The end of the year is the perfect time to do a pantry reset. In addition to stocking the refrigerator with all the veggies and fruit you can manage, filling your pantry with feel-good food will help you double down on your New Year’s resolutions.
Beans, Beans!
Beans are a hearty addition to just about anything, but can also be blended to add creaminess to dressings, sauces and soups.
Alternative “Sweet Things”
If you’re streamlining your pantry for health, choose honey and dried fruit for natural sweetness in baked goods and sauces. Bonus points for using extra-ripe bananas and unsweetened applesauce, too.
Seeds and Nuts
Seeds like flax and chia can be added to smoothies and baked goods to give a little heft, which will keep you feeling full longer, plus chia seeds plump up nicely for easy dairy-free pudding. And a little handful of nuts is the perfect mid-morning snack.
Tahini
Tahini (sesame seeds ground to a paste) deserves its own section. Just a touch of tahini adds a savory creaminess to sauces or dressings, making it easy to reduce the use of salt and oil. I love to blend a drizzle of tahini into vinegar (my favorite is sherry vinegar at the moment) for the simplest salad dressing on the planet.
Whole Grain Everything
Now’s the time to swap your spaghetti-night noodles for the whole wheat variety and cook up a batch of wheat berries or brown rice for meals all week long.
How do you stock your pantry for health? Share your shopping suggestions and tips in the comments section below.
