The Pantry: Ingredients and Other Food Items.
I use a lot of adventurous ingredients in my cooking. Some things can easily be found in major grocery chains now that the shift to a wholesome whole foods style of clean eating is becoming more popular. Sometimes, it’s cheaper or at least less headache to shop for these pantry items online so this collection of goodies I’ve compiled for your convenience to help save money and make clean eating just a bit easier.
Here’s a glimpse into the clean eating staples that I stock in my fridge and pantry…
Refrigerated Items:
- Free range eggs from pastured chickens (they live in a grassy pasture, free to roam and eat their normal diet)… or preferably eggs from my own backyard flock 🙂 Next best choice are organic and cage free.
- unsweetened coconut milk – both canned (I use Arroy-D or Thai Kitchen most often)and the beverage version in the carton found in the dairy case (I use the So Delicious brand).
Cooking/Baking Oils:
These are primarily the three I use. I use coconut oil or the light tasting olive oil for baking or frying. The extra virgin olive oil I use exclusively for cooking. I do also use butter from pasture raised dairy.
Flours and Starches:
You don’t need to have all of these but I’ve gained quite a collection in my baking experiments. If you enjoy wheat flour, try the einkorn wheat flour which is an ancient wheat variety that has less gluten and is non-GMO. For gluten-free baking, I would recommend adding these flours to your pantry as you need them.
Sweeteners:
I use maple syrup, honey and coconut sugar most often in my recipes and it depends on what I’m making as to which is the preferred choice. The medjool dates are great as a sweetener and thickener for things like granola bars and smoothies. They’re also great for snacking!
Other Ingredients:
These are all of the other fun items like salts and extracts that add and enhance flavor. I’ve also included gelatin (I add this to soups for added nutritional benefits) and collagen hydrolysate (a form of gelatin that’s added to cold foods like smoothies).
Meat and CSA Resources
The best options to get humanely raised, pasture grazed meats, poultry and eggs are found at a local farmer. You’ll know exactly how they raise their animals and will be promoting local business. Buying fresh produce from the farmer’s market is also a superior choice to the supermarket if you’re able. Below are some sites that can help you locate farmers, CSA’s, and farmers markets in your area.
Eat Wild – a website all about eating wholesome natural foods and includes a link to find local grassfed meat, eggs, and dairy.
Eat Well Guide – an online directory of sustainably raised meats, poultry, dairy and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, and other outlets.
Local Harvest – great site for finding local farms, farmers markets, and CSA (community supported agriculture) options in your area.
Weston Price Foundation – many of these chapters have local buying clubs where you can purchase organics and grass fed diary products.
You can also try searching the web using keywords like “grassfed beef”, “Minnesota farmer’s markets” or “Minnesota CSA” and you’ll find additional resources as well.
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