The Fridge Door System

How to prep without rigid meal planning.

I love a Sunday morning in my kitchen. It’s quiet and peaceful and full of potential for the coming days. The alternate title for this Substack was “Empty Bag Club,” and Sunday mornings turn that notion from theory into practice.

It’s not like I write “food audit and prep” into my calendar; it’s not that formal. Usually I’m just spending 1-2 leisurely hours considering what I can make with the ingredients that need to get used up ASAP and how I can make those meals easier for myself throughout the week. Then I write them in non-binding dry erase marker on the fridge door.

You need three things to do this yourself:

1. A realistic grocery haul. Buy things you like, food you know you’re going to eat or be exicted to try. Don’t shop for your fantasy self.

2. A stainless steel fridge or a magnetic dry erase board.

3. Dry erase markers. Yes, you can write directly onto stainless steel with dry erase markers. It comes off easily with a regular eraser, but if you see residue or feel angsty about staining, you can wipe it down every so often with Bar Keeper’s Friend.

So today I thought I’d show you what The Fridge Door System™ looks like in action.