Pantry Cooking II - Electric Boogaloo

Whew Stef, it's been a pretty intense month for you health wise. One of the healthiest (both for your body and your wallet) changes you can make I to do home cooked meals. You get to control the fat, salt and carb content. You get to portion things out. It’s great. Like Stef said, the hard part is making sure your pantry has the staples to make healthy food.

Here’s what’s in my pantry:

Starches (bread like starch is made with whole wheat flour):
Almond flour
Pasta
Brown Rice
Bread
Hamburger Buns
Hot Dog Buns
Crackers

Proteins (fast):
Egg beaters
Egg whites
Trader Joe’s Salmon Patties
Turkey Burgers (pre made and frozen)
Chicken sausages (defrosts great)
Tofu

Proteins (remember to defrost in the fridge that morning):
Salmon fillets
Pork chops
Chicken breasts (even better if you have a chance to pound them flatter with a rolling pin)

Vegetables:
Carrots
Onions
Green onions
Collard greens
Zuchinni
Salad greens
Red bell peppers
Cauliflower/Rutabaga/Turnip
Cherry tomatoes
Lemons
Blueberries/raspberries/strawberries

Condiments
Brie
Low fat feta
Cheddar
Parmesan
Silton
EVOO
Balsamic vinegar
Lowfat coconut milk
Say sauce
Fish sauce
Sambal chili sauce
Uncle Brutha’s
Thai curry paste
Dijon Mustard
Ketchup
Cumin
Chili powder
White wine
yogurt

Here are some sample menus

Turkey Burger night
Turkey burger with bun, caramelized onions and mustard
Feta and tomato salad

Breakfast for dinner
Almond meal pancakes with sugar free syrup (or even baked apples with cinnamon)
Chicken sausage
Plain lowfat yogurt (sweetened with Splenda) with berries

Comfort Food
Egg white frittata with sautéed greens, red peppers and cheddar cheese
Cauliflower mash

Asian
Tofu Curry with carrots and red peppers
Brown rice

Elegant dinner
Pan seared pork chops with a dijon/white wine pan sauce
Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
Roasted carrots