Top 10 Paleo Pantry Essentials

You know those times when you come home from work/the gym/wherever, you’re totally starving, you have no leftovers in the fridge, and no brain power to think of how to make something that doesn’t taste boring? This is me about… 90% of the time. Aka whenever I’m not following a recipe. And this is where a well-stocked pantry becomes your best friend.

Voilà, my list of 10 paleo pantry staples I can’t live without. I’m giving you the keys to making quick, easy, and delicious meals. You’re welcome. I get most of this stuff online on Amazon or Vitacost to save some $$!

IMPORTANT: Remember to check ingredient labels! Are you looking for canned tomatoes and you’re seeing all sorts of weird things that shouldn’t be in there, like sugar, dextrose, sucrose, sodium metabisulfite, etc.? This is a good indicator that this product probably is NOT your best choice. Shop around and seek out products that have a very short list of ingredients, including names you are familiar with. For example, sweet potato chips should just be: sweet potatoes, sea salt, and coconut and/or olive oil.

Spices & Seasonings

Spices are the #1 KEY to making your food delicious, interesting, and healthy! If you’re going to be cooking with real food (aka shopping the perimeter of the grocery store and cooking with mostly fruits, vegetables, and proteins) then you’re going to need to spice up your life (and food) a little so you don’t get bored. By using spice blends and fresh herbs, you’re getting ALL of the flavor bang for zero extra calorie bucks.

Buying tips: If you’re buying pre-made spice blends, look for onces with spices you recognize (even if you’ve never used them) and NO SUGAR or WEIRD INGREDIENTS ADDED. You’re sweet enough, people.

Where to find them: My favorite spice blends are Penzey’s (Sunny Paris, Fox Point, and Trinadad) and Flavorgod (Garlic Lovers, All-Purpose, and Lemon-Garlic), but you can also find great spice blends at local ethnic stores (think greek, thai, asian, hispanic, jamaican markets). Trader joe’s also has some pretty awesome ones like their 21 Seasoning Salute and Garlic Salt. When in doubt, sea salt + pepper + garlic is my go-to.

Favorite ways to use them: 
– Sprinkle on anything and everything. Season before you’re cooking, then throw on some more after! But don’t go too overboard – you can always add more spice, but you can’t take it away once you’ve added it!
– Roast chicken
– Roasted vegetables
– Baked sweet potatoes
– Stirred into scrambled/fried eggs
– On salads
– To give leftovers a whole new delicious twist!

Plantain Chips

If you get nothing else off this list, you NEED to get plantain chips. They are my #1 snack food, are great after workouts, and a fantastic substitute for tortilla chips as a dipping vessel. Or eating by themselves.

Buying tips: Make sure the ingredients are only plantains, sea salt, and palm or sunflower oil.

Where to find them: Look at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Amazon  or Vitacost. Inka brand is great! 

Favorite ways to use them:
– Shove them in my face with guacamole and/or salsa, obviously.
– As croutons on a salad.
– For a snack, by themselves – great for travel!
– As a base for paleo nachos.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVOO, as it is affectionately called is my go-to #1 favorite cooking oil. It’s anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants and vitamins necessary to keep you feeling (and looking) great. Maybe it’s the Italian coming out in me, but I could slurp this stuff with a spoon. Make sure you store it away from heat, in a dark cabinet or something so it doesn’t overheat and go bad sooner than you can use it!

 

Buying Tips:
– Look for extra virgin, first cold pressed and a harvest date (NOT “best used by”) on the label – that mean’s it’s fresh (and a better quality oil). The fresher the olives, the better the oil! You don’t want something that’s been sitting on a store shelf for years. Olive oil is best used within a year of pressing.
– Also look for packaging in a dark bottle – this makes sure excess light doesn’t get through while it’s sitting on the grocery store shelf, so it won’t go rancid. These factors will help make sure you’re not getting ripped off by companies trying to dilute your EVOO with cheap oils like canola or “vegetable oil”.
– Look for when it’s on sale!

Where to find it: my Costco has a HUGE bottle of organic, cold-pressed EVOO for much cheaper than smaller versions in standard grocery stores. Amazon and Vitacost are also great options for getting a deal, and Trader Joe’s – go for the California Estate or Premium Extra Virgin. The Whole Foods California 365 one is great too.

Favorite ways to use it:
– In salad dressings
– Sautéeing things on the stove on medium to low heat
– Drizzling over soups, roasted vegetables, proteins, or scrambled eggs
– In my Elote Café Onion Slaw 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is another delicious, nutrient-dense powerhouse of a cooking oil. It’s high in short and medium chain triglycerides (fatty acids), which are easily digested and sent right to the liver for energy production. (Source) It also supports ideal thyroid function and boosts your metabolism! It’s ideal for high-heat cooking (like roasting vegetables in the oven) because it has a high smoke point, unlike extra virgin olive oil, which is more ideal for low heat or no-heat cooking. I personally don’t think it lends an overwhelming coconut flavor to dishes (especially savory ones), but some people do. It’s also a great skin moisturizer! Store it at room temperature (it will be solid) and away from light in a cabinet. When ready to use, heat it up in the microwave or over the stove.

Buying tips: Go organic. I think the virgin and extra virgin versions have the most coconutty taste. The refined versions have less of a coconut flavor, but they’re also more processed.

Where to Find it: Costco has a GIANT sized cold-pressed organic coconut oil for cheap. You can pretty much find it anywhere these days, including Trader Joe’s Whole Foods, Safeway, Wegmans, Amazon, and Vitacost. My favorite brands are Nutiva , Trader Joe’s, Kelapo,  Spectrum, and Tropical Traditions.

Favorite ways to use it:
– Roasted sweet potatoes or carrots
– Stir Fries
– As a substitute for other oils or butter when baking
– Giving a slightly sweet flavor to savory dishes, like a sweet potato casserole or carrot soufflé at Thanksgiving.
– Making bone broth “lattes”

Minced Garlic & Ginger

This might be one of my all-time favorite kitchen/lifehacks. As much as I love fresh garlic and ginger, I’m pretty lazy most of the time in the kitchen. And I don’t want to be spending a whole lot of extra time peeling and grating/crushing garlic and ginger when I’m starving and trying to get food on the table. Easy solution: buy pre-minced garlic and ginger at the store, and substitute it in your cooking for fresh. And the flavor is so much better (and stronger) than dried garlic and ginger!

Buying tips: Make sure there aren’t any weird ingredients. Sometimes sugar is used as a preservative in minced ginger, so if you can’t find anything else, that’s fine.

Where to find them: Costco has a GIANT sized minced garlic. Or try Whole foods, asian markets, Safeway, Amazon, Vitacost.

Favorite ways to use it:
– in place of fresh garlic cloves and ginger. You’ll save so much time and energy!
– Stir fries
– Roasted vegetables
– Roast Chicken
– Pulled Pork

Tessemae’s Dressings

Oh Tessemae’s, how I love you. 7 all-natural/organic ingredients or less and you’ve got an instant marinade/salad dressing/all-purpose sauce you can literally throw on anything. Did I mention all of their flavors are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan?

We always joked around about “drinking it down” when I used to work for the company…but the sauce is literally that good. We all did it. I still can’t get enough of this tastes-just-like-homemade-because-it-is goodness. Plus, their base is good quality spanish olive oil, unlike the vast majority of salad dressings out there. They add in some vinegar, mustard, spices, and boom – the foundation for all their flavors. My favorites are the Lemon Garlic, Southwest Ranch, and Lemon Chesapeake…but it’s honestly hard to choose because they are SO DAMN TASTY. They even have BBQ sauce, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Honey Mustard, Seafood Sauces, and Hot Sauce too. Plus, they started in Annapolis, MD (local to me) and they’re a home-grown, grassroots, awesome family-owned company.

P.S. – total lifehack: you DON’T have to refrigerate them. Store it in a dark pantry for 6 months and you’re good! It’ll keep 9 months in the fridge. They’re solid in the fridge because of the olive oil – just run them under warm water to soften it up and give it a good shake!

Where to find them: Whole Foods and Safeway nationwide, and online at Tessemaes.com. If you get on their email list, they send you discounts every once in a while!

Favorite ways to use them:
– As a marinade for meats or vegetables
– As a salad dressing (duh)
– In scrambled eggs
– To roast vegetables in
– Stir in spaghetti squash
– Throw Lemon Garlic or Cracked Pepper in the food processor with some fresh herbs like basil and parsley and you’ve got a new sauce!

Sea Salt

Did you know most salt has a bunch of added gunk to it like sugar, whitening agents, and other gross things we don’t want to be putting in our bodies when we’re just trying to use freaking SALT? Yeah. Solution: go for sea salt. It’s better for you, but more importantly, it tastes so much better too!

Where to find it:
– REAL Salt Brand is my favorite, but you can pretty much find sea salt anywhere these days. If you want to get a little fancy, grab some pink himalayan sea salt. Trader Joe’s has a great one for cheap. Real Salt on Amazon or Vitacost. 

Favorite ways to use it: every place you’d use salt, duh!

Balsamic Vinegar

Who doesn’t love balsamic vinegar?? Again, it’s the Italian coming out in me, or me just missing my time in Italy where we had FRESH caprese salad practically every day. There’s a wide spectrum of different Balsamics, and depending on what you’re looking to use it for, you can choose either a high-quality riserva/aged version or a “regular” balsamic for everyday cooking.

Buying tips:
– Make sure it doesn’t have any weird ingredients like “natural flavorings” or added sugars.
– “Grape must” is a good indicator that it’s a GOOD buy.
– Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale means it’s the REALLY good stuff. It’s pure and expensive. If you’re going to splurge, this is the stuff you would drizzle on top of a dish, and NOT use a ton of.
– If it says “riserva” or “aged”, that means it’s sweeter than “regular” balsamic. These are typically more expensive too. The more it’s aged, the sweeter it will be.

Where to find it: I get my organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena from Costco in a giant size for cheap. Trader Joe’s has a great Gold Quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Whole Foods and Safeway also have some great options. Specialty grocery stores will have good quality, fancier ones, but I’m pretty sure you can get balsamic vinegar anywhere these days. Amazon, Vitacost.

Favorite ways to use it:
– Drizzled on roasted vegetables or sweet potatoes.
– Paleo caprese salad with fresh tomatoes, avocado, basil, olive oil, and sea salt.
– Reducing it on the stovetop (by heating on low) for about 10 minutes with a sprig of fresh rosemary, then drizzling it on EVERYTHING.
– Use it in braised meat dishes like pork, chicken, and beef.
– Drizzle an aged balsamic over berries for dessert!

Canned Tuna & Salmon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canned tuna and salmon have saved my butt a bunch of times when I’m really in a pinch – either I have zero food in the fridge or I’m so hungry I literally can’t fathom waiting another 10 minutes to cook something up. They’re also great backup travel foods for if you get stuck somewhere and there’s nothing else for you to eat (this happens to me frequently in airports because of my food allergies), or you’re going hiking and don’t feel weird about cracking open a can of salmon and having it with some avocado and nuts for lunch.

Where to find them: I get Bear & Wolf wild canned salmon and bpa-free Tonno Genova tuna from Costco. Other good brands are wild planet and vital choice – just look for wild caught, BPA-free if you can get it on sale, and packed in olive oil. Trader Joe’s has some good options, so do Amazon (for salmon) and Amazon for Tuna and Vitacost. (I used to hate canned tuna until I tried it packed in olive oil. it’s the BEST).

Favorite ways to use them:
– Tuna & salmon salad with homemade mayonnaise or avocado
– fish cakes (the recipe from Make it Paleo 2 is amazing!)
– A quick on the go meal with avocado, olives and a handful of nuts.
– A travel-friendly, quick protein backup/lifesaver! Just don’t open it on the plane…

Kalamata Olives

Over the two few years I’ve discovered a LOVE for greek kalamata olives, and kalamata olive spread/tapenade. I love the saltiness they give to dishes, plus olives a great source of healthy fats. 

Buying tips: Look for brands that don’t have any added sugar (sometimes in sneaky forms like glucose, dextrose, anything with an -ose ending).

Where to find them: I get Krinos Brandfrom our local greek market, but Trader Joe’s Greek Kalamata Olives are fantastic too (NOT the pitted ones “with extra virgin olive oil” – they have added sugar that makes them sticky and gross). Whole Foods, Wegmans, Divina and Vitacost have Mezzetta or Divina brands.

Favorite ways to use them:
– Stirred in to curry cauliflower rice.
– Served with turmeric & spice chicken.
– Roasted with spiced cauliflower.
– In scrambled eggs with greens.
– With sautéed zucchini.
– Stirred in to tuna salad.
– As a snack by themselves!

(Bonus): Wholly Guacmole

Okay, so technically this isn’t a pantry ingredient because it’s found in the refrigerated section. So sue me. But I literally CANNOT LIVE without this guacamole (if I haven’t made my own Secret Recipe Guacamole). Seriously. If there’s ever a day I wake up and I don’t have avocado and/or guacamole, I literally open the fridge, stare blankly, and don’t know what to do with myself. I’m not kidding at all. There is NO sarcasm in my voice. Somehow I make do but I am not a happy camper in the process.

This stuff is RIDICULOUSLY good. And it’s made with all real, natural ingredients: Hass Avocados, Jalapeno Puree (white vinegar, jalapeno peppers, salt), Dehydrated Onion, Salt, Granulated Garlic. (from their website) If you’re wondering, NO, I do not get paid to say this. Wholly guacamole is just THAT good. And I love them so much for making such an amazing product!

Where to find it: I buy the 3-packs at costco for cheap. They’re also at Safeway and Whole Foods, and you can get it online at eatwholly.com.

Favorite ways to use it:
– Shoving it in my face with plantain chips. Obviously.
– As a topping on everything. Eggs, vegetables, any and all leftovers, chicken, pulled pork, turkey, fish, shrimp, you name it, I’ve done it. Except maybe not fruit or sweet things. That would just be weird.
– Topping off paleo nachos with plantain chips!
– Smearing it on top of a burger. With a fried egg or salsa on top too.
– Stirred in with canned tuna for a quick and dirty tuna salad.

And there you go! My Paleo Pantry Essentials, guaranteed to make your meals quicker, easier, and more delicious. I sound like a sales pitch…oops. What are your favorite pantry items/essentials? 

Photo credit:
– Plantain Chips: www.inkacrops.com
– Guacamole: www.eatwholly.com
– Tessemae’s: www.tessemaes.com
– Flavorgod: www.flavorgod.com