What's always on my grocery list?
Vegan or not, we all have our fair share of items that we cannot imagine having to go a few days without, that are never not on our grocery lists. For me, those items changed dramatically as I transitioned vegan and after I committed and even more as I transitioned gluten free. Here are some of the items that are always on my grocery list.
1. Kale. I eat a lot of salads and kale is my preferred base because I enjoy the taste and texture of it. Because it's darker in color, it is also more nutrient dense than other greens.
2. Spinach. I also make a lot of smoothies because I prefer raw food for breakfast and smoothies are easy to do raw. When I make my green smoothies and juices, I also prefer to use spinach for that because it blends easily and cohesively. I also use it on salads and on lettuce-wrapped burgers.
3. Tomatoes. We love tomatoes in our house. Left to our own devices, I'm sure any of us would gladly eat our whole week's supply in one sitting if given both the chance and the reassurance that it would not be an added inconvenience to pick up some more the same day.
4. Pasta. Pasta is a staple in our house and it never wasn't. My childhood is defined in part by pasta. It is an easy go to on busy nights and just for the sake of having pasta so we have a whole shelf in the pantry devoted to various shapes of pasta and sauces and it was always fully stocked. We also have started keeping gluten free pastas in our pantry as I have transitioned to gluten free, knowing that the pasta would tempt me and I would relent because it would be the hardest part. I have only tried a couple but so far, my favorite is the quinoa and corn one from Ancient Harvest. My open minded mom tried it too and she said you would never know it wasn't wheat. While I will definitely not stop eating this pasta because I love it so much, because I am so new to gluten free eating, please feel free to comment below or message me on Instagram about gluten free pastas you recommend and I will try them.
5. Flax seeds. I love flax seeds both alone and on salads. I also put it on my lo mein for added crunch (hopefully lo mein is also gluten free). Ground flax seeds are also a great egg substitute in baking and they're good for protein, healthy fats, and Omega-3s.
6. Nut and seed butters. I have been experimenting with flourless baking recipes recently because substituting gluten free flours is super complicated and nut and seed butters are an effective and healthy base in flourless baking. I am not giving up on baking with gluten free flours but I like knowing I can fall back on flourless baking provided that I am not baking for people with allergies.
7. Olive oil. I mostly use it in my salads as part of the dressing but I also use it in cooking. I am not on an oil free diet because I believe in the potential of healthy fats but I am not keto either.
8. Frozen mango. I love using frozen mango in my smoothies and nice creams but I also enjoy it by itself.
9. Bananas. When combined with mango, bananas make the perfect smoothie base. When covered with nut butter, they also make healthy popsicles for an anytime summer treat.
10. Coconut water. I don't like coconut water by itself because it is just too sweet that way but there are so many ways to use it that I do like. I use it in my smoothies and green juices but I also use it to make lemonade by combining two parts coconut water and one part lemon juice. You would not be able to decipher this from traditional lemonade but it has no added sugars and that's what I love about it.
11. Tofu. This is the gluten free meat substitute that is easiest for me to find and there is so much you can do with it. I do pretty much everything with tofu.
12. Utz potato chips. I crave salty foods and my favorite is Utz potato chips. These may seem unhealthy simply because as kids we are all taught that chips are bad for you but as a health nut, I approve of these ones. There are only three ingredients: Potatoes, sunflower oil, and salt. Not all chips are bad. As long as they don't have additives and contain few ingredients, chips can easily be guilt free.
Obviously this is never all that's on my grocery list. These are just things that always are on my list. Comment some of your grocery list essentials.
1. Kale. I eat a lot of salads and kale is my preferred base because I enjoy the taste and texture of it. Because it's darker in color, it is also more nutrient dense than other greens.
2. Spinach. I also make a lot of smoothies because I prefer raw food for breakfast and smoothies are easy to do raw. When I make my green smoothies and juices, I also prefer to use spinach for that because it blends easily and cohesively. I also use it on salads and on lettuce-wrapped burgers.
3. Tomatoes. We love tomatoes in our house. Left to our own devices, I'm sure any of us would gladly eat our whole week's supply in one sitting if given both the chance and the reassurance that it would not be an added inconvenience to pick up some more the same day.
4. Pasta. Pasta is a staple in our house and it never wasn't. My childhood is defined in part by pasta. It is an easy go to on busy nights and just for the sake of having pasta so we have a whole shelf in the pantry devoted to various shapes of pasta and sauces and it was always fully stocked. We also have started keeping gluten free pastas in our pantry as I have transitioned to gluten free, knowing that the pasta would tempt me and I would relent because it would be the hardest part. I have only tried a couple but so far, my favorite is the quinoa and corn one from Ancient Harvest. My open minded mom tried it too and she said you would never know it wasn't wheat. While I will definitely not stop eating this pasta because I love it so much, because I am so new to gluten free eating, please feel free to comment below or message me on Instagram about gluten free pastas you recommend and I will try them.
5. Flax seeds. I love flax seeds both alone and on salads. I also put it on my lo mein for added crunch (hopefully lo mein is also gluten free). Ground flax seeds are also a great egg substitute in baking and they're good for protein, healthy fats, and Omega-3s.
6. Nut and seed butters. I have been experimenting with flourless baking recipes recently because substituting gluten free flours is super complicated and nut and seed butters are an effective and healthy base in flourless baking. I am not giving up on baking with gluten free flours but I like knowing I can fall back on flourless baking provided that I am not baking for people with allergies.
7. Olive oil. I mostly use it in my salads as part of the dressing but I also use it in cooking. I am not on an oil free diet because I believe in the potential of healthy fats but I am not keto either.
8. Frozen mango. I love using frozen mango in my smoothies and nice creams but I also enjoy it by itself.
9. Bananas. When combined with mango, bananas make the perfect smoothie base. When covered with nut butter, they also make healthy popsicles for an anytime summer treat.
10. Coconut water. I don't like coconut water by itself because it is just too sweet that way but there are so many ways to use it that I do like. I use it in my smoothies and green juices but I also use it to make lemonade by combining two parts coconut water and one part lemon juice. You would not be able to decipher this from traditional lemonade but it has no added sugars and that's what I love about it.
11. Tofu. This is the gluten free meat substitute that is easiest for me to find and there is so much you can do with it. I do pretty much everything with tofu.
12. Utz potato chips. I crave salty foods and my favorite is Utz potato chips. These may seem unhealthy simply because as kids we are all taught that chips are bad for you but as a health nut, I approve of these ones. There are only three ingredients: Potatoes, sunflower oil, and salt. Not all chips are bad. As long as they don't have additives and contain few ingredients, chips can easily be guilt free.
Obviously this is never all that's on my grocery list. These are just things that always are on my list. Comment some of your grocery list essentials.