Healthy Pantry Basics

A simple way to make healthy cooking easy is to have the right items on hand. So what food items should be in a healthy pantry? The following foods are key ingredients for making healthy meals. 
    
Fill your pantry with these basic shelf items. Then, whenever you shop, you can pick up your perishable items. Perishable items will be in my healthy refrigeration post. Many of your recipes will incorporate these pantry staples:

• dried beans and lentils
• canned beans
• whole grains
• whole grain pasta
• rolled oats
• canned diced tomatoes
• low sodium vegetable broth
• plain soy milk and/or almond milk 
• tahini
• mellow white miso
• peanut butter and/or almond butter
• raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• dried apricots, dates and raisins
• Dijon mustard
• cider vinegar
• nutritional yeast 

If you followed my last blog you should have your first score. Use the following to find out how healthy your current pantry is. Total up your score and save. 
   
Responses and Scoring:
(a) I have all of them (-5)
(b) I have more than half of them (-4)
(c) I have less than half of them (+2)
(d) I do not have any of them (+5)


See my Nutrition page at Debra Baker Fit  for a healthy recipe to try.