Stocking a Healthy Pantry

If you are just starting out a new healthy eating plan, a lot of times you can get overwhelmed with where to start.  I suggest as a first step to clean out your pantry and fridge and remove all of the foods that don't fit into your new plan.  Setting up your environment for success includes having healthy food options ready to go, as well as removing unhealthy options that may end up calling your name at 9pm on a Thursday night when you are bored and tired and just feel like snacking.  
Once you have cleaned up your pantry, now it is time to add healthy food options. Here is a basic list to get started.  I will be posting recipes over the next few weeks utilizing these healthy pantry items.  Tomorrow I will share healthy items for  well stocked refrigerator and freezer.  

Oils, Vinegars & Condiments

• Extra-virgin olive oil for cooking and salad dressings
• Flavorful nut and seed oils for salad dressings and stir-fry seasonings: toasted sesame oil, walnut oil
• Butter, preferably unsalted. Store in the freezer if you use infrequently.
• Reduced-fat mayonnaise - I like grapeseed Veganaise or make your own - recipe to come.
• Vinegars: balsamic, red-wine, white-wine, rice (or rice-wine), apple cider
• Asian condiments and flavorings: reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari if you are wheat sensitive or going gluten free, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, mirin, oyster sauce, chile-garlic sauce, curry paste
• Kalamata olives, green olives
• Dijon mustard
• Capers
• Ketchup - Be sure to get one without high fructose corn syrup
• Barbecue sauce - again watch the ingredients - the fewer the better.
• Worcestershire sauce

Flavorings

• Kosher salt, coarse sea salt, fine salt
• Black peppercorns
• Onions
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Anchovies or anchovy paste for flavoring pasta sauces and salad dressings
• Dried herbs: bay leaves, dill, crumbled dried sage, dried thyme leaves, oregano, tarragon, Italian seasoning blend.  A great all purpose seasoning is Spice Hunter Chef Shake.

Spices

• Allspice (whole berries or ground), caraway seeds, chili powder, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon,coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin, curry powder, ground ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric

• Lemons, limes, oranges. The zest is as valuable as the juice. Organic fruit is recommended when you use a lot of zest.

• Granulated sugar or xylitol for baking.  You can use stevia to add sweetness to dishes when not baking.
• Honey
• Pure maple syrup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, natural and/or Dutch-processed
• Bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips

Canned Goods & Bottled Items

• Canned tomatoes, tomato paste
• Reduced-sodium chicken broth, beef broth and/or vegetable broth
• Clam juice
• "Lite" coconut milk for Asian curries and soups
• Canned beans: cannellini beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, black beans, red kidney beans- be sure to get low sodium or no salt added
• Canned lentils
• Chunk light tuna and salmon in water

Grains & Legumes

• Assorted whole-wheat pastas
• Brown rice
• Pearl barley, quick-cooking barley
• Rolled oats
• Whole-wheat couscous
• Bulgur
• Dried lentils
• Yellow cornmeal

Nuts, Seeds & Fruits

• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Hazelnuts
• Pine nuts
• Sesame seeds
• Natural nut butter - almond is great, or sunbutter if you are allergic to nuts
• Tahini
• Assorted dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins (Store opened packages of nuts and seeds in the refrigerator or freezer.)