Well after my rant on Tuesday about the faux large baskets from Walmart, I figured I could at least show you how I put the baskets I kept to good use.
The apartment we're currently renting has the smallest refrigerator we've ever used. There are no compartments, other than one large crisper at the bottom. Coming from the world of side by sides for many year we have gotten quite lazy about bending our backs to see what's in the frig. And with the hubby being 6' 4" that's quite a bend for him. So this particular adjustment to apartment living is not a very welcomed one. Then you add in my need to separate some of the items in the frig for my allergies and organizing this tiny thing became priority one.
Here's what the frig looked like prior to grocery shopping... oh the horror. Is that really a Target bag in there? Iesha, what were you thinking?!?
Rest assured that Target bag high-tailed it out of there after I returned from the grocery store. Please don't lose to much faith in my organizing skills. Anywho... I decided to go with the Mainstay basket instead of something acrylic for two reasons: 1) price and 2) I needed a temporary solution (more on that later) that could be used in other areas of our home at a later date.
Ta-Da! A much more organized refrigerator sans Target bag.
All the drinks are on the door now along the hubby's homemade salsa.
I tried really hard to get 3 baskets on one shelf, but they wouldn't fit. So that tells you just how small this refrigerator is. The top shelf has a basket for sandwich condiments and items used on wheat bread. In my research, I found that I should have separate spreads to use on my non-wheat bread due to the crumbs that are transferred on the butter knife. And even though it's plain as day, see the evidence on the butter in the pic below, I would have never thought about it. Thank goodness for the internet!
The second shelf has a our eggs and baskets for wheat free items (my butter, jam, and other gluten free items) and proteins (deli meats, Hebrew National hot dogs, cheeses and egg beaters). The bottom shelf is where we store the leftovers and baskets for bread and fruits/veggies that don't get stored in the crisper.
And finally there is the crisper.
On the left side are the large packages of veggies. On the right side are all my prepped salad veggies. I try to make sure I have them at the ready so preparing a healthy salad is a no-brainer for lunch or as a side with dinner. You can see in the back of the crisper on the right, a gallon size ziplock baggie of romaine and baby spinach mix I prepared. In the other baggies are cut up radishes, green onions, bell peppers, and cucumbers, just enough to last throughout the work week. Easy peasy in the morning.
Having the refrigerator organized and stocked has definitely helped to alleviate the agony over what I'm going to eat on a daily basis. It also helps the hubby in the event that he actually butters his own toast in the morning... you know, on those rare occasions. (I wouldn't have it any other way hunee... promise. ;) )
By the way, I also took on the pantry...
That's coming up in my next post. Till next time...
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