Paleo Pantry (Part 1)

When I switched to a real food diet (paleo) I noticed that my fridge and freezer were packed and my pantry was almost bare.  Previously my pantry was filled with oatmeal, flax seed, chia seeds, organic canned soups, cans of beans, rice, olive oil, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, grain or rice based cereals, amaranth, brown rice pasta, whole grain pasta, nutritional yeast and I am sure other weird "healthy" things.  After cleaning out my pantry of grains and processed foods and replacing it with things that I would use on my real food diet the shelves looked empty. 

This is actually a good sign.  We should be eating foods that do not have long shelf lives because of added preservatives or a refining process.  Real foods usually need to be refrigerated or frozen and need to be eaten much sooner than "fake food" like things I mentioned above.

However, there are a few things that you should keep on hand in your Paleo Pantry, here are a few that I usually keep stocked up on...

Coconut Oil: (obviously) good for sauteing/roasting veggies, topping on sweet potatoes or even adding to coffee :)

Coconut milk (this is the whole foods brand): add to coffee, use for baking (takes the place of milk), topping for fruit (paleo ice cream), or throw in the crock pot with any kind of meat you choose and mix it with Curry paste (pictured below)

 like i was saying mix this little jar with a can of coconut milk add meat and put in crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours = amazing! (check ingredient labels, stick with Thai Kitchen brand)

 Canned salmon and sardines from Trader Joes.  Wild caught, add to salads, use to make salmon cakes, or eat for breakfast with sauteed spinach.  Try to aim to eat some type of seafood at least 2 times a week!  Omega 3!  

 I sprinkle this on eggs or veggies usually at least once a day, great source of iodine!  

 Some great seasonings: No-Salt Seasoning from Costco, 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joes and Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joes.  They are all a great mix of seasonings that can be added quickly to any meal for flavor.  Add to chicken before grilling, throw on top of veggies before or after cooking.  Mix in with Olive oil and vinegar for a great salad dressing.

What are some staple items in your Paleo Pantry?