Pantry staples

Coconut milk (canned): this is what I use when any recipe I have calls for milk or cream. I use full fat coconut milk because it brings a richer depth of flavor to your meal.

Chicken broth/stock: I always keep this on hand to make gravy, stews, and even add flavor to rice dishes.

Garbanzo flour: this is a great gluten-free grain-free cooking flour. It works great as a thickener for stews and gravy, and works great in a rue. This can be used for the topping in our paleo taco pie (or you can use rice flour if you want a gluten-free recipe but don’t need it to be grain-free).

Rice Flour: this works as a substitute for any recipe that you have that calls for flour, such as fried chicken, and even in baking. Rice flour is what I use to make gluten-free cookies and cupcakes. You can use white rice flour in baking for a lighter flavor, more similar to what you are used to with typical wheat flour.

Avocado oil is my go-to cooking oil. It can handle higher temperatures than olive oil and so it works great for roasting vegetables but also works well for any stove top cooking.

Mayonnaise: Because we are dairy free, we use mayonnaise as the base for many dipping sauces, salad dressing, and our homemade ranch dressing. It also makes a creamy chicken salad or tuna salad for a quick and easy lunch.

Olives: olives are a great source of healthy fats and a great quick snack to have on hand. They are easy to eat and travel well.

Canned/jarred tomatoes (diced, crushed, and tomato sauce): I keep these on hand to make some of my staple dishes, like paleo chili, Cajun beef, and Mexican-style cauliflower rice.

Dried herbs and spices (my main ones are: paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, oregano, thyme, parsley, and chili powder). Herbs and spices are a must for cooking. This is how you add flavor and depth.

I also like to always have on hand:

Curry paste: Curry paste in coconut milk with whatever veggies and protein you have on hand makes for a quick and easy Thai curry inspired dinner (recipe coming soon!).

Tuna: Tuna salad is a quick and easy to make lunch and so I always make sure to have a couple cans in our pantry at all times. They come in handy when we don’t have leftovers for lunch and need something quick and easy to make for the next day.

Beans: Beans can add extra fiber and protein to a meal, but I usually keep garbanzo beans in our pantry due to our son’s love for hummus.  

BBQ sauce: BBQ chicken is a quick and easy weeknight meal that we can cook in the instant pot or on the stove (or slow cooker) and so I make sure to keep BBQ stocked at all times. My favorite is the one pictured here (Woodstock Organic BBQ sauce) because of its low sugar content and organic ingredients.

Fish sauce: Fish sauces adds a great salty flavor to dishes, especially those that call for soy sauce which we don’t eat in our effort to avoid soy in our diet. It has a strong flavor though; a little goes a long way.