3.18.2014

What's Inside Your Refrigerator?

Last night somewhere between watching the RHOBH reunion and researching crazy theories about what happened to the Malaysian plane, I thought to myself how if I could live inside any refrigerator (since that's normal and all), it would be Yolanda Foster's.

I mean...have you seen it?


It's been shown here and there on a few episodes, which of course every time leaves me more speechless than the last. Not only does it not even look like a refrigerator (I don't even want to know the price tag of this thing) with it's sleek design, but I can only imagine how stocked she keeps this thing with fruits and vegetables at.all.times. The baskets sorted and arranged all perfectly makes my semi-OCD self swoon.

It got me to thinking, how do you decide what comes into your refrigerator? Do you decide or does your husband/boyfriend decide? Allow me to cut to the chase here...sometimes I feel like a bad wife because if you were to come over to our house, our refrigerator isn't stocked by any means. Is it stocked with healthy items? Yes, but most items you'd find in a grocery store AREN'T in ours. That's decided by me. Sure, Billy likes to be healthy, but would he if I didn't force us to be? Probably not.

My policy is this: I don't keep unhealthy items in our refrigerator (and pantry)...I simply won't buy them. Because once you buy them, you eat them. I wasn't born with the "eat them in moderation" mindset, if you will, when it comes to sweets, sauces (I'm talking to you, ranch dressing), etc. You won't find a lot of butters, salad dressings, sauces (except my husband is a BBQ sauce hoarder so that's the one thing that I don't put up a fight about), and sugar filled juices. When shopping at the store, we stick to the outside aisles and don't visit the inside aisles much. Luckily, Billy is understanding and respecting of the fact that I want to live a healthy life, but that doesn't mean I don't tell him "NO" a lot when it comes to bringing food home from the store. He will send me a text sometimes like, "chips and dip, babe?" and 95% of the time, I reply and ask him to please not bring it home and he respects that. Now, of course I'm not a debbie downer ALL the time...we splurge from time to time (especially on the weekends) and when he eats out, he can eat however he likes. But still, sometimes I do feel bad for limiting what is brought into our home, but he's my husband and the fact of the matter is: I care about his health. 

 

His health, in my opinion, does reflect on me a bit and even though I feel bad for "limiting" our food intake sometimes, I wouldn't change it.

Here are some tips I came up with to grocery shop smarter:
+Eat BEFORE going (we've all made this mistake)
+Make a list and stick to it
+Read the labels
+Spend most of your time shopping the outside aisles and avoid the inside ones
+If your significant other is the unhealthy one, do the shopping alone or if you like to go together (like me and Billy do) educate him on smarter options!

What do you guys think? And if you live by yourself, how do you hold yourself accountable? Give me your thoughts, or at least pretend to agree that my method isn't madness... ;)

Oh, and for the record, I'd also take Yolanda's closet while we're at it...


27 comments

  1. I swoon every time they show her fridge, every.single.time!

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  2. I wonder if she'll have the same refrigerator once they sell their house - that new owner is one lucky duck!! I'm the same about keeping unhealthy items out of our pantry - I've somehow convinced myself that everything at trader joes is healthy - which is not the case haha!

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  3. Her fridge is crazy! So cool! I always remember when MTV used to have that show "Cribs" & the big thing was for everyone to show what was inside their fridge!

    Kristin
    Crumbs & Curls

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  4. I love Yolanda's fridge. It's just so amazing! Also, I completely agree - don't buy things for the house because you'll definitely eat them. I am the same way!

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  5. Katie, you're not alone! I do all the meal planning and grocery shopping in our house, which means I inadvertently 'get to tell' my husband what we will and won't eat. Sometimes I feel bad that I'm dictating what is and isn't consumed, but when he sneaks the not-so-healthy stuff (like ice cream and cookies) in and I'm eating them hand over fist, the guilt sets in for making bad choices! At this point I have to recommit to making healthy eating choices and ignoring his recent purchases.

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  6. One of my main reasons for stocking my fridge with healthy foods is that I LOVE when I can shop at Kroger and stick mainly to the perimeter and the organic section, like it's a contest with the customers in front of me and behind me "See!! I eat healthy stuff! Take that, Cheetos man!"

    ;-)

    But yeah, I feel bad for the hubs sometimes (he nearly barfs at the smell of baked kale chips) but when we're 80 and still feel good, I'm sure he'll thank me... probably.

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  7. I’m right there with ya on this one. Brian would 100% not eat as healthy as he does now if I didn’t stock the fridge with the right food when I’m there. My rule for eating is everything in moderation- including sweets! I’d gladly take Yolanda’s fridge and closet!

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  8. I'm guilty of buying the crappy food - and then I complain the whole time I'm eating it. HAHAHAHA But when we don't buy it, I totally don't miss it!!

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  9. I love all the fresh fruit and veggies in her fridge. Personally, that would drive be crazy because then you could see all the clutter! I stick mainly to fresh items when shopping and my husband understands. I still buy snacks and such for his lunch. I found that if snacks are not pre-prepared or readily available he just would not eat!!

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  10. I'm right there with you too! I am in charge of meal planning, grocery shopping and most of the cooking for me and my boyfriend (he's in charge of keeping track of the bills and apartment maintenance). I'm a registered dietitian so it's deeply engrained in me to eat healthy, and for the most part my boyfriend hasn't complained. We eat pretty healthy during the week, and on the weekends when we go out, he can order whatever he wants, and maybe 50% of the time he makes healthy choices, but he's getting better at it! I figure if he's eating healthy 5/7 days of the week that's good enough for me (for now!)

    I don't think you're being limiting on your husband. It's important for there to be someone in the household who is in charge of grocery shopping, cooking, and bringing healthy food into the house.

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  11. I am totally with you in all of this! When Michigan and I go to the store together it literally takes almost an hour and he insists on going down almost every aisle even though we don't need that stuff. When I go by myself, it takes me only about 30 minutes because I stick to the outside. While he and I are both chips and salsa addicts, I try to keep mainly veggies in our fridge.

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  12. Her fridge is AHHHMAZING - how does that even work? I commend you for your ability to make healthy choices for your family. My BF and I are not exactly on the same page health-wise all of the time. I only buy healthy items, which he does enjoy, but he also has an enormous stock of rice and pasta sides, chips and candy that horrify me. I wish I could {kindly} get him to stop eating that junk!

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  13. I am 100% with you on this and this is how things are done in our house. There are just as many delicious recipes out there that you don't have to eat the ones filled the crap. If you don't buy it, it isn't there to tempt you and it's as easy as that!
    And we do cheat some too (weekends) and it makes those cheats even more worthwhile and fun to do because you can look forward to them and know they are special.

    I think I could talk about eating healthy all day long...

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  14. Does she have like 18 kids or something? Because that's a LOT of food. That would spoil SO fast. I wonder what her fridge really looks like (aka: when it's NOT on TV).

    I try not to buy bad things, but my husband still brings them home, even when I ask him not to. His thought is: I should be able to eat what I choose, and it should not affect what YOU choose to eat.

    My over-eating issue is my own problem, not his. Which I agree with, but it is nice when he plays along and tries to help out.

    You're not crazy! If he was upset, he would let you know. He's obviously okay with this system!

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  15. I am very similar. I try not to buy unhealthy things, or if I do it is only a very bare minimum for one serving, or something that I don't like but Julian does so that I am not tempted. I figure if I am the one meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking, I should get to decide what is the fridge/pantry...

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  16. IDK who the hell "Yolanda" is but I would GLADLY take her closet AS my refrigerator. So there's that. Oh-and I love you. #byefelicia

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  17. Keeping a stocked fridge is a downfall of mine. I feel when it's overflowing with fruits and veggies something gets neglected and ultimately goes to waste. Or the opposite, I eat all the fruit up and there is nothing left in the fridge. David always complains that I shop while hungry (which is no lie!) so we often have some random items in our pantry!

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  18. It is so fun seeing what's inside other people's fridges! I love cooking, so it's neat to see other products and what other's stock up on. Yolanda's refrigerator is ridiculous! I love all the fresh produce, etc., but anyone who cooks needs more than just fruit and vegetables in the fridge. I bet her cook has another fridge for making her meals from!

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  19. I def stick to the outside perimeter on most trips however I do sometime venture into the middle aisles for snacks to have on hand. My husband and I are both known for getting a knack of something sweet or something salty... so we keep a few healthy items on hand (like sea salt chipins or coconut rolled dates). All moderation is what we shoot for although he have it when it comes to Blue Bell!! haha

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  20. It's one of those things. I WISH my fridge could look pretty. Is that weird? I mean I always try and then the next day everything is totally disorganized. Like I want to display bright yellow and red peppers and squash and bright leafy greens. So funny. It seriously DOES make you want to eat the food more though I think.

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  21. All such great ideas! I try really hard to only bring home healthy things but, sometimes Matt does the shopping (like, right now since he got off work early today) & I would bet that he'll bring something not healthy home. With Summer right around the corner he's a little more conscious of what he intakes which makes things much easier on both of us. It is hard though when you're both not on the same page as far as what to bring into the house etc. & Yes, I would live in Yolanda's refrigerator too! What a dream!!

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  22. I have to go grocery shopping by myself (which I actually kind of like), otherwise my husband would get oreos, Doritos, pop, etc. and I don't want any of that. I try to only get healthy items to have in our house too.

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  24. I am always trying to suggest healthier options to my boyfriend, some he takes some he doesn't. It's a work in progress.

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  25. I am the same way! Luckily John is on board with this too and doesn't put up a fight. He appreciates what I do to keep us eating better. That fridge and closet are both ridic! NEED!

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