Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying the blog so far, I know I just kind of dove into recipes without a will or a way, but that's kind of how my brain works. A little bit of recipe ADD is mighty tasty though :-). I thought I'd talk a little bit about the ingredients that I work with at baseline (aka what fills my fridge and cabinets) to get you up to speed on where I get the inspiration for my recipes. I try to keep the healthiest ingredients possible on hand at all times so I'm not tempted to go out and buy packaged foods. Not too many store bought chips or cookies in my house! You'll see why I use a lot of the same ingredients in multiple recipes- I use what I have on hand until it's gone! Also, I get some of my ingredients at normal supermarkets and some at health food stores, the top places I frequent:
1. Trader Joes- as you can tell from most of my recipes, I have a slight obsession with this place. I get my weekly groceries from here, which typically include fruit (whatever's in season), veggies, Greek yogurt (their pomegranate Greek is my favorite), bread (usually rustico multigrain), soymilk, fruit leather, nuts, frozen fruit, seeds, and jams/sauces. Occassionally I'll get a treat (chips or chocolate)- their goodies are delish!
2. Whole Foods- I go here if I'm in the mood for more options (Trader Joes is pretty small). I sometimes pick up baking goods (flour, oats, sugar) and grains from the bulk bins.
3. East End Co Op- This place is the mecca of rare organic foods- it has tons of bulk bins with flours, grains, raisins, etc. and lots of local food items.
4. Giant Eagle- just your standard grocery store, I stock up on necessities here once a month (or if I need something asap) using my foodperks.
5. TJ Maxx, Marshalls- I get cool, rare spreads, jams, and spices here. I also found my strawberry agave here for much cheaper than Whole Foods.
Now where do I put all this stuff?
My counters:
In my favorite stackable storage containers (from TJ Maxx) I've got
1. Oats- usually Bob's Red Mill Thick Cut Rolled Oats, although in a pinch I'll buy TJ's brand.
2. Nuts- right now I'm on a pecan and cashew kick but I also love almonds and walnuts. I get them in bulk bins, or sometimes a huge bag from TJ's, at it lasts awhile.
3. Brown Sugar+ splenda/truvia.
4. Specialty Coffee- I get these from TJ Maxx or Marshalls for cheap.
On my other counters I've got my
1. Spice rack- almost every spice you'd need for everyday cooking- a great investment!
2. Grains and dried beans- Quinoa, lentils, amaranth, millet, ground flaxseed. In my awesome ceramic bins from Target (6 of them on sale for $11, came w/serving spoons)
3. Miscellaneous Spices- onion powder, chili powder, curry, red pepper flakes
4. Flours- spelt, peanut, whole wheat, and all purpose in my old Me and Goji canisters.
In my cabinets:
1. Dried fruit- apricots, raisins, coconut
2. Syrup- sugar free maple, honey, agave, brown rice syrup
3. Peanut butter
4. Coconut oil
5. Beans- lentils, black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans
6. Nutritional yeast- lots of it
7. Canned tomatoes and tomato paste
8. Extra grains- oat bran, wheat bran, flours
9. Cooking sprays and oils- canola and smart balance omega, luquid aminos (aka replacement soy sauce)
10. Cane sugar, baking soda + powder
11. My beloved Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie Spice
Fridge:
1. Motherload of spreads- jams, jellies, preserves, pumpkin and apple butter, peanut satay sauce, garlic aoli mustard
2. Garlic, Ginger, orange muscat champagne vinegar, lemon and lime juice
3. Soy milk, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, fruit, egg whites, pumpkin, vegetables (not pictured- usually spinach, carrots, cukes, peppers)
4. Pumpkin beer ;-)
Not pictured-
Freezer- frozen fruit + veggies, husband's frozen meals
Tofu, tempeh
Cheeses- goat, parmesan, mexican blend
I'll be back shortly with a dinner post + a dessert treat!
What's in your kitchen?
-Allie