Now that you've cleared all the junk out of your kitchen, it's time to stock up on all the ingredients you need for healthy meals & snacks. Here's our list of healthful food we love to keep on hand:
1. Fruits & Veggies
You should be buying lots of fresh fruits & veggies every week. Each week buy one new fruit or vegetable that you have never tried, or that you haven't tasted for a long time. Then, do an internet search and find a recipe to use it in.
2. Healthy Snacks
Some of our favorites are: raw, unsalted nuts & seeds; dried fruit such as raisins, prunes or apricots; whole grain crackers such as Ak Mak; popcorn (get real popcorn, not the microwave kind, and pop it in a hot air popper for a low calorie & filling snack); YoKids yogurt tubes; cottage cheese; low-fat string cheese.
You may want to put your snacks such as nuts, seeds, dried fruit & crackers into separate portion-controlled snack bags. Label the number of calories to make journaling easier.
3. Healthy Oils
Keep your pantry well-stocked with healthful oils. Although oils are high in calories, many oils contain healthful unsaturated fats. You can use them for dressings or for cooking. Here are the best oils to use: walnut, flaxseed, canola, olive, peanut, almond, avocado, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed.
4. Herbal Teas
Teas are soothing and delicious, especially in the wintertime. They can also help keep you away from caffeine. Flavored herbal teas such as Vanilla Hazelnut or Good Earth Herbal Tea can even satisfy your sweet tooth!
5. Spices
If you don't have one already, invest in a spice rack and a complete set of spices to flavor your foods without sodium. Look for "salt-free" spice blends.
What did we miss? Post a comment to let us know what other healthful foods you like to keep stocked in your kitchen.
A couple more things I try to have on hand are... brown rice cakes, little packets of roasted seasoned seaweed, and edamame (soybeans in the pod)!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to share one tip that will help me with my 30 day goal this month: The Farmer's Cart. They deliver a box of fresh, organic produce to your door weekly or biweekly and offer 2 different box sizes. I end up paying about the same amount I would if I bought the produce at the store, but what helps me is the 'surprise' I get biweekly (they choose the produce you get). It's encouraging me to try a variety of things I wouldn't try otherwise. The box also comes with a recipe using much of the fruit/veggies in the box. This week's contained: 3 bananas, 1 Texas grapefruit, 3 navel oranges, 2 hass avocados, 1 fennel bulb, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 cualiflower, 2 slicing tomatoes, 1 red russian kale and 1 red leaf lettuce. The recipe is: Taste of Spring Avocado, Fennel and Citrus Salad. Yummmmm! info: www.thefarmerscart.org
ReplyDelete