When you are really making an effort to eat healthier and switch your family from processed foods to real food it can be a challenge to know what to buy…
I honestly think that is what prevents many people from making changes, because they aren’t sure what to buy… It can be an even greater challenge when you have kids, as well.
There is NO doubt that what you eat is incredibly important – food plays a large role in your health, and in the behavior of our children. Strolling through the grocery store is a HUGE indicator of a greater problem, as shelves are lined with every size, shape and variety of processed food, leaving very VERY little healthy food choices. We also mentioned a few weeks ago how to walk past that without tossing it in your cart.
While they always say to stick to the outer area of the store, even then I personally find it hard to go to the store at all… which is probably the reason we don’t go much at all (if EVER).
In real life, people are busy – have schedules, and have kids, and have various levels of cooking skills – so here are OUR recommendations for items to have on hand to make easy {healthy} meals quickly.
Ten Healthy Pantry Staples
- Grains: Brown Rice, Quinoa & Organic Whole Wheat Pasta (or Brown Rice Pasta)
- Dried Beans
- Tetra Packs of {Organic} Tomato Products (Sauce, Diced & Stewed)
- Whole Wheat Organic Pasta
- Frozen {Organic} Vegetables
- Almond Butter
- Raw Almonds
- Frozen Fruit
- Organic Chicken Stock
- Canned Tuna, preferably Wild Planet (sold at Costco)
While fresh is always going to be better than canned, in a pinch, canned can be a good option too.
Debating between getting conventional and Organic? Read our last post to make that decision for your own family.
Although some of these items may seem to take a while to cook, they really don’t take all too long if you have an Instant Pot. You can whip up a batch of Brown Rice in the Instant Pot in a matter of minutes… Quinoa takes 1 minute in the Instant Pot (which is GREAT considering it takes 20 minutes on the stove!)
Stock will give you plenty of base for soups, and if you can pair these pantry staples with fresh vegetables you have many meals you can make.
In shopping for these items, what is the BEST route to save the MOST money? Believe it or not, there are many ways you can save on Organic and Healthier Food… one thing to avoid is just shopping on a whim in ANY store..
Knowing WHERE the BEST prices are, will lead you to condense your time by knowing exactly where to go. Costco is a GREAT place to go for Organic items in Bulk – we have found that the price per unit is far less than buying up store brand Organic items at Safeway and Fry’s.
The last few years I have learned that if I want to get the best price on Organic items without scouring an ad or waiting for a sale, I head to Costco. My CSA is amazing – organic produce weekly – no eye-balling ads or price matching. I avoid going to Bashas – not only is their selection very slim, it’s almost 2 times the cost of other places.
You can see our last post on 20 Organic Items you will want to buy at Costco for a breakdown in prices. Joining a CSA for Organic produce, shopping in season and growing your own produce are additional ways to save.
Read this last post for more tips:
9 Ways to Make Organic Purchases more Affordable