Pantry Staples

Our pantry and fridge staples have changed drastically in the last year.  We are currently wishing we had before & after pictures, for a fun little comparison.  Together we've compiled a list of clean, whole foods we have in our house on a regular basis.  Just because something did not make our list, does not mean it isn't healthy.  If there are clean, healthy foods you use, let us know and we'll keep adding to the list!  The key when shopping is to do most of your shopping along the edges of the grocery store where the bulk of fresh, unprocessed food is.  Remember several things when buying processed foods:

• Read the ingredient list, not the nutrition label!
• The fewer the ingredients, in most cases is better.
• Ingredients should be recognizeable things you could find or make in your kitchen (tomatoes, basil, oregano, corn, apples, strawberry puree, etc.) Some examples of ingredients you could not find/make in your home kitchen (soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, BHT, red 40, yellow 6, blue 1, etc.) 
• Look for the word WHOLE for flour, pasta, breads, etc.,  WHOLE wheat. 

PANTRY STAPLES

BAKING/COOKING

Dark chocolate chips or Vegan Chocolate Chips

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Unsweetened Coconut

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning

Spices

Tamari

Organic Vanilla Flavoring (no added sugars)

Vinegar (balsamic, white, apple cider…)

Nutritional Yeast (@Whole Foods)

Chia Seeds

Braggs Liquid Aminos (natural soy sauce alternative, @Whole Foods)

BEANS

Beans, canned (Black, cannellini, chickpeas, pinto, etc.)

Dried Beans

Trader Joe’s 17 bean & barley soup

CANNED/JARRED

Amy’s Organic Black Bean Chili

Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup

Unsweetened Applesauce

Canned fruit (in juice, not syrup…fresh or frozen is preferable)

Canned veggies (no salt added)

Diced tomatoes, no salt added

Frontera salsas

Marinara Sauce (Whole Foods 360° Fat Free Sauce)

Pumpkin

Squash puree

Sweet potato puree

Tomato sauce, no salt added

Low Sodium Vegetable Broth &/or Stock

CEREALS

Mini Wheats

Grapenuts

Uncle Sam’s

Organic Puffed Kamut Cereal (Arrowmills @Whole Foods)

Trader Joe’s “Joe’s O’s”

FLOUR

Whole wheat flour

Whole wheat pastry flour

Oat flour (you can make by pulsing oats in your food processor)

Spelt flour

Corn Meal

Organic Buckwheat Pancake & Waffle Mix (@Whole Foods)

GRAINS

Brown rice

Whole wheat couscous

Farro

Lentils

Oat bran

Quinoa (a seed, not a true grain, but cooks up like a grain)

Steel cut oats

MISC

Dried fruit (dates, cherries, raisins, apricots, etc. – no sugar added)

Flaxseed, ground

Wheat germ

Whole wheat pasta

Brown Rice Pasta

Bread – Trader Joe’s spelt bread or Great Harvest Bread Co. has several breads high in whole grains and fiber

Jelly – Nature’s Hollow (sweetened w/xylitol), preserves with only ingredient fruit

Ketchup – Organic Ville (made w/agave nectar) or other organic brands

Salad Dressing – Health Starts here – refrigerated section @Whole Foods – no oil

NUTS

Almond Butter (just almonds, no sugar, no oils, no salt)

Almonds, whole & sliced

Walnuts, chopped

Cashews

Peanut Butter (just peanuts, no sugar, no oils, no salt)

Pine Nuts

Sunflower Seeds

SNACKS

Goji Berries

Triscuits

Spelt Pretzels

Lara Bars

Thin Rice Cakes (Suzie’s Whole Grain @Whole Foods)

Real Fruit Strips (Archer Farms @Target)

Baked Blue Corn Chips

Popcorn (to use with Air Popper)

Pretzel Slims (Trader Joes)

Dried fruits & nuts (no added salt, sugar, or oils)

SWEETENERS

Agave

Honey

Stevia

Maple Syrup

Blackstrap Molasses

FREEZER STAPLES

Ezekiel bread, English muffins, tortillas, burger buns

Frozen veggies

Frozen fruit

Dr Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers

FRIDGE STAPLES

Almond milk, unsweetened

Coconut milk, unsweetened

Soy milk, unsweetened

Dijon mustard

Fresh fruit (lots!)

Fresh veggies (lots!)

Almond Yogurt, amande @ Whole Foods)

Hummus (Nature’s Healthy Gourmet @ Whole Foods) – Spinach / Artichoke

Lemon juice (NOT from concentrate) (@ Whole Foods)

Lime juice (NOT from concentrate) (@ Whole Foods)

Orange Juice (pure OJ, NOT from concentrate, Simply Orange brand, etc.)

Naked/Odwalla Juices

*If it can be bought as no salt added, low sodium, no sugar or no sugar added, no oils, that is what we buy.  For 'no sugar or no sugar added', make sure no artificial sweeteners (Splenda, etc.) are used!

Dawn & LeAnne