Putting together a complete meal can be a little intimidating at times, especially when you have no idea where to start. Make it easier to prepare nutritious meals by having a variety of pantry staples on hand. Some of my favourite items to keep around include:
Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Hemp Hearts, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds. Try to have a mix of nuts and seeds around so you can use them for different recipes! For example, almonds, cashews and walnuts can be used for both savoury and sweet dishes, like bases for creamy sauces, toppings on desserts or casseroles, or added crunch in salads.
I love using pumpkin and hemp seeds in pesto instead of pine nuts as it adds to the green colour and they’re packed with minerals, healthy fats and protein. Nut and seed butters are also a great way to incorporate these foods into your routine, try to rotate them so you’re not always using peanut butter and getting more variety, sub in almond butter when making peanut noodles for a change. Use tahini (sesame seed butter) for dressings or sweet treats.
Beans and Legumes – Chickpeas, Lentils, Black Beans, Cannellini Beans, etc. Protein packed and full of minerals, go for dried options that you can soak and cook yourself. Soaking not only cuts down on cooking time, but it also helps breakdown some of those compounds found in beans that make them harder to digest! When choosing canned options, make sure to get a BPA free can, this plastic lining can leach into the food and increase your toxic load.
Whole Grains – Oats, Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat – Great for porridge type breakfasts or as sides and bowl bases for dinner. Try quinoa or millet instead of rice with your next stir fry or curry dish for something a little different. Full of fibre and B vitamins, minerals and protein!
Dried Fruits – Raisins, Cranberries, Cherries, Apricots, Figs, Mulberries, Mangoes – full of fibre, great to have in combination with nuts and seeds. So many of us are lacking fibre in our diets which is important for elimination and detoxification. Think of fibre as sweeping out your intestines, making sure everything your body is trying to get rid of makes it out. Try dates stuffed with nut butter, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, sliced dried apricots or mangoes and a sprinkle of salt for a caramelly treat or make your own trail mix. Choose 2-3 nuts and seeds and 2 dried fruits plus some dark chocolate for a yummy snack! When choosing dried fruits, try to go for ones sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar or even better, unsweetened, and unsulfured (an added preservative).
Apple Cider Vinegar – For the most benefits, go for raw, unfiltered and with the mother (the bacterial culture that sits at the bottom of the bottle that was used to ferment the vinegar). Apple cider vinegar is great in sauces, dressings and as a digestive tonic. Try a teaspoon in a little bit of water as a shot before meals to stimulate your digestive enzymes and improve your absorption of nutrients!
Coconut milk – Great to add to curries and as a base for dairy free creamy pasta sauces! Coconut milk has healthy fats and minerals.
Broth – Adds extra flavour to grains, sauces, and soups. Go for low sodium options so you can control the amount of salt added to your dishes.
Sweeteners – Blackstrap molasses is a natural source of iron and goes great in baking or savoury dishes like a homemade barbeque sauce!
Coconut sugar is a wonderful alternative to brown sugar that has a lower glycemic index, meaning it raises your blood sugar levels slower than cane sugar. It can be used 1:1 in baking.
Pure maple syrup is full of minerals and adds a natural sweetness to baking and dishes, I love making maple miso roasted delicata squash in the fall!
Raw honey is packed with vitamins and enzymes and has immune supporting properties. Use it in tea, baking and savoury dishes for a touch of sweetness.
Oils – My go-to oils for cooking are avocado and extra virgin olive. Avocado is great for higher heat cooking, baking and roasting vegetables. For finishing off stir fries, I like to add a little sesame oil, it adds so much flavour! You can also use it in more Asian salad dressings. For other dressings, olive or flax seed are yummy! Flax seed oil is a great source of plant based omegas but don’t cook with it and make sure to store it in the fridge to preserve freshness.
Some meal ideas to inspire: Quinoa bowl with chickpeas, roasted veggies (I like a mix of complex carbohydrates and non-starchy veggies like yams, squash or carrots with bell peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, zucchini), fresh greens or sprouts, and a tahini sauce (Make it to taste, start with ¼ cup of tahini, 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt and water to thin, start with 1 tbsp and adjust to your preferred consistency.
Almond butter soba noodles – for the sauce start with about 1/4 cup almond (or another nut) butter, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil, juice of 1 lime, chili flakes to taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking. Sometimes I add a little bit of coconut or almond milk to make it a little creamier! Stir fry veggies (I like a combo of mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper and greens like kale or spinach, broccoli) and protein of your choice (chicken, tempeh, chickpeas, etc) with a splash of soy sauce. Cook soba noodles according to package directions and set aside. Once all your parts are ready, mix everything together in a big bowl and serve!
Chocolate Chia Pudding – ¼ cup chia seeds, 1 tbsp cocoa or raw cacao powder, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla, ¼ tsp cinnamon(optional), ¾ cup nut or oat milk. Mix everything together and let sit 5 minutes. Stir it up again to break up some of the clumps of chia seeds and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Top with chocolate chips, berries or other fresh fruit, dried coconut, dried fruits of your choice, nuts and seeds, more milk or maple syrup.
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