This page was originally a posting from my original blog, Breathe Deeply. I've made a few edits and will probably continue to do so over time. Call it "learn-as-you-go" ...
Note: I attempt to stock organic whenever feasible.
(Key: G-Grocery store, C-Costco, A-Amazon or Manufacturer-direct)
My fridge
Baby carrots –G (or Farmer’s Market)
Bell peppers and tomatoes –G (or garden, Farmer’s Market)
Avocados -G
In-season greens (enough for sandwiches and minimum 2 salads/week) –G (or garden, Farmer’s Market)
In-season fruits (enough for minimum 1.5 servings/person/day) –G (or Farmer’s Market)
Lowfat milk -G
Yogurt (Greek or fruit-sweetened-only) -G
Block and shredded cheese –G, C
Eggs
Plain peanut butter (no additives), crunchy and creamy -G, C
All-fruit preserves –G, C
V8 Fusions –G, C
Butter -G
Dijon mustard -G
Ketchup (generally the lowest in sugar I can find) –G
Unsweetened or “All natural” applesauce –G, C
Lunch meats (generally the “higher end” lower sodium varieties) –C
My freezer
Frozen veggies (generally green beans, peas, broccoli, and sweet corn) -C
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts -C
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs -C
Whole young chickens -C
Ground turkey -G
Extra-lean ground beef -G
Tri-tip or sirloin (generally whatever’s more affordable) –G,C
Turkey ham -G
Turkey franks -G
Turkey Kielbasa -G
Hardwood-smoked chicken sausage -G
Frozen blueberries -C
Frozen strawberries -C
Frozen blackberries –yard!!
Homemade sweet potato and butternut squash purees
Slow-churned ice-cream (yes, we keep it around!) –C
Dreyers All-fruit bars (snack size)
My Pantry
Dinner items:
Whole grain Quinoa -C
Quinoa Pasta -G
Brown rice -G
Low-sodium chicken stock -C
Crushed tomatoes -C
Tomato Paste -G
Beans: black, pinto, cannelini, garbanzo –G
Split peas
Olives -G
Garlic -G
Yellow Onions-G
Sweet potatoes -G
Breakfast grains:
Quick-cooking Rolled Oats (serve as oatmeal or blend for flour!) –A
Creamy brown rice farina-G, A
Polenta/Fine cornmeal-G, A
Fruit-juice sweetened corn or amaranth flakes -G
Fruit-juice sweetened crunchy flax or crunchy brown rice -G
Fruit-juice sweetend millet rice flakes -G
Agave-sweetened granola -G
Note: I make my own granola bars and muesli with various combos of the bottom four ingredients!
Whole-bean coffee, the darker the better -C
Chai tea (bags, emphasis on decaff)-G
Peppermint or Mint Medley tea -G
Hot chocolate (see, it’s not all good) -C
Condiments:
Extra-virgin Olive Oil-G
Red vinegar -G
Balsamic vinegar -G
Dry sherry (NOT cooking sherry!) -G
Mid-grade dry wines (generally cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay) –G
Low-sodium soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce (preferably green chili or smoked chipotle)
Smoked sweet paprika -C
Basil –G (or garden fresh)
Oregano –G (or garden fresh)
Cilantro –G (or garden fresh)
Parsley –G (or garden fresh)
Fennel seed -G
Black pepper grinder -C
Sea salt grinder -C
Ground cinnamon -C
Ground nutmeg -G
Ground cloves -G
Ground ginger -G
Chili powder –G
Ground Cumin -G
Turmeric -G
Saffron –G
Ranch dressing powder –G, C
Strained baby foods: if you don’t have time to make your own puree’s, these can be thrown into various sauces to boost nutritional values!
Baking:
Sweet Sorghum flour-A
Garbanzo flour (performs well in cookies or mixed with other flours for bread -A
Teff flour-A
Masa de Harina (basically a specialty corn flour) - G
Corn, Potato and/or Tapioca Starch Flour - A
Guar gum (or xanthan gum, adds elasticity to low-gluten or gluten-free flours) -A
Blackstrap molasses -A
Agave nectar –C, A
Erythritol - A
Organic Sugar - C
Pure vanilla extract -C
Yeast -C
Kosher salt -G
Semisweet chocolate chips -C
Raisins -C
Craisins-C
Extra-light Olive Oil -C
Pure cocoa powder (NOT Dutch-processed which contains alkali!) -G
What I religiously avoid:
Corn-based oils and sweeteners
Processed soy products (this is really hard, as soy oil sneaks its way into seemingly everything)
MSG and other preservatives
“White” starches (with the exception of the occasional russet potato)
Pork products (Let’s face it – there’s got to be a reason God banned pigs!)
Obviously other things pass through my kitchen … for instance, I use turnips as a lower-carb alternative to potatoes during stew-season, and I try to use lots of summer squash in-season. My focus has simply to be on the low end of the glycemic index as much as possible; and to avoid "empty calories" without sacrificing comfort foods all together. It takes effort, but it's been worth it.
