New Pantry, Evansville

November 8, 2015

Eat Well In Your Busy Life — Evansville New Pantry!

During a recent presentation at the Evansville Bar Association, I was asked whether I provide grocery shopping tours to better explain label interpretation as well as which brands of basic pantry staples are the “best” choice; while yes, I do take folks into grocery stores as a learning opportunity, I also have this New Pantry list that I have used often in the cooking classes that I teach. Until I coordinate a grocery tour, I have embellished the New Pantry list with the brand names and/or details that I consider in my shopping.

I am a dedicated food activist, with strong feelings and opinions about supporting small companies that provide clean, healthy and nourishing foods–and have done so from their initial foray into the food market. This commitment is to be supported, as opposed to many of the corporate food giants who are only now looking at the ingredients in their products, be it GMO, organic, processed, etc. because it’s what is being asked for by consumers. By that I mean that small, organic companies have provided healthy and nourishing food because it was the right thing to do–for our health and for the health of the planet, whereas the corporate food companies care not for our health or the environment, but only for their bottom line and profits. They’ve slowly adapted to what is being asked for not out of concern for us, but because they want a piece of the profits from organic and low-processed foods.

While this list says Evansville on it, across the country, all natural foods and Co-op markets will have these products and brand names. The choices are fewer here in EVV than they were when I lived in NorCal, hence the lack of true variety in the brands that I mention.

As always, I’ll start with the suggestion of shopping at small natural foods and Co-op markets to support local commerce and local farmers. I also suggest organic whenever possible and using/buying glass containers for food whenever possible.

Grains, Breads, Starches

Pasta: whole grain products; Bionaturae organic
Rice: brown, wild, basmati; choose whole grain, avoid instant and quick-cook rice; buy in bulk, not in plastic sacs; Lundberg Farms
Beans & lentils: all kinds; dried or canned, low or no sodium, no added fat; buy in bulk or cans; look for BPA-free cans; Field Day organics
Millet
Quinoa
Bulghar
Polenta (cornmeal): coarse texture for dinner, ground texture for cornbread
Rolled oats: whole oats, not instant; Bob’s Red Mill
Couscous
Barley
Bread; whole grain; Ezekiel, Alvarado Street Bakery, Dave’s, Rudi’s
Crackers: whole grains of any type; avoid white and/or enriched flour products; Mary’s Gone Crackers or Doctor Kracker, Late July PB or cheese crackers
Chips: Luke’s, Late July, Lundberg’s
Cereal: 100% whole grain; note what type and amount of sweetener and oil; Ezekiel, Nature’s Path, Bob’s Red Mill
Yams instead of potatoes

Oils & Fats

Olive oil; Spectrum
Coconut oil; Nutiva
Ghee (clarified butter); Purity Farms, Organic Valley
Mayonnaise; Spectrum
Salad dressings: Homemade: olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon, and spices; plain yogurt/dill dressings; Bottled: check sodium, sweetener, and preservative content; Bragg’s

Nuts

All types! 1 – 2 ounces Everyday! sunflower, almonds, cashews, flax, sesame, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin, brazil, and peanuts; avoid salted types or those roasted in oil

Herbs

Cumin, black pepper, cayenne, salt, curry, dill, thyme, cardamom, nutmeg …

Meat

All types of wild meat
Store bought; consider organic, sustainably farmed and raised; Mumford Farms, Fischer Farms, Stonewall Farms

Dairy Products: organic whole milk products recommended

Milk; Trader’s Point, Organic Valley (highly pasteurized)
Yogurt without artificial sweetener or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS); Trader’s Point; Stonyfield Farms,
Cream cheese (Organic Valley)
Ricotta cheese (Organic Valley)
Yogurt drinks (smoothies) without artificial sweetener or HFCS
Butter (Organic Valley)
Sour cream (Organic Valley)
Crème fraiche
Oat, goat, almond, soy, or rice milk in place of cow milk

Instead of the Meat Counter, Consider…

Beans or lentils mixed with grains (contains all the amino acids of a complete protein)
Fish: avoid farm-raised (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/conservation/research/seafood-watch)
Albacore tuna, canned: packed in water, sustainably caught
Salmon, canned: packed in water, sustainably caught
Eggs: Local, free-range eggs from happy chickens, no antibiotics, avoid GMO feed
Cheese: all types used as a condiment; Steckler for local source; Organic Valley
Nut butters: grind your own type; or from a jar—without added fat or sweetener, try almond or cashew
Soy: non GMO, fermented tempeh and miso

Condiments

Balsamic vinegar
Tamari (soy sauce)
Rice wine vinegar
Garlic-infused olive oil
Salsa
Nuts: walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, peanuts, in that order… 1 ounce per day!
Mustard
Ketchup (without HFCS)
Pesto (home-made—it’s so easy!)
Chutneys
Red pepper/cashew sauce
Jams or jellies (without HFCS)
Sriracha sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Raisins and other dried fruit without sulfur

Packaged/convenience foods

Frozen, packaged, or canned: avoid sodium over 300 mg per serving and syrup; fruit, veggies, beans
Check for ingredients that you cannot pronounce!
Leave it in the store: partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil laden foods, as well as those with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn syrup solids, and artificial sweeteners, food dyes, and the multitude of other ingredients that are too difficult to pronounce; avoid caramel coloring!

About
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Robin Mallery

Robin Mallery is passionate about food! Starting from where and how it's grown, to how far that food travels to the dinner table, to how it is prepared and savored...Robin blends shopping, cooking, and eating tips with her unique Kitchen Zen and mindful meals approach to enjoying real food.

While you are waiting for her to finish the upcoming book, "Kitchen Zen: The Journey to Nourish Body and Soul in Our Changing World", you can find Robin's sporadic blog posts here or on FaceBook.