Creativity in the kitchen begins with a well stocked pantry. Once you begin down the road to eating whole foods, you will be amazed at the variety of choices there are! So much of the learning curve to improved nutrition is product knowledge. One of my goals in teaching is to minimize how intimidating dietary changes can be for people. My cooking class guests get to see, smell, taste and touch ingredients that are new to them which makes the transition to shopping, cooking and eating more enjoyable.
Since you all can’t be in my kitchen with me, here is a list of staples I keep on hand to cook up nourishing meals at our house.
Whole Grains:
Any of these grains can also be made into freshly ground flour with the help of my NutriMill home flour mill.
Brown Rice (which includes short grain, long grain brown basmati, and sweet brown rice)
Barley
*Buckwheat or Kasha
*Bulgar Wheat
*Cous Cous
Millet
Oats (steel-cut or rolled)
*Quinoa
Wheat Berries
Wild Rice
Other whole grains that I have yet to explore; Amaranth, Teff.
* quick cooking grains
Flour:
Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Flour
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Corn Meal
Unbleached White Flour
Pasta:
Udon Noodles
Soba Noodles
any variety of small whole grain pasta for soups and salads
Legumes: I store the following assortment of dried beans and I keep a few canned beans on hand to whip out a quick meal when needed. Alot of people shy away from the use of legumes because of their unpleasant side effects. Taking care to cook them properly eliminates negative side effects and you get the health benefits that make them a sought after high quality source of protein.
Aduki Beans
Black Beans
Black Eyed Peas
Chick Peas or Garbanzo Beans
Great Norhtern Beans
Kidney Beans
*Lentils
Pinto Beans
*Split Peas
*do not require presoaking
Nuts and Seeds: These add variety and nutrients to any meal, any time of day and are a welcome addition to desserts and snacks.
Almonds
Cashews
Ground Flax Seeds
Pistachios
Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Pecans
Nut Butters:
I like to have a variety of these on hand for flavoring soups, sauces and spreads;
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Peanut Butter
Sesame Butter
Concentrated Sweeteners:
Agave Nectar
Barley Malt
Brown Rice Syrup
Coconut Sugar
Honey
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Sucunat
Sea Vegetables:
No other foods offer such a rich supply of minerals… in our pantry I have..
Agar
Arame
Dulse
Kombu
Nori
Wakame
Baking Supplies:
non-aluminum baking powder
baking soda
natural vanilla
spices
cocoa powder
chocolate chips
Miscellaneous:
Assorted dried herbs and spices
Assorted dried fruits – without sulphur dioxide
Sun dried tomatoes
Extra Virgin olive Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Toasted Sesame Oil
Coconut oil
Arrowroot powder, a natural thickening agent
Apple Cider Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar, red and white
Red Wine Vinegar
White Cooking Wine
Brown Rice Vinegar
Rice Milk
Almond Milk
Coconut Milk
Kuzu, a medicinal root soothing to the stomach in powder form.
Mirin
Miso
Sea Salt
Soy Sauce
Red Curry Paste
Organic Chicken Stock
Not Chicken Stock by Imagine
Tomato Sauce, a few cans on hand for soup ingredients
Tomato Paste
Repunzel Vegetable bullion
and I forgot to include…a few boxes of Rye Crisp crackers for a quick snack 
This list pretty much sums up what is in my dry goods pantry. I hope I didn’t forget anything. And just as I wrote that I remembered what I forgot! For more information on contacting resources for quality whole foods please refer to the Resources tab on this blog and checkout the Shopping Guide for Organic and Natural Foods.
Feel free to inquire or comment,
Amy
And this is why everyone should read this blog!! Most people aren’t familiar with, nor would they know what to do with, 90% of the items on this list! When people exclaim that it’s hard to “afford” a healthy lifestyle or it’s a “tasteless” existence to be vegan or vegetarian or eat whole foods, it’s because we don’t know all the many foods and flavors that are available! A dry goods pantry is cheap (grains, beans, etc) and tasty (spices, sweeteners, dried fruit ) . This is so awesome and thorough!!! Love love love! Now I’m going to buy kombu
Posted by Kyah Hillis | January 13, 2012, 6:12 amI meant to add… Can you post a soup recipe I can use kombu in, please?
Posted by Kyah Hillis | January 13, 2012, 6:13 amKyah, stay tuned for 3 Bean Chili….comin right up. well, soon, anyway! Use Kombu anytime you’re cooking dry beans. See reply to Katie on this post. Also the natural foods company, Eden, sells canned beans cooked in Kombu, FYI.
Posted by Amy Grady | January 15, 2012, 1:04 amI love the canning jar idea! I have tons of Winco bulk bags with many of these same ingredients, but they look so sloppy. Now I know why I’ve been saving so many jars in my pantry.
Posted by Sonya | January 13, 2012, 6:38 amSonya, it’s a good idea to keep your grains and beans…and flour in sealed clean containers to keep unwanted guests out!
Posted by Amy Grady | January 15, 2012, 1:01 amHi Amy. You say that many avoid legumes because of the unpleasant side effects…I am one of those people. How do you prepare them so the side effects are minimized or eliminated? I like legumes, but avoid them like the plague .
Posted by Katie | January 14, 2012, 5:03 pmHey Katie, there are a few things you can do to make beans more digestable. If you’re not used to eating beans, there will be an adjustment time, even still. They are so worth it because they are full of nutrients and fiber, delicious, yet low in calories. Soaking beans overnight improves digestion but make sure you discard the soaking water and start cooking with fresh water. When your beans come to a boil skim off the foamy substance that rises to the top. Generally speaking the smaller the bean the easier they are to digest. So you might want to start small. In addition to these tips, I cook all my beans with a 3 inch piece of Kombu, a sea vegetable that aids in digesting legumes and helps them get soft faster. The Kombu also adds vitamins and minerals. Let beans cook slowly for a long time so they are very tender. Don’t add baking soda as I have read it destroys nutrients and alters the flavor. I hope this helps Katie.
Posted by Amy Grady | January 15, 2012, 12:55 amI love how organized your pantry is, Amy. That will be my goal once we have a pantry
The directions on cooking beans is also helpful as I have the same problem. Can’t wait to see your chili recipe. Where do you get Kombu?
Posted by Debbie | January 17, 2012, 6:34 pmDebbie, I bet you are so excited for stocking your new pantry! You can buy Kombu at any natural foods section of a grocery store. I have seen it at Freddie’s, Yoke’s and at Huckleberry’s. It’s also available through Azure Standard. See the Shopping Guide on my Resources tab.
Posted by Amy Grady | January 20, 2012, 4:40 amI was in a class recently where the instructor was teaching about eating more beans. I suggested the cooking technique you mention and she said that was a myth, skimming the foam off the top.
I also wondered how long it took you to have such a well stocked pantry?
Posted by Marcy Krumbine | February 1, 2012, 3:20 amMarcy, Evidently there are differing opinions on that. Little by little I’ve stocked my pantry…and it changes according to seasons. When we’re eating from the garden more I have fewer legumes in my pantry
Posted by Amy Grady | February 1, 2012, 4:02 pm