What’s in the pantry?

People have been asking me what I keep in the pantry and the fridge. Now that I don’t have all those grain products they have thought I might have lots of empty space! Especially with just two of us.

When we first decided to adopt the primal lifestyle I had a clean out of the pantry and fridge. We were already eating fairly healthy foods so it was really more a matter of getting rid of the grains, legumes, oils and a few processed things. My husband has type 2 diabetes and has had a heart attack so we were very conscious of these things. Thus there was not a stock of sugary foods, rice, potatoes etc. But there was plenty of low fat things!

I decided early on that it was best practice for us to have only the right things in our pantry/fridge. That way we would always have them available and not be tempted to eat the old SAD `foods’. The big change over became a weekend project. Out with the old and in with the new!!

So here is a list of the basics we now keep in the kitchen. I have divided it into Pantry, Fridge/freezer, Homemade things I keep on hand, and the garden.

Pantry

• Raw almonds (I make my own almond meal/flour – it’s cheaper than buying it ready made)
• Raw macadamia nuts
• Raw walnuts
• Coconut flour
• Coconut sugar
• Coconut flakes
• Coconut – desiccated
• Coconut milk/cream (I like to make my own, but it doesn’t always happen)
• Coconut aminos (a great soy free alternative to soy sauce)
• Coconut vinegar – balsamic style
• Coconut oil
• Canned pink salmon (Aldi have a nice one that is reasonably priced)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Mustard (a variety)
• Olive oil – (I like the light oil for making mayonnaise. I also like to get a local Australian brand. I read recently that some of the others may have seed oils added.)
• Olives – make sure they are not in seed oils
• Pure maple syrup – I think a bottle will last about a year!
• Honey – dark, raw, organic if possible
• Sea salt – Celtic sea salt is my favourite & it has lots of minerals & natural iodine
• Himalayan pink salt
• Nori sheets
• Raw cacao powder
• Liquid stevia
• Pine nuts
• Sesame seeds
• A wide variety of herbs and spices

Fridge

• Eggs
• Bacon
• Cream
• A2 full cream milk
• A2 yogurt
• Limes
• Lemons
• Strawberries
• Frozen berries
• Frozen prawns
• Salmon
• A variety of meats (fresh or frozen) – cuts that don’t take much to make a meal.
• ….and a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables

Home-made supplies I keep on hand

• Tomato sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Salad dressings
• Vegetable stock paste (A Thermomix recipe)
• BBQ sauce
• Chilli sauce
• Butter
• JLM (Just  like Milo) See our recipe here
• Coconut milk
• Coconut butter

Garden

• Parsley – lots planted in various places (if one dies there is usually another coming up somewhere else)
• Basil
• Coriander
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Chillis – various types
• Kafir lime
• Chives
• Mint
• Vietnamese mint
• Lemon grass
• Stevia

Kitchen equipment

I got a Thermomix in February and it has revolutionised how and what I cook. Amazing kitchen `must have’!!! (If you’re in the Newcastle area I’d be happy to refer you to a consultant.)

I’d love to hear about some of the basics that you keep in your pantry, or fridge, or garden. Leave a comment here and let us know.