Stock Your Pantry the Right Way!

Ugne Aleknaite NP makes her favorite pantry stock pics. @@ugne.aleknaite.5

Do you struggle with having the ‘right’ kind of foods stocked in your pantry so that you can easily create healthy meals?

Trust me, this will help!

Take a look at these go-to tips and get your pantry in tip-top shape:

1. Nuts and Seeds

Any plain raw nuts is a fair game. Buy organic if you can. Dare to explore and find new flavors: almond, walnut, pecan, macadamia, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds

3 Reasons we like Nuts

• Rich in omega 3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation, improve cardiovascular health

• Good source of protein

• Good source of fiber

3 Ways to use raw Nuts

• Breakfast: Add protein to your breakfast

• Snack: pack a couple handfuls in your purse or sports bag

• Lunch/dinner: Add substance to your salads

2. Frozen Berries

Fruit is super important to buy organic because of high pesticide exposure. Therefore frozen can be a more economical choice especially in the winter months. 

3 Reasons why we like Berries

• High antioxidants and phytonutrient content to fight aging and speed recovery

• Low sugar

• Rich in phytonutrients and it is an easy why to add color to your diet

3 Ways to use Frozen Berries

• smoothie: frozen berries, banana, avocado, nut butter, water

• berry bowl: make extra thick smoothie and top it off with variety of nuts/seeds

• hot cereal and frozen berries

3. Roots:
 

Sweet potatoes, turnips, radishes, carrots explore.. try some thing new

3 Reasons we like Root Vegetable

• Great choice of organic winter vegetables

• It can last a while

• You can use it in more than one way

6 Ways to use Roots

• Cutting in the different way will change the flavor

• Try roasting sweet potatoes cubed and whole

• Radish can be cubed for roasting or

• shredded for salads or

• sliced to use with dips like hummus or guacamole

• Carrots shredded will be great for a salad, cut longwise makes a great snack, and cut round for roasting.

4. Beans
 

In the ideal world  like to buy dried beans, cook a bag full and freeze them or store in the fridge for later use. Canned beans are good choice in many occasions. My concerns with canned foods is: BPA and salt. Many manufacturers use BPA (bisphenol-A) to line the cans and canned foods are usually high in salt. Look for BPA free cans and salt free products. 

3 Reasons we like Beans:

• High fiber and generally any type of bean you choose only 1 1/2 cup of beans will meet the minimum 30g of daily fiber requirement

• Breakfast: eggs, beans, beans, salsa, guacamole

• Lunch: mix it in with your sad

• Dinner side dish: make bean salad for a side dish, warm it up with sautéed onion and garlic…

5. Ginger

3 Reasons we like Ginger

• antioxidant

• anti-inflammatory

• anti-viral

3 ways to use it

• Tea: chunk it up and poor hot water over it, let it steep or simmer

• Spice: cook together with vegetables to give it a little kick

• Sports drink: use cold ginger tea with a little honey and lemon to rehydrate after a work out

Now, take a look at what you have in your pantry, restock these items that you don’t keep on hand, and whip up a healthy, nutritious meal that is guaranteed to be satisfying! Still have questions or need extra tips? We can help, just reach out!