What healthy food staples do you use?

Pantry: Pasta, rice, pasta sauce, canned diced tomatoes, canned black beans, canned refried beans, soup, canned salmon, canned chunk light tuna, peanut butter, coffee, olive oil, spices, salt, oatmeal.

Freezer: veggie burgers, veggie "chicken" tenders, tortillas, bags of salmon fillets, bags of chicken tenders, all sorts of frozen vegetables.
 
John cycling said:
@Remy


... I rejoined Costco on the 1st to get some bags of organic cane sugar plus, in addition
to my usual staples, organic sweet potatoes, ...


@StarSong -
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To avoid peeling yams/sweet potatoes, just pop them in the oven. The peels will slide right off. No fuss, no waste.
 

I try to buy organic & non-GMO staples as much as I can from the local bulk food store. I also cook from scratch instead of using box mixes. I can keep more on the shelves with just basics ingredients than I ever could with larger variety of boxed foods. Olive & Sunflower oils are from Trader Joes. During summer, a man who lives near me has sold organic veggies for a long time from his garden that he will pick for you when when you get there.

For years I've gotten my meat from my friend's dad who raises beef & nephew does pork. All of it is processed by local butchers to your specifications. I get organic chicken from Aldis.

I've been buying Aldis sliced Italian bread (Specially Selected brand) that is non-GMO made with three main ingredients of water, flour & salt. It makes great sandwiches. It also freezes well if you can't use the whole loaf right away.
 
gruntlabor said:
To avoid peeling yams/sweet potatoes, just pop them in the oven. The peels will slide right off. No fuss, no waste.
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I eat sweet potatoes, peels included. Just slice the raw potato into about 1/4" thick rounds, cover and put in the microwave for a few minutes until cooked. I refrigerate the cooked slices and snack on them or add them to salads or stir fries.
 
There are certain products that I get on Amazon, like: beans (from Eden Foods) organic roasted seaweeds Nori sheets, Badia grounded flax seeds, organic hemps seeds, chia seeds, Purely Elizabeth organic original ancient grain granola and organic fully cooked super bean mix.
At the supermarket: fruits: cherries, melon, grapes, berries, oranges, apples, bananas. Veggies: spring mix, baby spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, lemons, mushrooms, cucumber, carrots, avocado, onions, variety of colourful peppers, squash, fresh herbs.
Pantry: whole wheat pitas, whole wheat pastas, Pomi finely chopped tomatoes, olives, walnuts, almonds, and a variety of spices and dried herbs.
Frozen foods: broccoli and cauliflower mix, berries.
I think that is about it. I do not have a Costco or Trader's Joe near me, unfortunately. I try to buy fresh, simple, in season produce items.
 
gruntlabor said:
To avoid peeling yams/sweet potatoes, just pop them in the oven. The peels will slide right off. No fuss, no waste.
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No fuss, no waste, big mess! Hah! Only if you're as dumb as I am and set them right on the rack like I do russets. I had to clean the oven.

Now I'm smarter and put them on a pan lined with foil. The longer you bake them the sweeter they get until they're dripping sap that tastes like honey.

When we go "no sugar," we don't eat any kind, not even honey or syrup, so we love these things.

The other night I did a variation on StarSong's idea and I put sliced sweet potatoes on the baking sheet with the Brussels sprouts I was roasting (everything coated in olive oil) and it all came our delicious. The oven did smoke a little bit, I probably should have used an oil with a higher smoke point.
 
Della said:
No fuss, no waste, big mess! Hah! Only if you're as dumb as I am and set them right on the rack like I do russets. I had to clean the oven.

Now I'm smarter and put them on a pan lined with foil. The longer you bake them the sweeter they get until they're dripping sap that tastes like honey.

When we go "no sugar," we don't eat any kind, not even honey or syrup, so we love these things.

The other night I did a variation on StarSong's idea and I put sliced sweet potatoes on the baking sheet with the Brussels sprouts I was roasting (everything coated in olive oil) and it all came our delicious. The oven did smoke a little bit, I probably should have used an oil with a higher smoke point.
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lol, not dumb at all, perfectly natural thing to do. Many a mistake is made first time around. Sorry about the mess.
 
We don't keep things in large quantities, so they're always pretty fresh. We have about 3 types of rice , a few types of pasta and flour for both bread, pies and cakes etc.. and a good selection of herbs and spices.
 
All the dry goods you all spoke off. I do keep a variety of canned goods, vegetables,, fruit, tuna and chicken. I keep canned beans but I much prefer to cook them from dry. Pasta, rice, oatmeal, tea bags, not a coffee drinker.

Freezer is full of all types of meat. I am not a big fish person, prefer shrimp, crab or lobster.

I also like to buy fresh onions, peppers, celery and garlic. I chop, then freeze on a cookie sheet, then into freezer bags. Makes it easy just to get a cup full when I need it. Not frozen into big lumps I have to break up.
 
We base our diet on eggs, cottage cheese, extra lean red meat and turkey. Not many carbs, but wild rice is the staple. Bananas are always on the table.

Stopped doing fish for some reason. Not really sure why? Lol!

We dont really store much stuff. Realized a few years ago we stockpiled too much stuff! Started getting close to expiry dates, as most organic stuff doesnt last as long as regular 'preserved' foods!!

Living in EU we tend to shop daily or every other day. Works good for us, the gym is 3 min away, the organic store is in the same building, and the large Carrefour is there as well. Good organic section.
 
McBride said:
I store organic grains, pasta, beans, nuts and seeds in the cupboard. I freeze all my organic sprouted bread to keep from spoiling. I buy fresh organic fruits and veggies that I use right away before they go bad.
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I do the same and another thing I did this year was to grow the most fabulous beets under cover to thwart leaf miner. So as my beets have been growing and when I harvest them, I've been dehydrating the leaves. So now I have two large pickle jars of beet leaf powder/flakes to use in soups or stews or throw into baking and I've even tried them in my morning bowl of oatmeal. Last year I'd frozen those greens for soups but that takes up so much room in my freezer, where two jars take up hardly any space in the pantry.
 
hearlady said:
About the same although not in 25 lb bags. One and 5 lb bags. Different beans and rice, three kinds of lentils. Bulgur, freekeh, quinoa.
I keep organic cane sugar, sucanat, raw honey, homemade Stevia tincture, and other sweeteners. Various salts.
Various baking staples. Various pastas and noodles.
Ground and instant coffees and teas. Herbs and spices. Various oils, fats, and vinegars.
Many whole grain hot and cold cereals. Homemade granola.
Canned veg, fruit, fish, chicken, beans, all types of tomatoes, olives, pickled things, condiments. Canned broths, soups, chili.
My cupboards are full. I wish I had more room but I do use what I have wisely.
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May I ask how you make your homemade tincture?
 
Blessed said:
I also like to buy fresh onions, peppers, celery and garlic. I chop, then freeze on a cookie sheet, then into freezer bags. Makes it easy just to get a cup full when I need it. Not frozen into big lumps I have to break up.
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I do the same, with onions, garlic and peppers. Never tried celery because that tends to keep long enough in the fridge that I use it up, but I do chop and freeze celery tops (where the leaves are) to use in soups.
 
hearlady said:
Yes, I just put the dried leaves through my herb grinder, stuff a glass jar full and cover with vodka. Let it sit up to 48 hours and strain. You might try 24 hours the first time and see how you like it.
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Thank you. Where do you find the stevia leaves.? The bulk store? Health food store?
Thatā€™s a great idea.
 
hearlady said:
I grew them. You can find Stevia plants at farmer's markets or specialty garden places. They're hard to grow from seed.
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Oh! I hadnā€™t even thought of that ! What a fabulous idea. I hope it grows in my zone 6 area . I shall look that up. Another possible herb to add to our growing list.
Note: No it does not grow in zone 6. Itā€™s a zone 8 and 9 herb. Boo! Thanks anyway.
 
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Murrmurr said:
There are people in other countries who's daily diet consists mainly of white rice all their lives. Generally, they live long and are resistant to diabetes. How do you explain that?
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Western populations tend to have higher rates of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome due to factors like higher levels of obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and different dietary habits (such as consuming more processed foods). This can make blood sugar spikes more pronounced when eating refined carbs like white rice. Also, Populations in Asia have a long history of consuming rice as a staple food. Over generations, this could have led to genetic adaptations that make the body's metabolism more efficient at processing carbohydrates like rice. These genetic differences may result in a better insulin response or a slower absorption of carbohydrates.
 

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