Food Staples
Want to get an idea of what my kitchen is stocked with? For starters, I am a huge bargain shopper, so I tend to go by what’s on sale. I usually rotate around what produce I buy based on what is in season and tend to go to go to specific stores for certain things. I frequent Farmer’s Markets a lot in the spring/summer/fall for produce and fresh eggs, but now that it is cold out I do most of my shopping at regular grocery stores. I go to Trader Joe’s for some pantry staples and cheese, Whole Foods for fresh seafood and produce thats on sale, and other more generic grocery stores for additional produce and other groceries.
Here are the basics:
Produce
- Bananas (always)
- Apples
- Pears
- Grapes
- Citrus
- Sweet Potatoes
- Onions (red and white)
- Baby Spinach and/or Arugula
- Carrots
- Celery
- Squash
- Brussels Sprouts
- Fresh Herbs – Cilantro, Parsley, Basil
- Lemons
- Limes
Breads
- Ezekial 4:9 Bread (Cheap at Trader Joe’s!)
- Corn Tortillas
- English Muffins
- Whole Wheat Pita
Pantry
- Steel Cut Oats
- Dried Beans (Black, Garbanzo, Kidney, Lima)
- Canned Beans (Black, White, Pinto)
- Nut Butter (Almond, Peanut Butter)
- Popcorn Kernels (for popping in brown paper bags)
- Dark Chocolate (Love the 100 calorie Trader Joe’s bars and dark chocolate chips)
- Whole Grains (Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Pasta, Couscous, Soba Noodles, Quinoa, Barley, Bulgur)
- Peanut Flour (Trader Joe’s – 3.99 for a huge bag and 1/4 of a cup has 16 grams protein!)
- Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts – great for a snack or on salads)
- Raisins
Frozen
- Veggies – great for stir-fries or egg scrambles (Edamame, Sweet Corn, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peas, Asian mixed)
- Fruit – great for smoothies and green monsters! (Cherries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Pineapple)
- Sorbet (Ciao Bella Blood Orange is my fav)
- Italian Ices
- Frozen grapes/bananas – love these straight out of the freezer
- Morningstar Farms, Boca Products and Quorn faux-meat products (especially love sausage style crumbles)
Refrigerated
- Eggs – always
- Yogurt – nonfat Greek or Plain
- Tofu, firm or extra-firm (usually Nasoya Brand)
- Tempeh
- Reduced Fat Shredded Mozzarella (Trader Joe’s)
- Skim Milk
- Salsa (Pineapple, Verde, Pico de Gallo)
- Jam (Crofter’s Superfruit Spreads are the best)
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Misc/Flavor for Cooking
- Garlic
- Garlic Gold Nuggets
- Ginger
- Vinegar (Rice Wine, Apple Cider, White, Red Wine, Balsamic)
- Oil – Olive and Canola
- Cinnamon
- Truvia/Stevia
- Agave Nectar
- Nonstick spray
- Chili Paste/Flakes
- Fish Sauce
- Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- Veggie Stock
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a huge bargain shopper too……..have to be these days! Great to list what you buy, in the past seeing lists like these from “healthy eaters” helped me a great deal. =)
popcorn is a huge staple for me too!
Love this! This list is very helpful as a starter shopping list for someone starting to revamp their eating habits.
Beth,
I just wanted to leave you a quick note to tell you how much I love your blog. I have never been a blog reader, but stumbled across yours, and now it is a daily read of mine. You have also motivated me to start WW and I just wanted to say thank you. I learn from you, and inspired by you, and I truly just enjoy your blog and everything you offer on it. You are also inspiring me to run. Thank you so much!
Michelle
Zero point condiments help me keep my food tasting great. In addition to items on your list, I always have the following in my fridge:
–Capers (rince w/ hot water to reduce sodium)
–Artichoke hearts packed in water (Trader Joes)
–Perperoncinis (perfect on light crackers w/ laughing cow cheese, in any mexican dish, and on salads)
–Eggplant spread (Trader Joes in a jar. NOT to be confused with the red pepper and eggplant spread!)
Hommade and light-er Pizza:
Buy fresh, pre-made pizza dough and top with the TJs eggplant spread, top w/ red onion slices, artichoke hearts, capers, cherry toms, bits of goat cheese–whatever you like. The eggplant sauce is the secret for my gourmet-tasting pizzas
This is a terrific list and a great start to any pantry! Keep up the great work! I love your blog, very inspiring! ~ Take Care
Popcorn in a Brown Bag? Could you share how you do that? Thanks!
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