How to Stock a Slimming Kitchen

Have six go-to foods

Peek into Bethenny Frankel’s kitchen, and you’ll always find six skinny staples that can be turned into quickie combos: bagged salad, tomatoes, turkey bacon, whole-wheat pasta, organic tomato sauce, and veggie burgers.

Befriend the freezer

There’s no quicker fresh meal than stir-fry, Marissa Lippert, RD, says—as long as you stock lean protein (like chicken breast strips, shrimp, tofu, and lean flank steak) in the freezer. Just let it defrost in the fridge while you’re at work, then toss in some fresh or frozen veggies when you get home.

And when you can find a little extra time on the weekend, make a huge batch of ground turkey meatballs or veggie chili and freeze in individually portioned containers.

Cook one, eat twice

Got leftovers? You’re halfway to a fresh, fast dinner, Bethenny says: "I improvise all the time." Put turkey on top of a salad, chop up boiled eggs to make egg salad—lower the fat by leaving out the yolks, using just 1 teaspoon of mayo, and pumping up the flavor with capers—or use yesterday’s broccoli in a light frittata.