Want to eat healthier, have better access to clean food and ditch those tempting trigger foods?
Let’s start by ditching the junk and cleaning out the old stuff that you’d really rather not eat (and I’m in agreement with you on that!).
Though I believe the fridge has the best, cleanest, healthiest foods, the pantry is also a key component of your healthy eating program to start the new year. And with a healthy pantry, comes healthy baking, recipe making and more.
This week, I’m hoping to inspire you to do a clean sweep in your kitchen. Here are some simple guidelines you can use to clean out your pantry once and for all, so you can keep what I like to call a practical pantry:
3 Key Rules:
- If it’s older than 6 months it’s time to throw it out. For herbs, you can hang on to them for one year before tossing.
- Read the labels, if you can’t read any ingredients toss it or donate to charity.
- Organize what you have left, you’ll need!
Here’s my list for your 2018 pantry!
Cereal (hot and cold):
Nature’s Path Organic, Purely Elizabeth, Whole FOods 365 brand, Bob’s Red Mill (GF oats), Paleonola, Van’s GF Cereal, Glutenfreeda, Gluten free oats
Spices:
Salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, parsley, curry, and chili powder
Soups:
Pacific Organic, Frontier Soups, Amy’s Soups; buy chicken broth too it’s always good to have!
Pasta:
Banza (it’s chickpea based!), quinoa pasta (Ancient Harvest), rice pasta too
Pasta sauce:
Look for simple sauce, no added sugar (shouldnt say cane sugar on the label)- but sodium should be below 250 mg per serving.
Grains:
Rice, quinoa (I’m not a HUGE grain fan…)
Sauces:
Ketchup, sriracha, teriyaki, dressings (see above), mustard, avocado oil mayo, Cindy’s Kitchen dressings, Amy’s dressings
Beans (boxed!):
Black, chickpeas, lentils
Oils:
Avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil (extra virgin for cold items)
Nut Butters:
Almond Butter, Peanut Butter
Chips (and things!):
Hippeas (made from chickpeas!), Food Should Taste Good, Earth Balance Vegan Puffs, lentil chips
Crackers:
Mary’s Gone Crackers, Simple Mills crackers (be careful these are like crack!), Potters Crackers
Bars:
Oatmega, Rx Bar, KIND Bar- Nuts N Spices, Lara Bar
Nuts/seeds:
Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, chia seeds
Coconut shreds
(amazing for toppings on cereal, yogurts, smoothies, and more!)
Sweeteners:
Honey, organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup
Mixes for things:
Birch Benders Paleo Pancake Mix, Namaste (all their mixes!), King Arthur Flour (they have a bunch of great mixes too)
Flours:
Coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour
Non dairy milks:
Almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk– all unsweetened and unflavored
The best way to start the new year is with a clean kitchen,
filled with plenty of healthy options. Remember the food you have access to is the food you eat, so use this guide to help you be a happier healthier you! I think this is a great list to start you off for the new year. I love to shop at WHole Foods and Trader Joes, but you can easily get what you need from your local spot. Just READ your labels!
