How to Stock a Healthy Pantry for Your Family

In this post we’re outlining how to stock a healthy pantry for your family. It’s no secret that feeding a family can make you feel like a hamster on a wheel. The battle isn’t knowing what to cook, it’s making the time, doing the grocery shopping and keeping up with the family’s preferences. And if you have a picky eater or two at home, you may feel like you’re cranking out meals non-stop. Make your cooking life easier by knowing what to keep in your pantry. Having these pantry staples on hand at all times can save you a ton of time and money. 

Reasons to Stock a Healthy Pantry

For this article, we’re focusing exclusively on shelf stable items that go in your pantry or kitchen cabinets. However, don’t overlook thE fact that there are other staples that you need for your refrigerator and freezer. I’ll cover that in another post. 

Having a stocked pantry allows you to have a variety of foods available to create balanced meals. These staples are what “bring your meals together” once you prepare your choice of lean protein and fresh produce. 

Perform a Pantry Purge

Before you run through the list below and start adding them to your next grocery list, pause and consider what your goal is for stocking your pantry.

Do you simply want new ideas for making healthier meals? Are stocking up as you get started with meal planning and prep? Or are you changing your eating habits and want to do a full pantry overhaul?

It may be worth the time to take a pantry inventory and see what you have on hand in the first place. When I clean out my pantry every 3 months, I literally remove everything from the pantry, wipe out all the shelves, and go through items one-by-one to determine what purpose they’re still serving. I can then ensure that these get planned into upcoming meals before they go bad. bage. Every now and then I find an expired item that ends up in the trash. But before I started this process I must admit I was one of those who routinely found expired items in the back of the pantry. Fortunately, those days are gone and I now have a pantry I can be proud of.

Let’s take a look at some options to stock a healthy pantry for your family. And keep in mind that this is the list that I use in my home. You are free to modify this as we all have our own preferences and this list does not cater to any specific eating preferences. Here is the list of healthy pantry staples:

How to Stock a Healthy Pantry With: 

Whole Grains

• Amaranth
• Barley
• Black rice
• Buckwheat
• Steel cut oats
• Old fashioned oatmesl
• Farro
• Bulgar
• Whole wheat pasta

Legumes

• Black beans
  Red kidney beans
• Chickpeas
• Navy beans
• Great northern beans
• Lentils
• Split peas
• Pinto beans
• Mung beans

Nuts and Seeds

• Almonds
• Raw cashews
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Pistachios
• Pecans
• Chia seeds

Nut and Seed Butters

• Almond butter
• Peanut butter
• Pecan butter
• Cashew butter
• Tahini
• Flaxseed

Flour and Baking Items

• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Brown rice flour
• Garbanzo bean flour
• Almond flour
• Oat flour
• Spelt flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Corn meal
• Nutritional Yeast

Canned/Jarred Goods

• Diced tomatoes
• Crushed tomatoes
• Coconut milk
• Vegetable broth
• Salsa

Dried Fruit

• Apricots
• Tart cherries
• Dates
• Figs

Oils, Vinegars, and Condiments

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil
• Ghee
• White distilled vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Srirachi
• Hot sauce
• Low sodium tamari

Seasonings

• Fine sea salt
• Pink Himalayan sea salt
• Black pepper
• Basil
• Chili powder
• Cardamom powder
• Cumin powder
• Cinnamon
• Curry powder
• Paprika
• Turmeric
• Oregano
• Garlic powder
• Chopped onions
• Ground ginger
• Cayenne pepper
• Bay leaves

 

How to Stock a Healthy Pantry: Don’t Let Your Pantry Become an Wasteland

Now that you know how to stock a healthy pantry, let’s look at another critical element: pantry maintenance. You don’t want your newly stocked pantry to revert back to it’s former self. So make a plan to keep your pantry up to date and organized. Here are a few tips:

• Check expiration dates regularly. A good rule of thum is to look at expiration dates every 3 months to ensure that things are still fresh. And if you have items in your pantry that have expired, ask whether you even need to replace them since they went unused for so long.
• Eliminate as much packaging as possible. I store all grains and dry goods in these clear storage containers. This keeps everything visible. It also keeps items fresh longer and cuts down on how many items I have to sort though to find what I’m looking for. I can also see when I’m running low on items and add these to the grocery list.