The Cooking Class Files: How to Stock a Healthy Kitchen

I see it as “Fail to plan, plan to fail.” But it doesn’t have to be that way! Having a well stocked pantry ensures that when dinner time comes around, you will be only be a few ingredients away from a nutritious meal rather than heading to the closest drive thru! So for the next The Cooking Class Files: How to Stock a Healthy Kitchen, I thought it was necessary to go over the essentials to stocking a healthy pantry and the ingredients you would find in my kitchen if you were stop by!

Believe me, I have been there where we stand with the fridge open, eyes gazing into the fridge and thinking, “There is nothing to eat!”  And while having a good shopping list is essential to a painless and quick trip to the grocery store, having a well stocked pantry will ensure you have everything you need to complete the meal one its dinner time. Keeping a stocked pantry, freezer and fridge is the best tip I can give to someone that is new in the kitchen.

A healthy kitchen has everything from neutral oils, vinegars and condiments, seasonings, canned goods, broths, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, miscellaneous flours, to chopped veggies and fruits to make snack time a breeze!

I have recently discovered Thrive Market, which is an online wholesaler of healthy food items. Think CostCo prices but Whole Foods items! They deliver straight to your house with free shipping of over $49! Stock up on healthy pantry items listed above, such as cereals, whole grains, coconut sugar, maple syrup, organic chicken stock, granola bars! I have recently signed up for Thrive and loving it. Vitamins are over half the price that I was paying previously at the store and my favorite gluten free, organic cereal is nearly half price! Can’t complain there! (Thisis not a sponsored post by Thrive, but I just have to share my love of healthy foods and saving money! Thought you would too!)

**Come back next week for a list of easy and healthy recipes using these pantry staples!**

Here are some quick tips when stocking a healthy kitchen: 

• Opt for more whole grains over white four
• Try to buy organic when possible and stray from GMO products
• Avoid processed sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, etc)
• Look for naturally low-sodium foods (rather than reduced sodium foods as they are additives to replace the sodium)
• If there is a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce, better to pass on it (Except Quinoa…always include quinoa!)
• Try to incorporate super foods (spinach, chia seeds, kale, nuts)  into your diet on a daily basis. Try adding chia seeds into your morning oatmeal; adding a handful of spinach or kale  into your smoothies, grab a handful of nuts for a quick pick me up!
• Stock your cabinet with flavorful spices to make for a delicious meal without too much sodium or fat.

Dried Pantry Essentials: Grains, Legumes, Vegetables & Breads

• Whole wheat flour
• All purpose flour (Gluten free if sensitive)
• Almond Flour (if gluten free or paleo, this is a must)
• Coconut Flour (if gluten free or paleo, this is a must)
• Peanut Flour (dehydrated peanuts that are low in fat. Mix with water or milk and you have a high protein snack! I love it here, here, here, and here)
• Whole grain or Quinoa pastas
• Instant brown rice
• Quinoa
• Old Fashioned Oats
• Yellow cornmeal (coating for pizzas or for chicken and fish!)
• Plain dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
• Whole Wheat Tortillas
• English Muffins (think quick burger buns or egg sandwiches as well!)
• Whole Grain or Sprouted Bread
• Sweet Potatoes
• Fresh Tomatoes
• Avocados (perfect for a quick guacamole, spread on toast or mix with shredded chicken for a healthy chicken salad!)
• Fruits for healthy snacking on the go: Bananas, berries, apples, grapes, oranges, pears,

Oils, Vinegars & Condiments

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking and salad dressings
• Coconut Oil (this is a necessary in our kitchen! Everything from sautéing, to baking, to even making sugar scrubs!)
• Flavored Oils: Avocado, Walnut (They are great for jazzing up dressings and salads)
• Grass Fed Butter (I like unsalted so I can control the salt content myself)
• Miscellaneous Vinegars: balsamic, red wine, white wine, rice wine, apple cider
• Homemade Salad Dressings (Balsamic Vinaigrette, Peanut Dressing or just olive oil and vinegar make a great, basic dressing)
• Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce (gluten free or tamari)
• Other Asian Condiments: Fish sauce, hoisin, chile sauce
• Dijon and Stone Ground Mustard
• Organic Ketchup
• Low Sugar Barbecue sauce
• Organic, low sugar fruit spreads

Seasonings, Sweeteners and Baking Essentials

• Kosher salt & coarse sea salt
• White and Red Onions
• Fresh garlic
• Dried herbs: bay leaves, dill, crumbled dried sage, thyme, oregano, tarragon, Italian seasoning blend
• Spices: allspice, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, coriander seeds, garlic powder, ground cumin, curry powder, ground ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika,onion powder, crushed red pepper, turmeric
• Miscellaneous All Seasonings: such as Mrs Dash, Italian Seasonings, BBQ Rubs, all purpose seasonings (make for a quick fix for chicken and grilled or roasted veggies!)
• Lemons, limes, oranges. The zest is as valuable as the juice. Organic fruit is recommended when you use a lot of zest.
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar or Coconut Sugar
• Truvia (Both baking, packets and brown sugar)
• Stevia, (liquid is great for jazzing up coffee!)
• Honey
• Pure maple syrup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips
• Mini Yogurt Chips or white chocolate chips (love them in my granola bars!)

Canned, Boxed & Bottled Items

• Canned tomatoes
• Organic Tomato Sauce (without added sugar)
• Tomato paste
• Reduced-sodium chicken broth, beef broth and vegetable broth
• Artichoke Hearts
• Lite coconut milk (if dairy free or if you love Asian cooking)
• Miscellanious beans: cannellini beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, black beans, red kidney beans
• Canned salmon and chunk light tuna (Mix with seasonings and greek yogurt or avocado for a healthy quick ‘salad’!)
• Unsweetened Applesauce (Great for healthy baking substitutions or post workout quick snack with a bit of string cheese for protein!)
• Whole Grain Crackers

Dried Pantry Essentials: Nuts, Seeds & Fruits

• Miscellaneous Nuts: Roasted Peanuts, Roasted or Smoked Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews, Pistachios
• Sesame seeds
• Chia Seeds
• Shredded Coconut
• Natural Peanut Butter
• Natural Almond Butter
• Assorted dried fruits: apricots, dates, cherries, cranberries, figs, raisins, pineapple (Store opened packages of nuts and seeds in the refrigerator or freezer if you do not use them often.) 
  • Perfect for making homemade trail mix, granola bars, energy bites, and throwing in granola or oatmeal

Refrigerator Basics

• Low fat milk
• Low fat or nonfat plain greek yogurt and nonfat greek vanilla yogurt (Sour cream replacement!)
• Grated and Fresh Parmesan cheese and/or Romano cheese
• Various blocks of low fat cheeses: Cheddar, Pepperjack, Gouda, etc.
• Various Other Cheeses: Goat, Feta, Blue Cheese, etc.
• Low Fat String Cheese (Quick protein boost!)
• Eggs (Think omelets, egg sandwiches, Breakfast for Dinner and to make much needed, baked goods!)
• High quality, reduced sodium deli meats
• Thinly sliced prosciutto (To quickly crisp up and boost the flavor or pastas, pizza, omelets, sandwiches, salads,etc)
• Fresh Veggies: Chop Up at the beginning of the week or when you bring them home to ensure healthy snacking is available. Roast for dinner or to pair with a salad or pair with hummus and you have a nutritious snack!
  • Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, snow peas, celery, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini (spiralize and store in an air tight container for quick salads or to saute throughout the week!)
• Salsa
• Hummus

Freezer Essentials

• Miscellaneous Vegetables: corn, peas, chopped spinach, broccoli, chopped bell peppers and onion mix, chopped onions, asian blend
• Miscellaneous Berries: blueberries, cherries, strawberries, bananas, mangos, pineapple
• Miscellaneous Meats: Chicken breasts, 99% ground turkey, Italian turkey sausage, salmon, shrimp, cod, tilapia and  to flavor fast pasta sauces
• Low fat ice cream or frozen yogurts
• Frozen chocolate covered berries (or a healthy sweet tooth!)
• Healthy Freezer Meals: such as Applegate Chicken Nuggets, minimal ingredient Turkey or Chicken Burgers, Organic Black Bean Burgers 

**What are some of your pantry staples? Anything I missed and need to add to my grocery list?!**

And if you are wondering what kitchen gadgets are necessary – check out this post!