The Healthy Pantry: How To Stock For Success

A well-stocked pantry and some good organisation is absolutely key when it comes to success in the kitchen. Building up a beautiful, healthy wholefoods pantry will keep you inspired and on track with your intentions to eat well.

The list of ingredients offered to you in grocery and health food stores seems endless, but the following is a list of goods that I keep in our pantry here at Brightside Farm. Most of the ingredients in our pantry are just that: INGREDIENTS! In their pure basic form, and organic where possible.

Every family has different dietary needs and you can adjust accordingly. No matter how you eat just look for unprocessed and unrefined products and ingredients.

Stocking a pantry full of beautiful wholefood ingredients takes time. Don't feel overwhelmed and feel you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get everything on the list. If you are completely new to this I suggest that as you run out of of your 'old' ingredients check in with our list and see what you can swap it out for on your next shop.

Let's say you are out of your normal flour, sugar and cooking oil. Maybe you could start with swapping them out for almond meal, tapioca flour, coconut sugar and some extra virgin coconut oil. If you do this over a number of weeks your pantry will be transformed in no time. Each week I encourage you to find a recipe that you can experiment using your new ingredients.

The First Wealth is Health

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Eating this way is more expensive, yes, but your health is an investment. One of the most important investments you can make. So let's get to it!

By the way, that big funky looking jar down the bottom of our pantry is Jon's kombucha brew. A homemade fermented drink which we often drink with our dinner. It packed with beneficial bacteria and is a wonderful alternative to alcoholic drinks.

Oh and one more note, most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery or health food store. Your green grocer may even stock some ingredients too. We personally purchase most of our dry goods from our local Source Bulk Food Store. Most good supermarkets will stock quality and often organic condiments, oils, vinegars and canned goods.

The Healthy Pantry: How To Stock For Success

Flours

• Buckwheat flour

• Tapioca flour

• Banana flour

• Almond meal

• Coconut flour

• Chickpea flour

• Quinoa flour

Nuts + Seeds

• Almonds

• Cashews

• Pecans

• Walnuts

• Brazil nuts

• Sunflower seeds

• Sesame seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Pistachios

• Flax seeds

• Chia seeds

• Psyllium husks
  

Dried Fruit

• Dates

• Shredded coconut

• Figs

• Apricots

• Cranberries

• Raisins/Sultanas

Real food doesn't have ingredients, real food is ingredients

Jamie Oliver

Sweeteners

• Raw local honey

• Coconut sugar

• Pure maple syrup

Chocolate ingredients

• Cacao butter

• Cacao nibs

• Cacao powder

Dried legumes + Pulses

• Red lentils

• Kidney beans

• Chickpeas

• Black beans

Grains/Pseudo Grains

• Quinoa

• Oats

• Buckwheat

• Buckwheat puffs

• Brown rice

Oils + Vinegar

• Sesame oil

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Extra virgin coconut oil

• Red wine/balsamic vinegar

• Apple cider vinegar

Condiments

• Fish sauce

• Tamari sauce

• Coconut aminos

• Dijon mustard

• Wholegrain mustard

• Sea salt

• Vanilla extract

• Peanut butter

• Savoury yeast flakes

• Tomato paste

• Olives

• Sun dried tomatoes

Canned goods

These are great when you are pinched for time. The dried bean and legume versions require long soaking and cooking times but are healthier options if you can use them.

• Lentils

• Kidney beans

• Chickpeas

• Black beans

• Tomatoes

• Coconut cream/milk

• Wild caught salmon

Other

• Aluminium free baking soda

• Organic Gelatin

So there you have it! This is by all means not a complete list but it will get you off to a brilliant start. I find that providing I keep these pantry ingredients stocked up I can pretty much make most recipes I come across or want to experiment with.

Keep an eye out for our herb + spice guide along with what we keep in our fridge/freezer in future posts.

I also love to store my dry goods in recycled glass jars. Coconut oil jars are wonderful for this. Glass storage jars are great, not only because they don't contain leaching chemicals (unlike plastic ones), making your shopping list can be done with just a quick glance.

Happy shopping! Don't forget to add your favourite grocery staples in the comments below. I would love to hear them!

Don't forget to tag @brightside_farm on instagram and show off your new pantry pics and you'll be featured in our stories.