One of the biggest obstacles to not eating well is not having the basic building blocks to make delicious meals when you get home starving and need food ASAP.
We recently did a pantry revamp of one of our naturopathy clients and realised that a list of pantry/fridge/freezer basics is necessary!
Below is our pantry basics list.
It seems like a lot but you only need small quantities of each and they are also ingredients that do not need replacing regularly (unless you run out of course!).
Pantry basics:
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Flaxseed oil
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Tahini
Peanut butter
Brown rice
Soba noodles
Pasta - non-gluten if necessary
Quinoa
Quinoa flakes
Non-gluten flour - quinoa, buckwheat, coconut
Coconut flakes
Protein powder
Flaxseeds
Oats
Raw Nuts - almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamias
Seeds - sesame, pepitas, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia
Dried pulses - lentils, chickpeas, beans
Dates
Tomato paste
Can tomatoes/corn
Coconut cream
Non-milk alternatives - almond, coconut
Maple syrup
Honey
Rice Malt Syrup
Stock cubes - vegetable/chicken/beef
Herbal Tea
Coffee
Cacao powder
Cacao nibs
Spices:
Turmeric
Cumin
Coriander seeds
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Salt - ideally Celtic sea salt
Pepper
Chilli flakes
Ground chilli
Curry powder
Paprika
Cinnamon
Curry powder
Ground ginger
Fridge:
Butter
Eggs
Tofu
Cashew Butter
Hummus
Cheese - if eating dairy
Pickled vegetables - sauerkraut, ginger etc.
Freezer:
Berries - you can purchase when cheap during the year and wash and freeze for smoothies
Bananas - peel soft bananas and store in freezer and these can be added to smoothies, used for recipes (banana bread anyone?!) or even used to make non-dairy ice cream!
Veggies - always handy to have some frozen veggies as a back up
Edamame - a great high protein snack or an amazing entree
Leftovers - we always freeze any food that is leftover as it can make a quick chuck together lunch at some point!
Ice cubes - necessary for smoothies, to pop into drinks and sometimes we even squeeze our lemons into them to give our water some excitement!
Remember it is always important to store all of your ingredients correctly ideally in glass canisters or jars to prevent spoilage.
What are your pantry staples?