Stocking the Paleo Pantry

When I began Paleo, I was highly enthusiastic about starting. I cleaned out every scrap of sugar, processed food item, gran, bean... it was gone. Unfortunately, this left my cupboards exceedingly bare. Now I advocate taking this approach, because you're less likely to eat something non-paleo "just so it doesn't go to waste". To make sure my food items didn't go to waste, I donated everything unopened. The stuff that was opened went to friends who wanted it (some guys will eat anything ;) ). The rest? I ditched, and didn't regret.


After the Great Purge of 2011, I needed to restock from scratch. I had NO idea what would be good to have on hand. It took some trial and error, and knowing what my body needs and wants (for example: I had pecan nuts right away, because I've always thought that pecans are nice and sweet, and would help me get over that "need to have something sweet" after a meal).


So here are some ideas to get you started. And if you have any suggestions, let me know!  I'll add them to the list.

Meat Always on Hand:

• Adelle's chicken and apple sausages. Perfect to freeze singly as well!
• Frozen single patties of ground beef, fish, turkey. 
• Bacon, if you allow it. I do, because it's so useful. I save all the grease and cook with it. 
• Eggs. I always have eggs on hand. Some people do paleo without eggs. I personally would go nuts without fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, poached, or deviled eggs.  
• Not everyone has the time to do this, but I typically go down to Safeway every day or every other day and pick through the clearance meat. Sometimes I'll freeze them for me, sometimes I'll freeze them for Henry, but often (the best choice), they're dinner that night and breakfast the next morning. Steaks for $2 and pork shoulder for $1 is not a bad thing. Most groceries have clearance meat, with good deals!

Vegetables:

• The tip is to go for lower carb veggies. Greens are important, and add much-needed fiber to the diet. I try to keep a bag of spinach available at all times. Next year I hope to have some from my own garden!
• Sweet potatoes are great carb sources for fueling before or after a workout, and I also find they help nip cravings in the bud. (See Sweet Potato Souffle)
• Some people try to stay away from nightshades. The most common are potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers. Personally I allow peppers, but I like to give my body a break from them, time to time. I do notice a difference.
• Zucchini and summer squash are staples in my fridge. I never get tired of the taste, and they can go in almost anything.
• Garlic and onions add so much flavor, keep practically forever, and are good for you!
• I love the heck out of mushrooms. 
• Asparagus is fantastic, in season. I'll eat it every day, if I can! 
• Broccoli and cauliflower are basic necessities. 
• Beets are pretty sweet, but I do love to roast them up with other root vegetables. Mmmm, one of my favourite go-to lunches. 

Fruits:

• Avocados! You'll want to stay light on them if you're trying to lose weight, but otherwise they are filling, and delicious. I love putting them on eggs now and again, or using them as a creamy "dressing" for salads. 
• Berries are a great, quick-fix snack, especially if you're on the hunt for something sweet.
• They are high on the carby end, so I try not to eat them often, but I do like how mentally alert I feel after eating bananas. I also try to have some for when I'm cramping and low on potassium.
• I don't eat a lot of fruit, over all. It's gotten very sweet since I've given up sugar. This means that the now and again fresh watermelon in the summer is an incredibly sweet and wonderful treat!

Spices and Herbs:

• My go-to spices are simple: fish sauce, chili peppers, ginger, sea salt, curry pastes, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and celery powder are the most common. When I get fancy I'll use mustard powder and onion powder. 
• I love, love, love, love cilantro. I'll put it in damn near anything. It's got its own eventual plot in my eventual herb garden. Other features contenders are:
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Chives
• Basil
• Oregano
• Tarragon
• Sage
• Dill 

Pantry Must-Haves

• Bulk pecans, almonds, and walnuts. These are my emergency, pull the rip-cord, I need to eat these otherwise I will go out right now and buy ALL THE CAKE EVER. A handful satisfies. 
• Toasted Seaweed. Sounds boring, tastes amazing. I like the hot and spicy, because the seaweed is sweet and briny and pairs so well with the heat. Perfect again when you just want the action of putting something crunchy and savory in your mouth.
• Coconut Milk. Every curry needs this to be successful. Plus it tastes amazing. I want to learn how to use it more often. 
• Coconut oil, olive oil, bacon grease, lard. Save all the delicious grease from your bacon for cooking! Your veggies will never be the same. I actually save all the scrap fat from whole chickens too. Tossed in with some broccoli, it's excellent!
• I do have emergency 85% dark chocolate on hand. Again it's the "if I don't eat this, I will walk down the street and buy gelato" sort of aid. However some folks are of the "if it is in the house, I will eat it all" attitude. If that's you, maybe don't keep it around. :) I also have unsweetened baking chocolate for cooking, thankfully that's never been appealing enough to gnaw on. 
• Asian supermarkets are your best friend. They carry such a variety of spices, snacks, and handy items that you'd be surprised are paleo. 

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