Lately, I have had a lot of people ask about our main grocery staples and also things we keep on hand. If you are changing over to whole foods, I would suggest just buying a couple new things a week. Otherwise it can get pricey. Please also note that all fermented soy items are organic and non GMO verified and are used sparingly. So here you go.
Pantry (Dried Goods)
raw almonds
rolled oats
dried beans
rice (wild, brown and black)
quinoa pasta
quinoa
bulgur
coconut sugar
spelt flour
wheat bran
dried fruits
medjool dates
mixed nuts
flax meal
onions and garlic
tomatoes
Pantry (Oils and Vinegars)
olive oil
grapeseed oil
walnut oil
toasted sesame oil
coconut oil
rice vinegar
apple cider vinegar
balsamic vinegar
white balsamic vinegar
mirin
red wine vinegar
pure maple syrup
Fridge
oat milk (for my daughter)
homemade almond milk
soy sauce
tofu
tempeh
kale
spinach
carrots
peppers
broccoli
mushrooms
celery
cheese sticks
whole milk yogurt
applesauce
tahini
oranges
avocados
Freezer
frozen fruits and vegetables
homemade soups, tomato sauce and chili
homemade granola bars, muffins and waffles
homemade vegetable broth
Counter Top
bananas
What whole milk yogurt do you use?
And can I recommend grinding your own grain? It adds so much nutrition
we make our own spelt bread. And a family favorite is spelt pumpkin muffins (recipe from 100 Days of real food)
We buy Strauss Family Creamery Whole Milk Yogurt. Their cows are grass fed and they stand behind their ingredients and are for Prop 37. My daughter loves it. I have never thought about grinding my own grains! How do you go about doing that? I love baking with spelt. It doesn’t have that heavy quality that WW flour does.
We’re gluten free for my Daughter and I also grind some of my own flours. I typically use our coffee grinder for grains (like brown rice and Quinoa) and our food processor for coconut flour. I also make my own flour mix so that I can used traditional recipes and just sub in the gluten free flours!
I grind my own oat and almond flour in the vitamix. Haven’t tried quinoa or brown rice yet. Do you grind them up dried or do you cook them first?
Yes I grind them dry. The brown rice I typically grind a couple of times to make sure it is ground very fine. Otherwise it messes with the texture!
Good to know. Thanks!
This is so helpful!!
I am glad it could help you.
A lot like my list. I’d like to see your steps and tips for freezing meals! Ie. containers?
Thanks for sharing! Where do you buy spelt flour at? I have looked around a few stores but couldn’t find it.
I buy it in the bulk section at Whole Foods. Bobs Mill makes a version of it too that may be located with all the other flours. I saw the Bobs spelt flour at Sprouts today. Bulk would most likely be less money though.
I bought some spelt flour at Whole Foods — with the other flours. Arrowhead Mills organic. $5.99 for small package.
I buy spelt flour out of the bulk bins at whole foods. Not sure the exact price, but I think it’s far cheaper than that.
I usually do a double batch of any baked good and freeze one batch. I use ziplock bags for freezing which I reuse so I never really have to buy more. I usually cook one soup on the crock pot and then one on the stove. That way, I can freeze some of each. I also freeze any vegetable odds and ends for stock and orange/lemon/lime peels for zesting. I wish I could tell you my freezer was organized, but it is small and often crowded. One more tip that works well is to freeze sauces and stocks in freezer trays so you only need to pull out what you need. Hope this helps.
I am a little surprised that you use so many soy products given that most soy is GMO!
I only buy organic soy products and they are not eaten on a daily basis. My husband asks for the soy milk because he does not like the almond milk that I make. Out of that large list, there are not that many soy products. Fermented soy foods that are organic do have some benefits. The Asians have been eating them for years.
Just wanted to add that they tofu and tempeh both have the NON GMO verified symbols on them. I would not buy them otherwise.
Regarding soy – I read that Silk brand soy, even if not organic, guarantees to never use GMO soy. Just a tip for saving money or an alternative product if organic soy is not available.
I buy West Soy Organic because they support GMO labeling where Silk does not. I make my own almond milk for drinking, it is my husband that likes the soy. I do try to look for the non-GMO certified label on any soy products.
Silk was one of supposedly healthy companies, like Kashi and so on that opposed prop 37. I am thinking that they aren’t as honest as they seem to be.
They are not. I do not buy their products at all. My husband likes the soymilk and we buy West Soy Organic. No chemicals and gmos in it.
This is great!! I’m going to stock my kitchen full of healthy stuff so i’m on the track to a whole food life!!
I am glad it could help you. I will share this to the challenge page too.
Do you use the coconut suar as a substitute for regular sugar? If so, do you use it cup for cup in recipes?
It is one of the sweeteners I use. Yes, you do sub it cup for cup. It has a milder sweetness to it though.
Silk products are on the Non GMO list here -
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/brands/alternative-dairy-products.html?bid=293
Thanks for letting me see that. Perhaps they are changing their tune. I still favor West Soy organic.
Have you heard of Amino Acids by Braggs? Its a great healthy alternative to “Soy Sauce”… Can usually find in health food stores, I know it’s sold at Whole Foods too
I have seen it. I think some fermented soy products can be okay as long as you make sure they are non GMO certified and organic.
Yep, certified non GMO
Have you looked into joining a CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] or co-op in your area? It’s a great way to get locally grown fresh food and support your local organic farmers.
I actually do a co-op already. It is a great way to get a ton of organic fruits and veggies for very little money. We love it! I use Bountiful Baskets.
Where can I find coconut flour? I am having a hard time finding it at local stores. Trader Joe’s doesn’t even carry it.
You can find it at whole foods in the bulk section. If you can’t find that, then just grind up some shredded coconut. I have done that in the past.
Thanks so much for this list and your blog. It’s inspired me to make my own whole foods list to get more organized and for when I go shopping to help avoid the the junk isles by sticking to the list. I’m looking forward to trying some of your great recipes!
You are very welcome! I love when I hear others stories about eating more whole foods. That is exactly why I started this blog in the first place. I hope you enjoy my recipes!
Hi!
What a great website. We have slowly been changing over to whole foods since May- it has been a pretty easy transition overall. I still use canola oil to stir-fry, sautee, etc, though- what is your favorite go-to oil for that purpose? I never even thought about the GMO issue with canola.
Thanks,
Angie
Glad you found me!
For cooking, I like to use walnut, coconut or grapeseed oils. For cold dishes I like to use olive oil. I used to use a lot of canola oil myself before I realized it wasn’t that good. That’s why, in my older recipes, you see it on the ingredient list. For baking, I love coconut oil.
This is such a great list! I am going to save it and compare it to my shopping list for this month.
Thanks! Glad it can help.
Great info. I love it. Its been so helpful to me changing my eating habits and my families.
A lot of your recipes use the pitted dates. I have never used dates before. Where do you usually buy them? Do you recommend an online place because I live overseas.? I have to get a lot of items shipped to me.
Thank You.
You can try amazon or vitacost. Most grocery stores carry dates. They actually come with their pits. I remove the pits when I use them.
iherb.com is a great discount on line shopping option and has very fast overseas shipping.
Thanks for the tip.
Do you have a particular brand of dried fruit you like to use? I am finding that so many of them are full of sugar! Also, where is your favorite place to get dried beans? Thank you!
I usually buy the dried fruit out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods. I do the same with the dried beans. Whole Foods is the only place I have found here in Texas that sells organic beans in bulk. I think Trader Joes has some dried fruit that is low sugar.
Hi I just came across yoour blog. Thanks for all the useful information and great recipes. I can’t wait to try them. My husband and I (vegetarians) recently started making major changes by going all organic and buying Non-GMO products. We recently moved to Dallas and Ive been on the lookout for good grocery stores. Do you know of any other than whole foods. Can I ask you where you buy your produces and pantry staples from?
Thanks again!
Thanks! I love Sprout’s and also Natural Grocers. Natural Grocers only sells organic produce and they also have a large health and beauty section. Sprouts also has a great selection of organic produce at good prices. Both those stores are at the intersection of Coit and Campbell. Dallas also has a large farmers market. Richardson has one as well on Campbell and Nantucket. I still go to Whole Foods for my organic bulk items because they have the best selection. Hope that helps.
I am wondering where you buy your almonds and how you know they are not pasteurized using chemicals rather than heat/steaming? I’ve been searching for a good price on almonds to make it cheaper than buying ready-made almond milk, but any almonds I find that guarantee to be heat pasteurized are so expensive I don’t see it being cheaper to make my own milk. And to buy non-pasteurized almonds from outside the country is extremely expensive.
I honestly didn’t even know about the pasteurized issue. I buy organic almonds. Does that mean they are okay? I get them out of the bulk bins at Sprout’s or Whole Foods and try to catch them on sale. Also, wouldn’t soaking them combat those issues?
Is Fage yogurt healthy? Strauss is not in my area :0(
Secaucus NJ
I think it is pretty good, but not organic. If you need an organic brand found most anywhere, you can get Stoneyfield.
Do you buy organic everything or just some things? And if so what’s most important? Thanks.!!!
We buy pretty much everything organic. Some things that are on the “clean” list I buy conventional. But most everything else is organic. Buying in season, buying in bulk, belonging to a co-op and meal planning help keep the costs down.
Can you recommend an almond milk? I can’t find any on the market with just almonds and water. Thx!
Unfortunately, neither have I. Most of them contain carrageenan as well. That’s why I make my own. http://mywholefoodlife.com/2012/10/09/homemade-almond-milk/
How do you keep coconut oil from clumping back to a solid form in recipes like waffles and muffins? We have used it in both the waffle and zucchini muffin recipe from 100days, and we can’t seem to keep the oil from solidifying once it hits the rest of the batter mix:-(
Really? I have never noticed that problem. Do you melt it beforehand? Mine is in liquid form when I use it.