Now that my fridge is full of goodness, lets take a look at the other items I keep on hand in my Pantry. Truth is I don’t even have a “Pantry” haha but honestly I only need a couple of cupboards for my non-fridge food items. I try to keep the bulk of my food in the fridge because that means its mostly fresh produce. I try to avoid a lot of processed, packaged foods, but in todays world you can actually find a ton of healthy options, but at the same time a lot of junk.
The Cracker isle is huge in American grocery stores, and most of them are not what we want to put into our bodies. There is one brand I love and thats WASA crackers. They are pretty much 2 ingredients, and are the perfect amount of protein, fiber, and crunch. I will use a WASA cracker in place of bread for a lot of recipes or toast combos when I’m wanting to cut down my carb intake. If I do buy bread I look for the nuttiest, grainiest one I can find, with whole wheat as the number 1 ingredient, and only a few ingredients after that. Dave’s Killer Bread is some of my favorite in the US. Remember, with any processed foods, the shorter the ingredient list, the better off you’ll be! I’ll sometimes get some sort of brand cereal or granola with no added sugar. I’ll sweeten it with fresh fruit. For those mornings when you just want something quick, easy, and energizing.
I always have some nut butter on hand, dried nuts, and some sort of Protein bars (currently stocked up on Quest Bars) for a snack on the go when I’m in a rush.
From the Bulk section I stock up on Oats, Chia seeds, Lentils, Rice, Quinoa, and other base ingredients. Onions & Garlic are in a lot of my recipes so they’ve become a staple item on the list. Other than that I’ll sometimes mix things up with some weird asian noodle or Kale Chips or something exciting.
From the canned section I’ll stock up on Beans (or I get the dry beans from the bulk section), Coconut Milk, Olives, and if I’m making something that calls for something in particular.
The fruit you will always see sitting on my counter or in my “pantry” are Bananas, Avocado, Oranges (if in season), and apples (or pears if in season). Whether you call tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable, those are on the counter as well.
Last but definitely not least, don’t forget the dark chocolate! I always have a dark (75% cacao or more) chocolate bar in my pantry. I break off a small piece after a meal if I’m craving something sweet and I’m totally satisfied! Dark chocolate is not really a “health food” like some claim it to be, but it is lower in sugar than the other options and a little goes a long ways. I’ve slowly transitioned into darker and darker over the last few years, and now the milk stuff is way to sweet! So if you’re a milk chocolate kind of girl, try a little bit darker next time and let your pallet slowly adjust. This has been one of the ways I’ve controlled my sweet tooth over the years.
So here’s my pantry grocery list:
-WASA crackers
-onions & garlic
-Oats
-plain cereals/granola
-Chia Seeds
-a Whole Grain (Quinoa, CousCous, Brown rice, etc.)
-coconut milk
-nut butters
-canned beans (or dry beans, lentils)
-canned olives
-dried nuts
-Fruit & tomatoes
-any dried seasonings or spices
-sweet potatoes
-cooking oils (olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil)
-vinegars (red wine, apple cider, balsamic)
-Dark Chocolate