Yesterday I had the day off, so naturally I decided to organize our kitchen cabinets. Thrilling, I know. They were getting really messy though, I swear! As I was going through the kitchen, I remembered that several of you have requested a post on the foods I keep my kitchen stocked with. Since it was fresh in my mind, I put a list together for you today.

These are the items that you’ll almost always find in our kitchen. I consider them staples for healthy eating in our home, and we’re constantly using these items to create nutritious meals and snacks week after week. Keep in mind that this is not a full inventory, as I don’t mention a single fruit, vegetable, or meat/fish item. We also have gathered a lot of random other things over the years from trying different products. Instead, these are the ingredients that we use the most frequently to make salads, soups, breakfast, casseroles, baked goods, easy weeknight dinners, packed lunches for work, and more.

Grains

• Quinoa
• Farro
• Barley
• Bulgur wheat

Dried Fruit and Nuts

• Dried cranberries
• Raisins
• Dates
• Raw whole and slivered almonds
• Raw cashews
• Walnuts
• Pecan halves/pieces
• Pine nuts

Seeds

• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds

Canned and Shelf Items

• Chickpeas
• Cannellini beans
• Black beans
• Tuna fish
• Oats: rolled, steel cut, and old-fashioned
• Protein powder
• Popcorn kernels
• Organic pumpkin (in the fall/winter)

Oils and Vinegars

• Extra virgin olive oil (spray and bottle)
• Coconut oil (spray and bottle)
• Grapeseed oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• White wine vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Rice wine vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar

Sauces and Spreads

• Low sodium soy sauce
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Unsalted peanut butter
• Unsalted almond butter
• Whole grain mustard
• Dijon mustard
• Red curry paste
• Worcestershire sauce
• Raw honey
• Agave
• Real maple syrup

Dried Herbs and Spices

• Sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Paprika
• Basil (we buy fresh too)
• Parsley (we buy fresh too)
• Rosemary (we buy fresh too)
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Oregano
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Baking Goods

• Almond meal or flour
• Coconut flour
• Oat flour
• Quinoa flour
• Vanilla extract
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Coconut sugar
• Dark chocolate chips
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Frozen bananas

Perishables

• Milk: Coconut and almond
• Eggs
• Plain organic Greek yogurt
• Organic cottage cheese
• Garlic
• Broth
• Crumbled cheese (we mainly rotate between goat and feta)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Ezekial bread (we keep it in the freezer!)

For anyone looking to do an overhaul of your kitchen cabinets to get rid of the old (read: not so good for you) things lying around, I hope this post helps you! If it seems like a lot, just go through each category, pick a few favorites that you think would work for you, and add them as staples in your own pantry. The more accessible you make some of these items, the easier it will be to embrace healthier eating as a lifestyle choice instead of a chore. Also, you will be less tempted to just order out or eat processed junk if you take a few simple steps to make cooking easier on yourself. We’ve come a long way with meal planning and weekend food prepping, but just stocking your kitchen with the right items is a great first step. I promise that even though it might cost a little bit of money upfront to stock up, it’s worth it for your health in the long run.

–Let’s chat–
How many of these items do you have in your pantry? What healthy eating essentials do you keep stocked in your kitchen? Have you ever done a kitchen overhaul? What’s the weirdest item you’d find in your cabinets?

The most random things I found while cleaning yesterday? It’s a toss-up between mini marshmallows (almost hot chocolate season), green food coloring (horrifying), and tahini paste (I STILL haven’t made homemade hummus).

Catch you later, friends!