A “Peek” in My Pantry & Fridge too!
It’s kinda funny how many people ask to look inside my pantry and fridge when they come over. But I totally get it! When I first began this journey of trying to eliminate processed/packaged foods, my cupboards were as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s and my family was a little upset to say the least.

That’s because I decided to toss out virtually everything non-real-food friendly the day I finished reading the book Nourishing Traditions. I was fully committed to moving forward with the real food game plan, but my family was not quite sure where this journey was going to take us. All they knew was that their favorite snack “foods” were missing.

So although I’m giving you a sneak peek into my grain-free whole food pantry (see the list below of the whole food basics I recommend, particularly if you’re GF and plan to make some of the recipes posted on this blog), it is by no means a call-to-action for you to throw everything away and stock up on a bunch of ingredients that you may not be quite sure what to do with yet.

Instead, it’s important to start slowly – pick one or two things you want to change about how you & your family eat and once you have those down, keep the momentum going and make more changes. I’m still doing that myself – making slow, but steady, changes to improve my family’s nutrition and health. And the great thing is, once I slowed down a bit, my family started coming on board more quickly and enthusiastically.

So … what is inside my pantry?

The following are the key items that I keep stocked and use frequently. It is not an exhaustive list of everything in my pantry (or the many great other real-food items out there). These are simply my personal favorite staples and are the most common ingredients you’ll find in the recipes posted on this blog (as well as other real food sites):

• Nutritious Grain-Free Baking Options, such as blanched almond flour and coconut flour.

• Organic beans/legumes, if you’re following the SCD or GAPS lifestyle, these programs allow limited amounts of beans and legumes, such as white beans and lentils.

• Dried fruits, such as raisins, cherries, figs, cranberries, etc.

• A variety of soaked/dehydrated organic nuts (note: walnuts keep better in the freezer)

• Natural sweeteners, such as raw honey, pure organic maple syrup, maple sugar and coconut sugar. And of course, there’s chocolate – unsweetened fair trade cacao powder and fair trade chocolate chips. (I believe in enjoying some good GF chocolate on occasion.)

• Healthy oils, such as unrefined extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil.

• Other: Organic herbal and green teas, Celtic sea salt or Real Sea Salt, GF baking soda, aluminum-free baking powder, various pure organic extracts (vanilla, almond, lemon), etc.

• Limited canned/bottled/packaged items, such as pure coconut milk, pumpkin puree, marinara sauce, assorted vinegars, organic almond butter and cashew butter, canned tuna and salmon, etc.

• Not kept directly in my pantry, but also important are a wide selection of organic herbs and spices

A peek inside my refrigerator too …
In the refrigerated section of my fridge, I like to keep on hand:

• Various organic/pasture-fed meats, poultry and eggs

• Wild-caught fish (not farm-raised), such as salmon, black cod and dover sole

• Organic cultured whole milk products from pasture-fed cows, such as homemade yogurt, cultured butter and raw milk lactose-free cheeses.

• Plain unsweetened almond milk (If you don’t make you’re own, look for an “unsweetened” brand using non-GMO, GF ingredients and no fillers.)

• A variety of organic fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs

• Lacto-fermented pickles, salsa, sauerkraut, etc.

• Kombucha (a delicious probiotic beverage that’s easy to make at home)

• An assortment of homemade salad dressings and condiments

In my freezer you’ll find:

• A variety of organic raw nuts (waiting to be soaked and dehydrated)

• Various organic/pasture-fed meats, poultry and wild-caught fish

• Various organic fruits cut into chunks (for making smoothies)

• Various organic veggies (for quick additions to soups, stews and other meals)

• Homemade organic chicken stock and soups

• Homemade GF baked goods, such as GF breads, muffins, pancakes and cookies

Hope you’ve enjoyed a “peek” into my pantry (and fridge too)! Just remember to take it slow and set goals!

Joyfully Serving Him, Kelly

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post include affiliate links, providing The Nourishing Home a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make a purchase, but if you do, it helps to support this site and ministry.