Have you ever gone to a friends house, and wonder what their pantry looks like? What about those friends (you know you have some) who seem to always have everything put together. They always can pull a dish out of nowhere for those last minute guests and it always turns out great.

For those friends, I can guarantee that they have a well stocked pantry. They are probably very organized and always have their pantry staples in rotation. Just like how they stock shelves at the grocery store. Oldest date first, people!

Organization Skills

Now, I’m not necessarily one of “those” people. I do heavily rely on a well stocked pantry. But with 5 kids in the house, 3 of which are teenagers, I need to do better in the organization department. Our families are all different and different techniques can work for different people. But knowing your pantry staples, or, the items that you use in your cooking most often, are a necessity to have a good flow to any kitchen.

Since you and I are now friends, I thought it would be fun to give you a peek into my pantry and share some of my biggest pantry staples. I’ve been rebuilding my pantry staples from the ground up over the last 2 years after having a severe medical crisis which led me to make better choices and to be careful of what I eat. So in my pantry you will find a lot of organic, gluten free and dairy free items.

Gluten Free & Dairy Free

Now, take note that I am gluten free, but not all of my recipes are dairy free. I personally do not have a dairy allergy, but for me dairy causes inflammation. So most of my recipes are dairy free, however some may contain organic grass fed butter or an organic ghee such as in my hollandaise sauce.

Healthy Fats

Now don’t be afraid of the word “fats” because I know that in years past anything with “fat” was a dietary faux pas. But modern studies have proven time and time again that our bodies need healthy fats to maintain many bodily functions.

These healthy fats can come in a variety of foods, including shelf stable pantry staples such as our choice in cooking oils. I ONLY use avocado oil or spray, olive oil or spray, or coconut oil or spray. Often times, these can easily be found in your local grocery store or even in bulk at you local warehouse club.

The Good and The Ugly
 I will never use vegetable oil, canola oil or seed oils as these oils tend to be highly inflammatory. These oils have been shown to be high in omega 6’s, trans fats, free radicals and are also ultra-processed.

Rolled Oats

This one can be a touchy subject. Let’s start with Oats. Oats today aren’t what they used to be. I’ll let you do your own research on this. The way they are grown, harvested and processed are just not the same. I recently had a conversation with someone who thought the oats I use taste funny. I then went on to explain that the long-time popular brand know for their oats are no longer the grain they once were.

That brand doesn’t taste like how oats are supposed to taste. I do agree that if you are coming from instant oats to a real food rolled oat, yes it’s different. But it’s so much better! I now only use the One Degree rolled oats… for everything.

One Oat Brand, Multiple Uses

I use One Degree in recipes such as my healthy gluten free dairy free apple crisp  as well as this is what I use to make my own oat flour in my ninja blender, which actually saves me a ton of money on not buying premixed oat flour.

Gluten Free Flours
Now for flour, I know everyone has different tastes and there are some brand loyal people out there. However I’ve tried probably a dozen or so different brands of different all purpose type flours. And my clear winner is the King Arthur brand Measure for Measure flour, the King Arthur Bread Flour, the King Arthur Pizza Crust Flour.

Of course my favorite desserts, which are the gluten free cake mix which is hands down the King Arthur Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix or Chocolate Cake Mix. And no, I’m not sponsored by King Arthur… I’ve just become a loyal customer myself, because it’s the only brand of premixed flours that make my recipes taste like they did when I could eat gluten. Oh, and their brownie mix… eek!

From Scratch or Box

Ok, don’t start thinking I use box mixes all the time. I don’t. However, I do keep some on hand because I never know when my kids friends will stop in or when my 8 year old wants to bake something quick in the kitchen. I’m all about cooking and baking from scratch, but in these instances, I’m all about the convenience… and I can make them all dairy free easily as well.

Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt

Baking soda, baking powder and salt are all used in baking as common leavening agents. This is what makes the batters and doughs turn out light and fluffy. But, did you know that many baking powders contain aluminum phosphate. Don’t even get me started on that. And salts, all salts are not created equal. I do not use generic table salt. Between chemical additives, heavy metals, and even plastics I use caution when picking my salts. After all, salt is in almost any prepared dish.

These are the salts I use in my kitchen:

• Redmonds Real Salt or Pink Himalayan Salt
• Baking powder: Bobs Red Mill Aluminum Free,
• Baking Soda: Bobs Red Mill

Sugar and Sweetener

As I mentioned before in my apple crisp recipe, I really try to steer clear of refined sugars. In my recipes you’ll commonly find sweeteners like local raw honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. It’s pretty rare that you’ll find a standard white sugar recipe. I not only use these sweeteners because they are incredibly more nutritious options, but also because I can stock it in bulk. Local raw honey is abundant near where I live, and our family makes our own maple syrup every year. Also coconut sugar is a great alternative to classic brown sugar because coconut sugar is rich in nutrients and also has a lower glycemic index.

As time passes, I will probably share more staples with you. So stay tuned, there is always more cooking to be done.