My Grocery Staples

Melissa King Advice

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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 one new thing 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
oat flour
bulgur
coconut sugar
spelt flour
dried fruit
medjool dates
mixed nuts
flax meal
chia seeds
hemp seeds
onions and garlic

Pantry (Oils and Vinegars)

olive oil
avocado 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
organic and non GMO tofu (on a rare occasion)
organic and non GMO tempeh (on a rare occasion)
kale
swiss chard
spinach
apples
lemons
carrots
peppers
broccoli
mushrooms
celery
cheese sticks (for my kids)
whole milk yogurt (for my kids)
unsweetened 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
tomatoes

 

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107 thoughts to “My Grocery Staples”

  1. 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)
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
      1. 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!
        Reply
        1. 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?
          Reply
          1. 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!
          3. Hi Melissa, I am just finding your blog! Thank God! We have been encouraged to go gluten free/limited dairy by our pediatrician for our 3 daughters' numerous food sensitivities, allergies, and skin problems. I have tried since April to do it and become so discouraged, to the point of almost giving up, because of the expense of all of the gf flours and such that the recipes call for. We are on a very tight, one income, budget and I have not been able to make it happen. You say get one new staple per grocery shop... would it be too much to ask for you to prioritize the order in which to do that? I know you are very busy but this is so hard and discouraging. The only people I know that are gf have grocery budgets 3x ours so their methods don't really work.
          4. I think the priority would depend on your needs. Some major staples in my house are gluten free oat flour, nut butters and dates. Food savory recipes it's wild rice and quinoa. I usually get whatever fruits and veggies are in season and on sale. I hope that helps!
    1. 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.
      Reply
  5. 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. :)
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
    2. Just wanted to add that they tofu and tempeh both have the NON GMO verified symbols on them. I would not buy them otherwise. :)
      Reply
  7. 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.
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
    2. 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.
      Reply
      1. 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.
        Reply
  11. 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 :D
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
    2. Since all soy is off limits for my husband now, I found a product called coconut aminos that is a great tasting and perfect alternative to Braggs aminos.
      Reply
  12. 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.
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
  13. 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.
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
  14. 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!
    Reply
    1. 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!
      Reply
  15. 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
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
  17. 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.
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
  18. 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!
    Reply
    1. 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.
      Reply
  19. 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!
    Reply
    1. 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. :)
      Reply
  20. 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.
    Reply
    1. 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?
      Reply

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