garlic in a jar. I used to be a purist about using fresh garlic but I just don't use it enough and it was always shriveling up before I had a chance to use it, so the jar stuff is just more practical for me.

Fresh ginger in the freezer. I'm still a purist when it comes to using real ginger vs. the powdered stuff but, again, don't use it often enough to get it used up before it shrivels up, so I keep it in the freezer and that way I always have it on hand!

2% shredded cheddar cheese (for wraps, quesadillas, etc.)

Shredded parmesan cheese (keeps great in the freezer) (for sprinkling on homemade pizza/pasta)

Lots of variety in lowfat/fat free salad dressings

Fresh veggies (cukes, peppers, bagged salad, etc.). Tomatoes are always kept outside the fridge.

Most fruits I don't keep in the fridge (they reside in a basket in the kitchen) but I do keep grapes and pineapple (once cut) in the fridge.

Yes I lost the freezer and all the condiments... I have decided I am starting from scratch with this one. (Tonight when I get home from work I am starting with the main part of the fridge - the freezer is already cleaned out).

Here's my must have list for fridge items:

ff plain yogurt (to make sauces from and use as substitution)

lite organic cream cheese

lite vegan canola mayo or soynaise

assortment of mustards and asian sauces (most of my stuff is preservative free and call to be refrigerated after opening)

some great low fat salad dressings

loads of fresh veggies and fruit including prewashed lettuces and spinach

low fat, nitrate free turkey for wraps

salmon

whole wheat tortilla wraps

Eggs


Did you lose your freezer too? If so I would add:

shrimp
mixed frozen veggies for emergency no time to cook days
chicken sausage
chicken stock

Condiments too?