Want to know what I really keep in my kitchen? Here is a fun little video tour through my pantry! Come learn what I find are the essential real food staples and what I use them for in our home. My goal is simplicity and accessibility, so I have streamlined my pantry to the basics.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ZwSzPoPv4
If you are new to whole foods and real food ingredients, please check out this list of resources and introductions to this diet.
Resources:
Variety in Your Grains - learn about the wonderful nutritental value of whole grains
My Favorite Natural Sweeteners - a basic introduction to healthy sweeteners and how to use them
The Benefits of Soaking Your Grains – the hows and whys of soaking whole grains
Basic Steps to Nutritional Eating: 12 Steps to A Real Food Diet
The World of Oils - an introduction to the best healthy oil choices
My Pantry Inventory – a pdf document of my pantry inventory that I review each month and restock as needed
Where do you purchase the 5 gallon tub of coconut oil, and Love your youtube site
Mountain Rose Herbs.
Hello Lindsay. For your bulk storage, do you use oxygen absorbers &/or mylar bags to prevent oxidization, or desiccant bags for moisture proofing? I’m currently researching bulk storage for my bulk grains and these are commonly suggested items for preservation.
No, I have never used anything like that. Sounds interesting and probably useful.
I live about 10 minutes from Breadbeckers (the site mentioned above). The store is run by a lovely Christian family. I have attended many of their cooking classes and purchase my grains and many other things from them. I am pretty sure they have some type of co-op arrangement for people who do not live in the area. Just wanted to let you know that they are a very reliable source. You can check them out at http://www.breadbeckers.com.
Hey Lindsey I have a question…..
In Nourishing Traditions, it says to use unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Do you mess with the unfiltered part. I have a hard time finding unfiltered.
And second question, I started buying coconut oil a few months ago. My small jar in my pantry stays at a white semi solid. Do you think that is ok? I have read that it is due to the temperature it is kept at. I guess I keep my house too cold.
I loved your video, and I love this blog. Thanks for sharing!
Melanie
Love that you re-purposed jars for storing pantry items!
Wheat Montana sells some great things, including 6 gallon buckets with lids and bulk grains, etc. (www.wheatmontana.com)
Is homemade yogurt cultured and suitable for soaking?
Yes!
I laughed when you called your son Ty-ty, because I call my toddler Sy-sy, short for Josiah. He’s just started talking and he only calls himself Yi-Yi. (Okay, I don’t even know how to spell that!) So now I’m re-thinking the Sy-sy thing and trying to call him Josiah, Si or Siah more.
Thanks for the kitchen tour!
Do you (or anyone else reading the comments) have a husband who is reluctant to this approach to food? My husband doesn’t mind too much that I’m transitioning myself & the kids to a real foods diet, but he doesn’t value it. Since it takes so much time, effort, and money, I really wish it were important to him, too. I’m just curious how others have seen this situation unfold in their own home.
My husband was definitely more reluctant at first as well. The best approach I found was to learn together through the process. I would read a book or article and share with him the highlights and we would discuss it. I approached it in a more humble manner, “what do you think about this?” Another great idea is to watch Food, Inc. together. That sparked some great conversation with us and really helped get my husband 100% on the same page as I. If you learn together it is easier for him to be more convinced than just teaching him later on. Do you see what I mean? Start small and keep some of his favorites around is also key. My hubby loves cold cereal, so I keep some around for special occasions to bless him. These are small things that go far and help him be in support of our food choices.
I tried watching Food Inc. with my hubby, but it actually made him super angry
His dad is a farmer, so he grew up on the farm. He also works for a grain trading company right now, and he has a view from the other side. I think the movie had a lot of good points, but you have to view both sides to get the full picture.
Anyway, my husband is slightly reluctant to see all the changes, and I haven’t even implemented many of them yet. However, I think he respects my decision and will support me in it.
Ami-
My husband still doesn’t believe that anything he eats has anything to do with his health (!), but he is learning little tidbits from what myself or my parents share about natural foods. I’m finding that by changing what I can control (what I eat and what I serve my kids), I can change things quite a bit. And it’s super-important to keep your husband’s favorite snacks around, and fix his favorite meals on a regular basis. There’s no need to turn it into a power struggle. No one wins.
As I try new recipes for meals, snacks, desserts, etc. – he gets to try them too. If he doesn’t like them, I try to provide a (less healthy) alternative for him. Ultimately, I think it would be completely easier if he were on board – it would help the kids to transition to the healthier diet as well. But since that’s not happening, I give it to God. I can be responsible for what I put in my mouth, and to a certain point, my kids’ mouths. And I can hope that eventually he will realize that he is the only one getting sick on a regular basis, he is the only one on 4 prescription medications, and he is the one with digestive problems – and maybe he’ll get a clue that the difference is diet!
(Let’s hope!)
Also, you can try to make small changes to what you serve him. Try using brown rice pasta instead of refined wheat – he may not even notice a difference. Add more veggies to your meals. Sprout/soak grains that you serve him. Replace sugar with sucanat. I think these are simple changes that are not so noticeable. It’s helpful to focus on what you CAN eat than what you CAN’T. You CAN eat lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, dairy, natural sugars, oil, etc. (It sounds better that way than when you say “You CAN’T eat refined sugar, refined flour, processed foods, fried foods, etc.)
Good luck! I’m going through it with you!
Thanks Amber & Lindsey for the comments. He lost 70 pounds last year and he thinks part of the success is the way I cook most of the time. (Well, he just doesn’t eat most of what I cook – but the things he does eat are healthier versions!) I never thought he would lose weight – then he did it so quickly – makes me think anything’s possible. Until then I’ll keep on buying him JIF and diet coke.
Thanks for sharing! My goal this year is to be more organized and to buy in bulk in order to save money. It’s not only a pain to go to the store several times a week, it also adds up because I end up buying alot of stuff I don’t need. This really gave me some great ideas. Thanks again!
Thanks for the look into your kitchen and pantry. Our pantries look quite similar, but I still have the urge to purge! Do you have a big freezer? I would be very interested in a post about fridge and freezer organization.
Blessings!
Kristina
Linday I loved the video! I feel like I almost got to meet you. You are lovely and Titus is so big now!
I feel like I am on the right track. Our pantries are similar but I did get to learn about a few things I have not used like kamut and sucanut. I also have never seen buttermilk in dried form. I occasionally use buttermilk but I seem to waste the remainder of it. I never know what to do with it and it expires so that would be ideal.
Thank you so much for sharing. I aspire to be so efficient!
My cousin gave me the greatest tip – the peanut butter at Trader Joe’s, (in the plastic jar) the white plastic lids from them fit regular mouth mason jars perfectly!!!
thanks so much for that tip! I have a peanut butter lid from them I am going to try it now!
WOWEE! Thanks so much it works. I am going to pass this on to all my canning friends! I love to make freezer jam this will work great!
Great video, Lindsey! I make something called overnight oats with a 1:1:1 ratio of oats, plain kefir, and plain yogurt with a sprinkle of chia seeds. Is the acid in the kefir and yogurt enough to break down the phytates when it’s kept in the fridge overnight? It’s delicious topped with sliced banana and some peanut butter! Also, do you ever eat chia seeds? They are very similar nutritionally to flax seed, but I love the texture (more than flax) and the volume they add to foods like oatmeal and smoothies.
It should be kept at room temperature overnight not in the fridge. Keeping the water and mixture at room temperature (preferably above 80-85 degrees) will increase the effectiveness in breaking down the phytates. The acid medium in the kefir or yogurt is the second key to breaking down the phytates. Yes, I often replace flax seeds with chai seeds, just depending on when they go on sale and such.
Thanks, Lindsay, that was fun! The video kept streaming so I’ll have to try it again later; I haven’t had that issue before. Great tips in the comments about buying in bulk and what quantities to start with.
My first thought was that you look so good and young! My next thought was, “what does she use for her curly hair?”. Apparently I am not the only one who wants to know that
I would love to know what you do. I am trying coconut oil but it is a hard balance. Also, do you make your own lotion? I try to use pure coconut oil for that too but it doesn’t feel as moisturizing as I would like. What do you use your Shea butter for? Oh how I wish I was your neighbor and I could learn all this from you! Thank you for your blog. You are such a blessing! God is using you to help make other families healthier and we appreciate it!
I used to use coconut oil as I loved its natural properties, but now I use Foxy Curls because it definitely seems to last longer and doesn’t make my hair greasy. I used coconut oil for more than a year and loved it and may return to it again, but I like what Foxy Curls does for me now.
Where do you get your white lids for the small jars? And where do you find the gallon glass jars.
They sell the white storage lids at my Walmart and Tops Market here in NY. They are by all the other canning supplies. I too am looking for those big gallon glass jars I suppose I should just google it and order some online.
I just buy 1 gallon pickles (that come in a glass jar) and eat the pickles. It doesn’t take as long as you might think! Chop them up in tuna salad or chicken salad, slice them for hamburgers, spear them as a side. They were gone in about a week or two!
This was really fun Lindsay! Now have the greatest urge to re-organize my kitchen
Always fun to see a video! Thanks for the tour
I’ve also heard rolled oats lose their nutritional value quickly, so I recently stopped buying mine in big-bulk (was getting the big bucket, which took us 6 mos. or so to use up.) Now I get what I’ll use in about two weeks. One would have to actually research how long the oats have been sitting on the shelf/in the bin/in a warehouse/on the way to the store, etc, to actually choose the “freshest”, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it or not…but we just do our best, right? 
Titus is adorable!
This is really helpful – I’m starting to grow my real food pantry and was making a list as I watched the video! Thanks!
I see that your using Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk, I just wanted you to know that Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk is BPA free and it tastes great. Thanks for the video! Your blog offers ideas and support–you do a great job.
My husband has had a lot of sleep issues, we have found that Gaba and L-theanine help him to get a better nights sleep. I hope your sleep improves soon!
What a great video! I was wondering if you’ve ever considered using Gamma Seal Lids for your big buckets in the garage? I discovered them online about 6 months ago, ordered a bunch in, and they make life SO much easier when trying to open those buckets, and are foodsafe! They screw on and are so easy! They are a bit pricey, but they are supposed to last for just about forever, so I think it’s worth the cost!
I also wondered what products you use on your hair. It looks really lovely in this video. I also have naturally curly hair and this is one of my last hold outs on using crazy chemical products because I have yet to find a cost effective natural alternative.
Back to the topic–thanks for the tour!
To the gal looking for a natural something for naturally curly hair….
I use to use coconut oil before the kids came along…worked great and kept it silky soft without frizzing up. It does have a learning curve so…start small and move up…also start at the ends
Keeps you from going greasy.
Now…I just pony it!
Where did you find your jars with the stainless steel lids? We use old blue tinged mason jars with the porcelin lids but now that the kids have been learning to cook some have broken and I’m looking for a nice replacement for them. Or does anyone have any they don’t want?! They’re so pretty I’m going to move them to my craft area and go with something I won’t feel sad for getting broke.
Honey
The lids with the stainless steel lids are from IKEA. Check out Craigslist as I found most of my glass jars on there.
Yes, I don’t really use a natural product on my hair currently. I use Foxy Curls. You really only need a little dab of it and so it stretches for a long time. I did use coconut oil for the longest time with good results though.
Thank you for showing us around your kitchen. It is so nice to see, in action, a real food kitchen. I think I need to take a little time and get more organized. I can see how having it in view might help me use it more.
Hey Lindsay, thanks so much for doing that. You have inspired me to get rid of all my tupperware storage and use glass jars instead. Great idea! And there would be no plastic smell either!
I’m at the start of my eating healthier journey, so really appreciate the grocery info that you give. It seems a lot easier to source healthy food where you are (in Australia, selling raw dairy for consumption is illegal and organic food is just starting to take off, so usually about double to triple the price at the moment). I buy what I can.
If I may make a suggestion, could you please do a similar explanation of the meat/dairy/fruit & veg that you buy and how you make it last many meals? I saw your post on your real grocery spend and couldn’t figure out how I could make it last eg. one chicken per month.
Thanks for all the effort you and the other posters put in. I love this site. So inspirational!
Angela
You’re pantry looks almost exactly like mine!
Where do you find the gallon glass jars and white lids for the smaller containers?
Thanks!
Craigslist, Restaurant Supply stores, or Azure Standard. The white lids are available in the canning section at Fred Meyer, Winco and other similar stores. They are available with all the canning jars and such.
Lindsey–where did you get your lids for your glass jars (the white ones with your baking supplies) and find the majority of your glass jars? thanks!
Also–the big storage containers in your garage…how many lbs do they hold? Thanks!
It depends upon the grain. They hold 25 pounds of wheat, but no more than 20 pounds of oats due to the larger volume.
Popular question. Craigslist, Restaurant Supply Stores or Azure Standard for the gallon jars. The white lids are available at your local grocery in the canning section. I have found them at Winco, Fred Meyer, or Amazon.
Does anyone know what type of plastic the white lids are made of? Are they BPA free?
Also, unrelated…what products do you use on your hair? Is it naturally curly?
I would also like to know what you use to make waffles! Thanks for all you do!
D
Where do you buy your real maple syrup and sucanat?
I buy maple syrup at my local Trader Joes and Sucanat from UNFI or Azure Standard.
Lindsay, what do you use to clean the outside of you stainless steel fridge?
Olive oil! Does wonders!
Are the 5-gallon containers rodent-proof?
Yes, they have a seal.
Hi! Could you tell us where you buy your 5 gallon containers, as well as your white jar lids for your glass jars? Thank you!
Lindsay – I have just been introduced to your blog and I LOVE IT!!!! I would like to nominate you for One Lovely Blog Award. Check it out http://enjoyinghealthyfoods.blogspot.com/2010/09/one-lovely-blog-award.html
In the video your sucanat looked fine. The sucanat I buy is very grainy and course. Do you run yours through a grinder of some kind?
Kelly
No, it is pretty course and grainy.
Kelly – I grind my sucanat before use (or in bulk sometimes) because it tends to make my baked products less grainy/crunchy. Before I began grinding I felt like I could really taste the sucanat and people didn’t love that here. But now that I grind, no one notices the difference between this and white sugar.
I really enjoyed this video! I don’t really know where to start learning about things like which oils should and shouldn’t be heated up and why it’s important to sprout, etc. Do you grind all of your grains down yourself? That’s impressive.
Please check out the links I provided above. They will answer all those questions. Yes, I have a NutriMill grain grinder for grinding my own flour.
Great video!! I’ve been learning that I totally have overbought things for my pantry since I went “real food” this past year! We thought we were heading in the gluten-free direction recently as well so I kinda went crazy with the GF grains and probably have all of those, plus every type of bean too… I guess we’ll be good for a LONG time!
Thankful for that, but hoping to definitely simplify over the next few years. Thanks for your inspiration to keep things simple. You don’t NEED every type of grain or bean to be healthy… 
Just curious, what do you use for a waffle maker? I have been kinda worried about using the non-stick ones, but am not too excited with the idea of using a cast iron since I’m sure it will be way too messy and NOT simple… I’m sure you have a good simple answer!
Also, random, but I’ve read that both rolled oats and flax seeds should be kept refrigerated or frozen due to their high fat content so they don’t go rancid. Just hoping to help you out, incase you didn’t know, but you probably already do
Do you worry at all about buying olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco? I’ve read how most olive oil is rancid from the store, so I just don’t know where to get it now. Any thoughts on that?
Love seeing your cutie patootie son as well! How fun!
-Carrie
I understand that flax seeds should be kept in the freezer or refrigerator if not used within a short time. I keep a small quantity in my cupboard while the bulk is in the freezer, and I restock as needed. I use it practically every day so thus I keep the small portion in my cupboard. I have not heard about rolled oats though. I don’t believe they have a high fat content, but I’ll look into it.
I buy small quantities of organic oils from Trader Joe’s and store in a dark place. It is the exposure to light that makes them go rancid. You can buy bulk and store in the refrigerator if desired if you are worried about spoilage. But then you have to allow it to get to room temperature to use because it gets solid in the fridge. You can definitely tell when oil goes bad because it tastes horrible. I have only had this happen once and knew it right away.
Thanks for the info on the oils! I once had a bottle of regular olive oil from Target back in the day that I never ever used and years later I could not tell that it was rancid, but then again, I never *tasted* it, just smelled, so maybe that’s the kicker. I’ll not worry so much now about the oil I get from Costco and TJs as long as i use it relatively quickly and keep it in a dark/cool place, and hopefully I’ll know if it’s bad!
I’ve only read a couple places that say that oats shouldn’t be bought in big bulk (I think unless used within a couple months) because of their higher fat content. We hardly use oats right now but when I saw your 5 gallon tub of it I thought of that and wanted to let you know… I’d be curious what you find out when you look into it more.
Also I’d love to know what you use for a waffle maker!
Thanks Lindsay for your quick response!
God bless you and your family!
-Carrie
When we use sucanet we have always just used 1/2 the amount that the recipe called for. It works just fine!
I appreciate your wisdom. Can you tell me a little more about your sweeteners? I bought some succanat and would like some advice in how to replace white sugar with it. I do use honey, stevia, maple syrup. It seems like it takes awhile to learn how to use and enjoy the taste of whole foods when we are so used to “whites”. I am trying to learn how to switch out the bad and replace with good. THank you for sharing what you are learning.
Sucanut is extremely easy to use because you just replace 1:1 ratio with white sugar. If the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, just replace with 1 cup sucanut, although you can definitely cut back on the sucanat as well and still get great results. I often use 3/4 cup sucanat to the 1 cup sugar originally called for and it is still scrumptious! IT cooks just as well and tastes just as sweet as white sugar…just more natural with all the good minerals and without the processing and bleaching. The only time that I would not use sucanat would be if you were going for a white batter (as in sweetening egg white, white cake, etc), as it will definitely affect the color with the molasses content. Does that help?
Thanks for the video! How fun!
Here’s a fun tip: I found some lazy susans at a thrift store and have found that putting them in my cupboards and filling them with smaller things like spices, and baking goods, it makes them much easier to locate with a simple spin of the lazy susan!
Thanks again for the tour!
Hello!
Love this video… where do you find your 5 gallon food buckets and 1 gallon glass jars?
Thanks:)
Aunika
That was fun, thanks for doing the video. It was fun to hear your voice and see your personality. I will try to learn to like coconut oil, lol.
I have been trying to go more into the real food, and cooking from scratch thing… But in South Africa, organic and “real” foods are so so so expensive that as much as I want to I can’t really afford it. Its a choice between real food or being a stay at home wife and mom. But I do try to use as much real food as possible, when its affordable. Thanks for the look into your pantry!
I definitely understand! Do the best that you can…and staying at home with your children is the best!
Lindsay-
Hello! I am relatively new to the real foods diet. I am cooking more from scratch each week and am learning about all the various grains, oils, natural sugars, etc. Your website has been so helpful for me on this journey! My biggest challenge has been learning how to do all this within our grocery budget and finding the best places for purchases. Because I am new with everything, I am not sure how quickly we will use up the bulk items and am not sure how much to purchase without having it go bad. I was wondering if you could list a few of your pantry staples and how long you think they would keep (or how long it takes you to use the bulk amounts-especially your 5 gallon buckets).
Thanks so much! Have a great day!
Just start by buying 5 lb bags. You still save money in this fashion. I actually only buy 25 lb bags of oats and wheat because we use that frequently. We go through 25 lbs of oats in about 4-5 months, and the wheat will last me about 9 months to a year. All the other items I buy in 5-10 lb bags and they will last you a good 6 months to a year. They can keep up to a year if stored in a cool, dark place, or the freezer. I have never had anything go bad on me. I buy my seeds and other grains (rice, kamut, etc) in the 5 lb quantities and I go through them in about 3 months roughly.
Hi. Just wondering what temperature your garage gets during the summer months? I live in CO and cannot store grains in the garage during the summer as it gets way above 100 degrees. I wish I had more storage space in my house but having a small home makes you get creative for storage space.
My garage does get pretty hot in the summer as it is fully insulated (a condo garage), but I don’t worry about it too much. I have never had a problem.
Thanks for sharing! We are working towards this every day, but unfortunately, Azure doesn’t ship here and we don’t have a Trader Joes.Things are a little more pricey, so it is taking us longer. One day at a time, we will get there.
I would recommend you check out Bob’s Red Mill, or Amazon Grocery (they sell alot of Bob’s Red Mill products and other natural grains and products). These are great alternatives for buying bulk grains, seeds, and nuts.
Do you not have any grocery store that sells bulk grains and seeds? I don’t think it is essential to buy organic grains and seeds unless you can get a really good price on them. I used to buy all of them at my local standard grocery store (WINCO) in the bulk section. They sold oats, wheat, and seeds, but not the specialty grains (kamut or spelt), but that’s fine. You can live without those. Fred Meyer’s sells all bulk natural grains, seeds, and sweeteners in their bulk natural section, if you have that store near you.
We live in Alabama and there are no grocery stores that sell in bulk around us. I would have to travel at least 100+ miles to find one. Azure Standard also does not deliver to our area. I was fortuante to find that another company called Bread Beckers delivered in our area and found a co-op through someone at a health food store. I explained that I wanted a larger quantitiy than they sold, and they put me in touch with someone from the co-op. I now buy oats, rice and sucanat at a fraction of what I would pay in our health food store (the only source for sucanat in my area). They also carry a HUGE variety of grains and other items. Check around and see if there are other sources available in your area.
We live in Alabama also, what co-op do you use?
you might want to try unfi if you live in the midwest. It sounds like it might be similar to azure. here is a link to the website- https://www.unfi.com/Default.aspx