What's In My Pantry? (On the Affordability of Eating Healthy Part Four)

Are you curious to know what is in my pantry? This question was submitted by the same mom who is making health changes for her big family as some of the earlier questions this week. Her hard work, willingness and determination is to be commended. She asks the following question with the need for frugality in mind.

Right now I am in a period where I am cleaning out my pantry and fridge of processed foods, but don't really know what to restock with! Help! Do you have a list of good healthy staples to begin to stock up on?

As I type out my thoughts on this topic these past few days, I am reminded that one of the biggest keys to eating healthy is to make your own food from whole ingredients. It saves money and it keeps real food on the table. In order to do this, it really helps to properly plan and to set aside a time to cook and bake. (I've blogged a lot about this before!)


So, here is what is in my pantry on a regular basis. I consider these things my staples. And with them, I make pretty much everything we eat. I do buy certain other ingredients when a recipe calls for them, but this is what I keep stocked. My list:

• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews, etc.)
• Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax)
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• Dried fruits (raisins, apples, dates, etc.)
• Some whole grain pasta for when I need to make a meal in a hurry
• Brown Rice
• Wheat (hard red and hard white)
• Lots of Oats
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (and EVOO cooking spray)
• Coconut Oil
• Honey, Sucanat and some molasses for gingerbread
• Balsamic Vinegar and Rice Wine Vinegar
• A few bottles of EVOO Salad Dressing from Earth Fare
• Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste
• Jars of Spaghetti Sauce, again for when I need to make a quick meal
• Canned beans and Salsa, because making a quick bean burrito casserole with whole grain tortillas and grated cheese from the freezer is a whole lot better than driving through Taco Bell
• Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Red Beans, Lentils, Split Peas, etc (dried)
• Boneless Skinless Salmon
• Natural Peanut Butter (we can't really afford organic for all the peanut butter we eat!)
• Organic Non-GMO Corn Chips (my husband eats these and the children do when they're with him)
• Lots of herbs and spices
• Garlic Heads
• Sea Salt
• Yeast
• Arrowroot Powder
• Unsweetened cocoa (and sometimes organic chocolate chips)
• Organic Non-GMO Popcorn
• Some crackers or other whole foods snacks if I find them on good sale with a coupon
  

In the fridge, we always have:

• Eggs
• Butter
• Cheese
• Yogurt, Kefir or Raw Milk
• Florida Orange Juice
• Lots of fruit and vegetables
• A few condiments like lemon juice, mustard, pickles, saurkraut and all-fruit spread
• And, that's about it! I always think our fridge looks bare.

Our freezer contains:

• Breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles, granola, tortillas, pitas that I make on Baking Day and freeze. (I don't want to always be baking, so I devote a day every two weeks or so to stock up. I don't bake all of these things at once, but a few every time, baking enough to last several weeks.)
• Whole Chickens
• Grass Fed Beef
• Sometimes fish or salmon if I find wild-caught from a good location on sale and buy up a lot
• Cheese
• Butter
• Meals that I double and freeze half for a crunch evening (because you know they will come, so why not be prepared!)
• Cornmeal
• Coconut Flour
  Frozen strawberries, blueberries and bananas for smoothies
• Some frozen vegetables, spinach and frozen corn
  
  More later,