12 Feb Inside the Fridge welcomes Eat Chic Chicago's Amari Thomsen

Amari Thomsen is a Chicago-based Registered Dietitian and owner of her nutrition consulting practice, Eat Chic Chicago. Through Eat Chic Chicago, Amari is focused on integrating modern and traditional techniques to promote real food nutrition. Amari is also a freelance writer and nutrition blogger for local organizations and brands that support healthy living. Read her nutrition blog and find her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

Where do you shop for food?

Everywhere! I shop for milk, eggs, meat and supplements at Whole Foods. I buy nuts, dried fruit, canned and frozen goods at Trader Joes. And I buy produce and toiletries at Mariano’s. Living in Chicago, the farmer’s market season is short but sweet, but I do try and purchase my produce from local markets in the summertime if I can.  

Do you love food shopping or dread it?

For me, grocery shopping is the perfect stress relief. I absolutely love it and would probably be a personal grocery shopper if I could! When I’m stressed, there’s something about stocking my fridge and pantry with new healthy and nutritious foods that puts me at ease. 

What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?

Sticking to my list AND my budget. I love making a game out of my shopping trip. I certainly meal plan for the week ahead of time and make a detailed list of what I need, but nothing is set in stone. So if I run into a great sale, there’s certainly some wiggle room in my plans to make a substitution.  I’ve always enjoyed math, so for me, I get a kick out of predicting my balance at the checkout line after all my coupons (yes, I said coupons… there ARE coupons for healthy foods!) J. If I end up over budget I think of what I have back home that I could substitute and put a few things back on the shelf. Believe it or not, I’ve created some of my most creative and delicious recipes this way!

How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)

Four to five. My husband and I generally go out to dinner on the weekend (either as a date or out with friends) and at least once during the week we’ll grab takeout from a local restaurant. We both work from home so sometimes we’ll go grab breakfast or lunch together during the week just to get out of the house.

How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants? 

I live and breathe by my Healthy Pantry Staples List. I keep a pad of paper on the fridge where I note which pantry staples have run out during the week. Then I add all of the nonperishable items (produce, meat, etc.) to the list that I’ll need for meals that week. For breakfasts, I make sure I have ingredients for green smoothies (for mornings when I have to fly out the door) and eggs (for mornings when I have more time). I rely on leftovers for lunches. And then I plan 4 meals for the nights we will be home for dinner.

What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?

Greek yogurt and peanut butter. For me, it’s plain full-fat Greek yogurt. I love to add it to my morning smoothies, eat it as a snack or turn it into a savory dip, sauce or dressing – it’s so versatile!  As far as peanut butter goes, a classic scoop of peanut butter straight from the jar is my husband’s favorite snack so we’ve always got to have a jar in the fridge!

What is the oldest item in the fridge right now?

My kombucha scobys! I homebrew my own kombucha at least once a month. For those familiar with the brewing process, you know that the scoby culture grows and duplicates during each batch. I save all of my extra scobys and give them to friends or trade them at the Chicago Food Swap!

What convenience product can you not live without?

Lemon and lime juice. I don’t have time to squeeze fresh lemons and limes into my cooking and having these on hand in my fridge make it easy to whip up a quick salad dressing or dip!

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?

My Vitamix! Originally given to me as a wedding gift, my husband harassed me that we would never use an appliance enough to justify the price. But boy have I proved him wrong! Whether it’s my morning green smoothie, an after workout protein shake, or a pureed soup or sauce, I leave my Vitamix out on the counter 24/7 because I use it so frequently!

What are your go-to food/nutrition/culinary/cooking website/s, book or cookbook?

Does Pinterest count? I am OBSESSED with perusing Pinterest for cooking and recipe inspiration!

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch?

Brisket in a red wine sauce. With the bitter cold temperatures we’ve been having in the Chicago, it was nice to cozy up to the heat of the stove for a couple hours and enjoy a tender brisket over mashed butternut squash and covered in a savory red wine reduction.

If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?

This is a tough one! There are SO many incredibly talented Chicago-based chefs that I would love to have cook for me!  But ultimately I’d have to say Tony Mantuano. As a Top Chef Masters champion and James Beard Foundation Award winner, Tony is the chef at Chicago’s four-star Italian restaurant, Spiaggia. My husband and I had our wedding reception at Spiaggia 2 years ago and the food was absolutely outstanding! Not to mention we got to have dinner with Tony and his wife during our wedding “food tasting” and he is just a genuinely nice guy – I would love to enjoy dinner with him again!

Anything else?

A few disclaimers about my fridge. I keep jarred items in a basket at the top of my fridge that I can easily slide in and out when I’m searching for things. This prevents thing from getting “lost” in the back of the fridge. Also, I keep fresh parsley and cilantro in jars filled with water and cover them loosely with a produce bag (you can see them sitting next to my milk). You’d be amazed at how much longer fresh herbs last when you keep them watered and under humidity!

Thank you Amari!

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