House Tour Part 1: The Pantry

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Before I even had access to our new place, and before our lease had officially started, I had already bought our first pantry staples. Therefore, I think it's fitting to start the tour of our new place with the pantry.

This move, while not motivated by this, was a great excuse to overhaul our pantry. It was a long time coming.

In our last two months at our apartment, we had phased out most packaged goods, including cookies, crackers and chips. This was as much an effort to use up some of our neglected pantry staples as an eating overhaul. Still, the effort was a success. Neither of us went hungry, and both of us began to choose healthier snacks. (No, we didn't find ourselves running across the street for candy bars and ice cream.)

Before we got keys to our new house, I spent some time scoping out local grocery stores. Mostly, I was looking for high quality fresh produce, but in the process, I also stumbled upon this incredible little store.

Our pantry? Thoroughly stocked.

Of course, I made sure to only purchase things I wanted to be eating. I've started judging foods by their overall consumption experience, not just the process of eating them. Of course, gobs of milk chocolate taste delicious while you're stuffing your face. Feeling ill right afterwards? Not great. Being a total crabby bitch the next day? Also not great. On the other hand, eating a big bowl of red lentil coconut curry kale soup? Reasonably pleasant. Feeling satisfied and clean for hours afterwards? As they say: priceless.

Without further ado, here is our new pantry:

Top shelf: pasta, pasta sauce, jarred salsa

Second shelf: various grains (quinoa, rice, polenta, barley, oats, noodles) and potatoes

Third shelf: nuts, nut butters, seeds, dried fruit (i.e. the new "snack shelf"), unsweetened cocoa powder, and a new addition, PB2!!!

Fourth shelf: dried legumes (black beans, garbanzos, split peas, red lentils, kidney beans, mung beans, black lentils, pinto beans); popcorn; extra spices and olive oil

Bottom shelf: large slow cooker (yes, we have two), ice cream maker, more rice and garlic

Canned goods: coconut milk, pumpkin, canned tomatoes, black beans, chickpeas and corn

Cold cereal is pretty much our only packaged purchase, and we're evening moving away from that and towards oats and other yummy breakfast foods. Our standards? Usual less than 100 calories per 1 cup serving, and fewer than 4g of sugar.

Our spice collection: paprika, dill, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, cumin seeds, bay leaves, whole cloves, turmeric, chili powder, oregano, coriander powder, juniper berries, crushed chilis, more chili powder and curry powder, along with several types of pepper

Our condiment collection: chia seeds, flaxseed meal jam, gochujang, sesame oil, almond butter, hummus, red curry paste (not veg, but delicious nonetheless and great in lentil soups), sunbutter, tahini, BBQ sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, rice vinegar, concentrated vegetable stock (omg incredible!), and a collection of soymilk

The freezer: berries, leeks, kale, edamame, spinach, breads, yeast and a few types of hard cheese

The baking drawer: bread flour, all purpose flower, sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla beans and extract, mint extract, baking soda, baking powder, jiffy cornbread mix

We also have a few miscellaneous items, like these winter squashes decorating our mantel, sea salt and olive oil, soy sauce, canola oil, apple cider vinegar, corn starch, nutritional yeast and vegetable oil.

Coffee and tea are also staples. We buy our coffee from Peet's and generally keep one herbal tea, one green tea and one black tea. The current selections are Holiday Blend coffee, peppermint tea, green chai tea and black chai tea.

Overall, I'm proud of everything in our pantry.

I would like to be able to afford all organic ingredients, but a. sometimes they aren't available and b. sometimes they don't make financial sense. Out of respect for my body and the bodies of the people growing my produce, I like to make an effort towards buying organic produce. Ultimately, though, I have a budget and I can't always allocate the money I'd like towards organics.

Anything we're missing from our pantry?

About Post Author

Michaela

Michaela is a lightweight rower based in New Milford, CT. She writes about life as an elite athlete and always travels with snacks.

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