I’m going to try this. I’m going to give you the list of what’s in my pantry right now – all of it approved (or I’m hopeful that if Dr. P sees something we have wrong, he will let me know!) After I give you a potential shopping list (this is not an exhaustive list – it’s just what’s in there now), we can talk about what I put together with all these items.
Couple notes – if there is a brand that is important, I will list what I use. I use many store brands, mostly Kroger brand, because the quality is great! But if I am specific for a name brand, I’ll let you know that too.
The most “specialty” type store where I shop is Earth Fare, and that is limited, but important. We are budget conscious and this way of eating is expensive – I won’t try to fool you on that – so I only get the things from Earth Fare that I can’t get elsewhere. 80% of my groceries come from Krogers, maybe 15% from WalMart, and the rest from Earth Fare.
I am overly impressed with the organic and “natural” foods Krogers carries and their store brand organics are impressive as well. I wish they would expand their organic produce but when they have a decent supply, I am impressed with their prices. I can get organic strawberries for $2.50 – a great deal! They have good organic apples as well. We eat both of those organic only.
You might find the same item I’ve listed, like salsa maybe, that is OK to eat in *your* favorite brand but be sure to check the INGREDIENTS first before you buy! Reading the list of ingredients is the starting point to approving any food. If the word FLOUR is in the ingredients, we can’t eat it. Simple. I think you will be shocked how much stuff is bulked up with flour!
My next step is to look and see if sugar (or any of the many words that mean sugar) is an ingredient because that means EXTRA sugar has been added to the item. It’s OK for the nutrition panel to have sugar because it might be natural sugar from the tomato, for instance, or from the apples, so don’t rely on the number next to the sugar line – read the INGREDIENTS. Remember all the words that mean sugar such as corn syrup, cane juice, etc. If sugar has been *added* to the ingredients, we don’t eat it either. One of my first blogs had a list of sugar word substitutes.
I also do NOT use many “sugar free” products because that usually means it’s a sugar-substitute like nutrasweet or splenda and I stay away from that as much as possible. So, just because I can get “sugar free” pudding for the kids lunches, for instance, I DON’T because I don’t want them eating a container of chemicals. I’d say I skip most of the items down the middle of the grocery store aisles. If I’m going to do all this work to make the family healthy, I’m not going to add artificial sweeteners – it negates my mission. No, I am not 100% faithful to that. I will add splenda to my tea if I’m at a restaurant and I’m out of Stevia, but that is the exception, not the rule. We don’t eat it if making it “sugar free” adds artificial chemicals.
I also am very loyal to some organic products. I follow the “Dirty Dozen” and we buy organic milk too. If there is an item I am organic loyal to, I will mark organic next to it. You don’t have to, or you can do more. We started with a few things as organic and I may add other items as I learn what is the most important.
I also am 2000% against ANY foods that have the words “partially hydrogenated…” in the ingredients. This is an absolute deal breaker for me. And my kids know that as well and they are EXCELLENT ingredient readers! They have learned about all of this right along with me. I NEED them to know WHY we are doing this and HOW to do it so when I am not around, they have the tools to make the best decision they can. I could almost guarantee that if anyone took my kids grocery shopping and gave them a new item that we don’t normally eat and if you asked them if they should buy it, they KNOW to look for sugar and flour in the ingredients and they will look for the words “partially hydrogenated (oil)” and will put it back if the food doesn’t qualify. I have completely grossed them out with what the partially hydrogenated stuff will do to them and they skip it. Even my 8yo! He’s probably the best! He walks down the isles with me reading labels and will tell me, “we can have this”, or “nope, full of junk.” I love it! And I sure hope it sticks!
Surprise! I’m rambling again… back to the grocery list!!
My current Pantry List:
Cans of…
Black olives
Black eyed peas – non flavored
Black beans – kroger, unflavored
Tomato sauce and paste
Ragu s’ghetti sauce – light, no sugar added
Apple sauce, no sugar added, organic (jar and individual containers for lunchboxes)
Pears, canned, light, in pear juice, Kroger brand
Pink Alaskan salmon – wild caught, Double Q
sliced mushrooms
Rotel
Baby carrots, Kroger
Green beans
Asparagus
Del Monte whole kernel corn (watch the corn – many have added sugar)
Lite yellow cling peaches, sliced, in pear juice – Kroger brand
Sauerkraut
Lima beans
Pineapple, 100% juice
Great northern beans (for white chili)
Red beans (for chili)
Kidney beans
Chick peas
Butter beans
Corn – only if you can get it without sugar added
Triscuits – cracked pepper & olive oil flavor, thin crisps, reduced fat
Old El Paso taco shells
JIF natural peanut butter
Agave nectar light (equivalent to honey – in Kroger near honey)
Polaner All-Fruit jelly
Quick grits canister, generic brand, plain
Yellow corn meal (we use this to “bread’ chicken fingers)
Steel oats oatmeal - plain
Quick cook oatmeal - plain
Success boil in bag brown rice
Brown rice, plain bag
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) – I buy it at Earth Fare in bulk section, looks like a mini-rice, you can buy it at Krogers in a box but twice as expensive
Bag of lentil beans
15 bean soup bag
Sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, Kroger
Sesame seeds (add to stir fry)
Walnuts, shelled,
Almonds, shelled
Tuna Fish
Velveeta cheese, but rarely use it – use cheddar mostly
Hidden Valley Ranch MIX for dips - have not tried yet but will add to fat free sour cream for veggie dip )
Tinkyada brown rice pasta –at Earth Fare (double check ingredients!) should say stone ground brown rice, rice bran, water
Steak seasoning marinade (Kroger brand)
Kikkomen soy sauce – regular (not reduced sodium)
Ezekiel 4:19 sprouted whole grain cereal – Almond , and cinnamon raisin
Shredded wheat – plain, Kroger brand
Red wheat cereal - bag
Snack box size raisins
Fritos (Fritos makes a $2 bag of Tortilla chips, can’t remember name, but we eat those too)
Tostitos chips
Brown Rice Cakes, organic, lightly salted, in plastic sleeve in natural section of Krogers – Lundberg.
Lemon juice
Green tea and black tea bags
coffee
Stevia (Sweet Leaf brand – natural section of Krogers)
Spicy brown mustard
Regular yellow mustard
EVOO liquid and spray
Vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Heinz reduced sugar ketchup (walmart does not carry it)
Newmans Own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing
Organic skim milk
OJ – we do juice in moderation and only OJ at breakfast. We don’t do any other sweet juice since I don’t want the kids to be drinking their calories.
Tomato juice (tom likes this occasionally)
Eggs – I keep hard boiled ones in the fridge as a snack too
Cheese – all kinds, parmesan cheese too
Fruits, veggies,
Hummus – garlic (yum on triscuits)
Salsa
Sour cream – fat free
Horseradish
Large jar of fresh garlic
Mushrooms
Ezekiel bread and tortillas
Fat free cream cheese
Heart Smart butter in tubs
Shrimp
Chicken
Burger (we get Laura’s or sales at Earth Fare)
ham
Pork chops
Canadian bacon – Hormel naturals, nitrate free
Sausage, naturals as well.
Bacon – naturals, no nitrates – we get Kroger brand
Any meats are OK
Frozen veggies too – steam in the bag are so fast. We eat edaname at least 2x week
Sweet potatoes (we cannot have white potatoes) – sprinkle butter and cinnamon on them. We also slice into French fry like strips and broil – kids eat like fries.
Lettuce, bags of mixed greens
Shredded Coleslaw
Purple cabbage – love to stire fry this with squash, zucchini, walnuts and soy sauce, and mushrooms
I think that's it for now. I'm constantly looking at labels to find what other things we can eat.
I'd love to know what YOU have found that fits the rules we have to follow! I'll be working on posting recipes next so be thinking if you have a few you like that fit our rules as well!! I'd love to have them!
til next time -
Jennifer
