Choosing your Food Ingredients…..

When you are grocery shopping, have a plan. I remember my grandparents thoughtfully reviewing the circulars from the grocery stores to see what is on sale and create the weekly menu with these sale items. Look for fruits and vegetables that are in season where you live. These are going to be the most budget friendly as they have a shorter distance to travel to get to your grocery store. It does take a bit more effort than just purchasing and cooking according to the whims of your taste buds which may lead to food waste because of things that were an impulse buy instead of with intention of creating a meal out of it.

The bulk bins of your grocery store in some cases are more reasonable than the prepackaged / boxed goods on the shelves and this also allows you to try smaller portions of grains and legumes than having to buy the prepackaged size.

If you wanted some budget friendly protein, canned beans such as garbanzos, black beans, pinto beans all make delicious add ins for salads, soups or simply seasoned and mixed with a grain for a complete protein.  Buying dried beans are even more economical than canned. It just takes a little more planning when using dried beans and cooking times vary depending on the density of the bean. Split dried legumes cook a little bit quicker. Another great thing that you can do with dried beans is make flour to use when making breads, pancakes and even some sweets.

Sometimes frozen fruits and frozen vegetables can be a deal when shopping. Not only is this produce frozen at peak freshness, they give you a quick way to add more nutrition to your plate with little fuss.

Go visit your local farmer’s market. Many farmers use organic gardening practices, but do not have the money to certify that they are organic. Have a conversation with the farmer and ask them how they grow their produce and tend to the health of their soil. You may even walk away with a new way to prepare an ingredient or be exposed to a vegetable that you have never tried. These fruits and vegetables will offer the most nutrients as they have either been harvested the day before or the day of the market.

I try to consume only organic produce and humanly raised meats that are allowed to spend their days in pastures.  I have found that there are some fruits and vegetables that you do not have to only buy organic as they are treated with little to no pesticides. If you are not aware of the Clean 15 / Dirty Dozen, you should look into the listing that is published each year by the Environmental Working Group. They test and determine which produce has the highest level of contaminates from pesticides. Below for your reference I have provided a shorter version of their 2022 lists.

2022 Dirty Dozen +: The following SHOULD always be purchased organic as conventional grown contain the highest level of pesticides:

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Bell and Hot Peppers
8. Cherries
9. Peaches
10. Pears
11. Celery
12. Tomatoes
13. Potatoes
14. Blueberries

2022 Clean 15: The following it is ok to purchase conventional as they contain little to no pesticides and save yourself a couple of dollars when shopping:

1. Avocado
2. Sweet Corn*
3. Pineapple
4. Onions
5. Papaya*
6. Frozen Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Honeydew melon
9. Kiwi
10. Cabbage
11. Mushrooms
12. Cantaloupe
13. Mangoes
14. Watermelon
15. Sweet Potatoes

*Small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.

Gradually put together your pantry staples so that you will always have options to put a quick meal together and think twice about ordering take out.  Think of easy things that you like to make and enjoy eating and build your pantry from there with real ingredients and limit the boxed mac & cheese and ramen noodles.  Below are some of the things that I will have in my fridge and pantry so that I can always put something tasty together with little to no effort.

Shelf stable:

• An assortment of herbs and spices
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Chia seeds
• Oatmeal (both rolled & steel cut)
• Cacao powder
• Spaghetti and some other shaped pasta
• Some good jarred marinara
• An assortment of dried and canned legumes
• Boxed stock either vegetable or chicken
• Olive oil
• Ghee
• Coconut oil
• Apple cider vinegar and white vinegar
• Canned coconut milk
• Tahini
• Nut butter
• Tamari
• Toasted sesame oil
• Garlic
• Onions both white and red
• Sweet potatoes or white potatoes

In the fridge and freezer:

• Eggs
• Butter
• A chunk of parmigiana reggiano for freshly grated cheese
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lettuce greens or leafy greens (ie: romaine, arugula, spinach, kale, mustard greens, collards….)
• Scallions
• Italian Parsley and or cilantro
• Limes / lemons
• Fresh ginger
• Something in the cabbage family (ie:  broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, bok choy…..)
• Apples and other seasonal fruits
• Flour
• Whole raw nuts and seeds – almond, walnut, pumpkin, sesame
• Capers
• Olives
• Jam
• Maple syrup
• Mayonnaise
• Grainy mustard
• Tomato paste
• Chili garlic sauce
• Frozen peas and carrots
• Frozen chopped spinach
• Frozen broccoli florets
• Homemade veggie stock
• Homemade frozen soups and stews

In my next post I will be sharing some fun ways of putting meals together with just a few things to cook in advance.