A Peek Inside our Healthy(ish) Pantry!

A while back, I did a poll asking if you all would be interested in me sharing some of my healthy “pantry staples” and the response was an overwhelming YES! Maybe it’s because it was right after the New Year and everyone’s resolutions were still going strong 🙂 Nonetheless, you ask and you shall receive!

I’ve highlighted most of the “healthier” items in our pantry below, but don’t get me wrong…our pantry almost always has some form of Doritos and candy in it at all times. #noshame

Whole Grains/Grain-free Alternatives:

I always keep a big stash of whole grains in our pantry:

1. Brown rice
2. Quinoa
3. Different types of pasta (usually opting for whole grain when we can)!

While I like to give the boys whole grains whenever possible, I find that I feel my best when I actually avoid grains altogether. A few grain-free staples of mine:

1. Chickpea pasta from Banza– I love this when I’m craving some hearty pasta, but am wanting something grain-free. They also make a boxed mac-n-cheese that the boys really love!
2. BeeFree Warrior Mix– I LOVE this stuff (and so does Benjamin!) I found this product a while back at our local Giant Eagle store and fell in love. It’s like wannabe granola, but made with NO grains– just nuts, seeds, and some different flavors like honey, apples, cinnamon, chocolate, etc. Some of the flavors are completely paleo! The four flavors shown are actually 20% off at Target from 2/10-2/23 with a Cartwheel coupon– click here to shop!

3. We are also OBSESSED with anything/everything from the Simple Mills brand. They do an amazing job of making grain-free taste delicious. They make a wide variety of items, but our favorites are by far the pizza dough and the banana muffins! My boys eat both of them up. Their grain-free crackers are great too– they have tons of different flavors and will help make snacking a little more healthy! I love to dip them in hummus or eat with some fresh goat cheese.

4. I also love to snack on Paleo Puffs and Siete tortilla chips! Both are great grain-free snack options. Siete also makes dairy-free cashew queso and grain-free tortillas. I buy both for taco night (you can buy at Whole Foods or Thrive Market), plus the chips to dip in salsa. Taco night made super healthy!

Additional snacks we always keep on-hand:

1. Dried fruits from Trader Joe’s– My son Peter (age 5) is extremely picky and has a very weird phobia of fruit because of the texture of most of them. The dried strawberries and bananas are the one form of fruit he will eat! They have nothing added, just straight up dried fruit. I also love to snack on their dried mango. Again, just dried mango but super sweet to satisfy a sweet tooth without grabbing for the Reese cups!

2. RX bars— you guys know my love for RX Bars. They’re one of the only clean bars that I’ve tried that I actually like. Have you guys ever looked at the ingredients in the bars you buy? If they’re your typical “protein” bars, they’re probably loaded with chemicals and shit you can’t pronounce. If they’re something like a Clif bar, they probably have 20+ grams of added sugar! RX bar uses dates to sweeten their bars, so while they have some sugar, it’s completely natural. I ALWAYS keep one of these in my purse so that I can reach for it if I’m out and about and get hungry. They also make kid-size bars and flavors! Sometimes I’ll eat one of these if I’m not super hungry. They’re just a little smaller!

3. EPIC bars— we discovered these when we did Whole30 last year. The chicken siracha one is so good! Another great on-the-go snack to keep in your purse or car. They’re 100% natural and packed with protein. We’ve tried almost all the flavors but none of them are as good as this flavor in our opinion!

4. Pretzel Crisps-– the boys love these. I send them to school every day with Peter, with a to-go pack of hummus. It’s one of the very few vegetables he will eat!

5. Craisins– I love adding cranberries to a salad. It gives it a little something sweet mixed with salty dressing and something about it is just delicious! I do try to buy the lower sugar ones– the regular kind have quite a bit of added sugar.

6. Olive Oil popcorn from Trader Joe’s– this stuff is the bomb.com. If you look at the ingredients in your typical microwave popcorn, you’ll most likely see a bunch of chemicals that you didn’t even realize were in there. This is a great clean popcorn option! I also love to make popcorn myself– I just by the organic popcorn kernels from the bulk section and cook them in my Whirley Pop with some olive oil, and finish off with salt. Homemade is almost ALWAYS better!

Sweets/chocolate:

You guys know I am a chocolate fiend 🙂 I have a few favorite “healthier” chocolate brands:

1. HU Kitchen chocolates— these are my absolute favorite. The salty dark chocolate and the crunchy mint are my jam. These are 100% paleo and sweetened with coconut sugar. No refined sugars at all!
2. Eating Evolved chocolates— I also love this brand, but to me they’re a little more bitter/less sweet that HU Kitchen.
3. Justin’s peanut butter cups— THESE ARE HEAVEN. They’re completely organic PB cups and are available in both dark and milk chocolate. My favorite candy of all time is Reese cups and these are a great healthier alternative when I’m craving one!

Nuts/nut butters:

I always keep a variety of nuts in our pantry. They are healthy, filling and having them on hand helps reduce the urge to grab to snack on something like Doritos!

1. Raw cashews– I like to snack on a handful of these, or make homemade cashew milk with them!
2. Raw almonds
3. Trail mix packets from Trader Joe’s– these are pre-portioned for you and come in a variety of different mixes. I love these to keep in my purse or diaper bag!
4. Justin’s nut butters– OMG. Have you guys ever tried their flavored nut butters? They’re so incredibly good and indulgent! Our favorite is the vanilla almond butter. Put a spoonful of this on a banana or a couple of dates and it feels like you’re eating a dessert! They also just launched cashew butters which are delicious as well!

Drinks:

A few drinks I always have on-hand:

1. La Croix– these are super refreshing and have zero added sugar. My favorite flavors are Key Lime and Tangerine.
2. Spindrift– flavored sparkling water that has a little more flavor than La Croix. I love the raspberry lime, lemon and grapefruit.
3. Nut Pods— these are an alternative to your typical sugary coffee creamer. They’re nut based and have no added sugars, but come in several different flavors. Hazelnut is my favorite!
4. Nooma— I first tried Nooma a few weeks back at my yoga studio, and have been obsessed ever since. It’s an organic electrolyte drink with no added sugar, and is coconut water-based. If you sweat a lot during your workout or are just looking to hydrate, these are so yummy! The chocolate mint is my favorite flavor.

Other random things I always keep stocked:

1. I always keep canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste on hand. I feel like 90% of the recipes I made always call for one of these so I always have them!
2. Tomato basil marinara sauce: the organic kind from Trader Joe’s, or Rao’s Homemade are my favorites. Both have zero added sugar!
3. Primal Kitchen and Tessamae’s salad dressings. These are awesome alternatives to your typical salad dressings that are full of a bunch of crap! I love Tessamae’s Ranch, and Primal Kitchen’s balsamic and honey mustard.
4. Franks Red Hot– I love me some hot sauce and Frank’s is one of the only mainstream brands you’ll find without added sugar.
5. Canned organic beans– love to throw beans into a soup or chili to make them extra hearty and filling.
6. Coconut milk– I learned when doing Whole30 that adding coconut milk/cream to most recipes is a great alternative for heavy dairy-based creams. I try to stay away from dairy as much as possible because it makes my stomach super upset!
7. Trader Joe’s salsa verde– I cook chicken in this for taco night and you guys it is so. freaking. good.

I hope this was helpful for any of you trying to clean up the pantry! Leave any specific questions for me below.

<3