Tel 717.LIFE(5433)Sunday, September 05, 2010

Snooping through our Cupboards

Do you ever snoop around in other peoples’ cupboards? Come on … admit it. Either you do it or you wish you could. Right? Well, many of you have asked Steph and me what food we keep around in our home. So, we thought we spare you the trouble and let you snoop in our cupboards online. So, welcome to Our Virtual Cupboards.

We love a huge variety of foods and we change things up all the time (especially as the seasons change), but if were to come into our home right now, here are some of the basics stuff you would find.

  • oatmeal (just the plain “large flake” big bag … we use a lot of this!)
  • Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil with Lemon flavor (we all take a teaspoon a day)
  • whole wheat/spelt/coconut flour
  • natural organic peanut butter/almond butter
  • brown rice pasta
  • Cocoa Cassava energy bars (buy them on Mercola.com) Amazing quality and taste!
  • brown basmati rice
  • whole wheat couscous
  • extra virgin olive oil (not for cooking though … just use at room temperature)
  • balsamic vinegar (just a plain kind)
  • organic sugar (will say evaporated sugar cane on it)
  • canned or raw beans of any kind - chick peas are good on salads or for hummus
  • honey (unpasteurized organic)
  • organic maple syrup (the darker the better)
  • dried apricots - the only dried fruit that doesn’t contain added sugar
  • extra virgin coconut oil. This is a staple in our home – we use it for cooking, baking and for moisturizing our skin! It’s an all around amazing product.
  • raw almonds - unsalted and NOT roasted!
  • salt & pepper grinders - organic Celtic or Himalayan sea salt only!
  • ANY spice. A really good spice rack is a great investment. Cinnamon is great for adding sweetness to oatmeal or just on chopped apples/pears. I always use this when baking.
  • canned tuna in water - great fast protein to add to a salad
  • tea - peppermint or ginger if you like. It’s great for digestion and relaxation.
  • whole grain tortilla chips (if chips are a weakness) These are a great alternative (to be had only as a ‘vacation snack’) but be VERY careful and don’t be fooled by tricky packaging and “low fat” claims. Choose wisely!
  • popcorn – air popped
  • organic dark chocolate chips. Keep them in the freezer for baking or snacking! Makes a great snack with some raw almonds if you’re craving chocolate! (make sure you limit this to no more than a handful of chocolate and almonds at a time) Organic dark chocolate can be very good for you so watch which chocolate you eat (milk chocolate and white chocolate do not provide the benefits of real chocolate.)
  • Raw cacao beans. Great for protein shakes and adding to stuff for antioxidant boost!
  • un-ground organic flax seeds. (store in fridge in air-tight package) Add to a shake, on yogurt, oatmeal, baking, sprinkle on peanut butter …

For your fridge

  • organic lemon juice. For cooking with, but also you should drink lemon water every morning to help create a “basic” verses acidic balance in your blood.
  • Eggs. We eat LOTS. Make sure they are free-range organic eggs.
  • dijon mustard (a great marinade for any meat…a staple for making salad dressings)
  • almond milk (at the natural food store)
  • plain organic yogurt (we use it in oatmeal. I use this for baking as well to replace butter and in salad dressings)
  • butter (NO margarine … EVER … it’s horrible.)
  • fresh vegetables – LOTS and LOTS and LOTS. Your choice, but try to have all colors everyday. Examples - spinach/broccoli/red pepper/tomatoes/carrots. We literally just buy what’s on sale every time we go because we like them all, but we just choose our favorites and try to eat what ever is in season! Squash, asparagus, zucchini, yams - it’s endless. We avoid iceberg lettuce.
  • onion. Needed for flavoring in pretty much everything
  • jalapeños - we love it hot, so we put these in everything, especially salads
  • avocados – one of the best fats you can eat. We always have 2 or 3 on hand because you often have to wait for them to ripen. Great on salads or for making guacamole.
  • goats cheese…great for adding flavor to salads or pastas or wraps or anything!
  • fruit!! lots!! treat yourself to stuff you love. Eat it mostly in the mornings, especially fruits like apples/pears/berries/cherries/apricots/bananas … just buy what’s in season!
  • any fresh herbs. We usually only buy one at a time cause they spoil fast. For example, we love cilantro so we always buy it and chop it up on everything, especially salad dressings. They just adds a lot of flavor naturally - parsley, dill, basil are also favorites.
  • lean ground turkey. For healthy taco salad, or for in pasta, or anything else. Homemade chili (a great thing to make a BIG batch of and freeze in small ziplocs for quick lunch/dinner)
  • chicken breast
  • extra lean beef (or extra lean ground beef) We keep these to only 1 maybe 2 times per week.
  • salmon (don’t buy stoke farm raised fish please … gross!)
  • salsa…great for flavoring, marinading, dipping, adding to tomato sauces for extra flavor
  • whole wheat sprouted grain wraps - for sandwiches or burritos, or cut into triangles and brushed with olive oil and sea salt then baked quickly for homemade pita wedges/chips! Add any spice to them before baking - chili powder or cinnamon to make them something sweet. Could also make personal sized pizzas on these to

DO NOT BUY!

  • any condiments (like ketchup and stuff - WAY too much sugar and sodium added)
  • anything that says white enriched flour or hydrogenated in the ingredients
  • bottled dressings. Most of them are full of creams and sugars (there are a few good ones out there, but you can simply make your own faster and better!)
  • margarine – it’s horrible for you – just try to read the ingredients.
  • hot dogs and Kraft dinner – poison!
  • Cow’s Milk (it’s not the worst thing in the world, but any of the stuff you can buy in the store sure is)
  • canned/jarred sauces
  • Pop - not even for a “vacation meal”.  Especially diet pop … horrible stuff.  They’re as bad as cigarettes.
  • boxed cereals. ALL of them contain simple carbs and tonnes of sugar - except Fibre 1.
  • basically anything processed or packaged. It’s not worth it and it’s not the way God made it!
  • any bagged/boxed cookies or cakes or desserts. You know this. Look at the rest of the Summit website for some great recipes!!! You can stock your freezer!
  • If you have to buy something in a box/jar/can or whatever (because some stuff just comes this way) choose the brand that has the shortest ingredient list. If there’s ingredients you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize, don’t buy it!

One principle we stick to is that:

1. Organic Local is best (within a 100 km of your house is ideal)
2. Not organic but Local is second best
3. Organic “imported” is third best
4. Non-organic and “imported” is least desirable.

So I’ve basically just given you our “general” grocery list. So, of course you don’t have to buy all of this at once. Start by adding into your cupboards some of the good stuff – or go “full out” and get rid of all the dysfunctional stuff and start fresh! I’m sure you love other foods than we do so bring us your ideas and we will check them out! Just ask us if there’s anything you’re questioning!