fridge and pantry

fresh fruits

Apples
Bananas
Pears
Melon
Grapes
Papaya
Pineapple
Oranges
Peaches in season
Plums
Lemons and limes (for seasoning)

frozen fruits - good for smoothies, nice cream and snacking

Bananas (buy fresh and peel, slice and freeze when ripe)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cherries
Berry mixes
Pineapple
Mango
Freeze grapes and cantaloupe for snacking, they taste like sorbet!

beans (canned or dried)

Garbanzo beans/chickpeas
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans
Kidney beans
Cannellini, Navy, Great Northern beans (white beans)
Green and/or yellow split peas
Canned fat-free refried beans (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Garden of Eatin’ fat-free)

There are several chili, soup and other canned bean blends available - avoid those made with animal products and oil and choose low-sodium whenever possible.

grains

Brown rice (short grain, long grain, basmati)
Oats (rolled, steel cut, old fashioned rolled - 365, Quaker, Trader Joe’s)
Quick cooking oats (rolled, steel cut)
Quinoa, white and tricolor (365, Trader Joe’s, Ancient Grains)
Black Rice (AKA forbidden rice, Eden brand)
Red rice (Eden brand)
Haiga Rice (partially hulled, looks/tastes like white rice)
Millet
Barley
Wild Rice
Farro (pearled or semi-pearled, also quick cooking like Trader Joe’s)
Frozen pre-cooked brown rice, rice blends, quinoa, couscous = just reheat!
Brown rice pre-cooked/shelf stable (Minsley, Nishiki, O Organics, Ben’s Original)
There are several pre-seasoned instant rice brands but beware some contain oil and high sodium

*save packaging and money by purchasing grains in bulk bins when possible!*

great for bulking up dishes that usually have meat, dairy or fish

Tofu (water packed)
Silken Tofu (shelf stable, great for desserts and sauces)
Tempeh (Light Life)
Seitan (wheat gluten)
Artichoke hearts, canned or frozen (in brine, not oil)
Hearts of palm, canned (for ceviche)
Jackfruit in brine, canned (for sloppy joe’s, crabless cakes, mock tuna)
Soy Curls (made from tofu by Butler Foods)

basics

Onion powder or granules
Garlic powder or granules
Dried parsley
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Ground ginger
Ground cumin
Ground cinnamon
Ground cardamom
Mrs. Dash
Nutritional yeast (Braggs, Trader Joe’s)
Kala Namak (egg-y smelling/tasting black salt, great for tofu scrambles and eggless salad)
Kelp or nori flakes (for a fishy flavor)

seasoning blends

Italian seasoning
Herbs De Provence
Curry powder blend
Chili powder blend
Garam Masala
Lemon Pepper

Trader Joe’s has lots, here are a few of our favorites:

Green Goddess seasoning
Soffrito seasoning
Onion salt blend
Everything Bagel seasoning
Chili lime seasoning
Umami seasoning
Furikake
Cuban Citrusy

look for oil-free or fat-free, or oil listed toward the end of the ingredients

Vinegars (apple cider, rice vinegar, balsamic, flavored balsamics like peach, lemon, pineapple and fig, red wine vinegar, etc.)
Mustards: dijon, yellow, brown, honey, Trader Joe’s dill pickle mustard
Ketchup
Fruit Jams (Bionature is 100% fruit and delicious!)
BBQ sauce (Austin’s Own, Trader Joes, 365, Stubb’s, many more!)
Soy Sauce or Tamari, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, Coconut aminos
Chili sauce (Trader Joe’s sweet chili sauce)
Hot sauce (Frank’s, Valentina, Cholula, Tabasco, Tapatio and many more!)
Sriracha hot sauce (Wicked Kitchen, Huy Fong)
Sambal Oelek ground fresh chili paste (Huy Fong)
Korean Gochujang (Mother In Law’s, Trader Joe’s)
Chinese Hoisin sauce (365 brand, San J)
We Rub You original Korean marinade
“Thai Kitchen” Red Curry paste
Pickled jalapenos
Olives (in brine, not oil)
Capers
Sundried tomatoes (no oil)
Relish (sweet and/or dill)
Roasted red peppers (no oil)
Canned jalapenos, hatch chilies
Dill pickles
Bread & Butter pickles (sweet, no butter!)
Sauerkraut
Kimchi (Trader Joe’s, Mother In Laws)
Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapenos
Low sodium vegetable broth/stock (Pacifica, 365, Trader Joe’s) for oil-free sauteing and soups
Applesauce for baking, unsweetened (Trader Joe’s 4-pack, and find 365 and Santa Cruz in a 6-pack)
Canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie) for baking
Cocoa powder (for baking)
Dark Chocolate chips (dairy-free, for baking and Nice Cream garnish)

marinara sauce (pastas and pizzas)

365 fat free marinara
Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil sauce
Delallo
Lucini
Prego
Pomi
Muir Glen
Any oil-free tomato sauce (to make creamy/pink add cooked red lentils, pureed white beans, homemade cashew cream, unsweetened plant milk, or pureed potato)

sweeteners

Date syrup (Trader Joe’s, The Date Lady)
Pure Maple syrup (Trader Joe’s, Costco, most grocery stores)
Sugar in the Raw
Brown Sugar
Agave Nectar
Monk fruit sweetener (Lakanto brand)
Stevia (Truvia, 365, Trader Joe’s )
100% juices (to season, NOT to drink)

dried fruit (for creating desserts, purees, and adding to dishes and baked goods, not for snacking)

Dates (pitted, medjool are soft, deglet noor are firm)
Raisins
Sultanas (golden raisins)
Dried cherries
Dried cranberries
Dried mango

commercial breads

Food For Life Ezekiel sprouted breads, tortillas, burger buns, english muffins
Alvarado Street sprouted breads, bagels and english muffins
Ozery “One Bun” multigrain sandwich buns
Dave’s Killer bread (yellow label is oil-free)
Whole wheat pita
Whole wheat Lavash (California, Artoria) great for hummus and veggie roll-ups
Food For life gluten-free rice, almond and millet breads (many GF breads/products contain egg and oil, but these do not)
Whole wheat pizza crusts (Plant Strong has no oil)
Corn tortillas
Whole wheat and Spelt tortillas
Whole wheat, whole wheat pastry (365, Bob’s Redmill)
Oat (Bob’s Redmill, Arrowhead Mills)
Spelt (Bob’s Redmill, Arrowhead Mills)
Corn starch, tapioca flour or arrowroot flour (for thickening sauces, baking and making cashew mozzarella)
Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat or Kamut pancake mix

flours

Whole wheat, whole wheat pastry (365, Bob’s Redmill)
Oat (Bob’s Redmill, Arrowhead Mills)
Spelt (Bob’s Redmill, Arrowhead Mills)
Corn starch, tapioca flour or arrowroot flour (for thickening sauces, baking and making cashew mozzarella)
Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat or Kamut pancake mix

pastas/noodles

Quinoa pasta, quinoa/brown rice pasta (Ancient Grains, Trader Joe’s)
Brown rice pasta (Tinkyada, Jovial, Trader Joe’s)
Whole wheat pasta (365, Trader Joe’s, Barilla)
Red and green lentil pasta (Trader Joe’s, Ancient Harvest, Bionature, Thrive, Explore, Tolerant)
Black bean pasta (O Organics, Explore, Tolerant)
Chickpea/Garbanzo bean pasta (Banza)
Wheat or buckwheat soba (Eden)
Rice noodles (Eden)

raw or dry-roasted for garnishing and sauces/dressings, not for snacking

Walnuts
Pecans
Almonds (including sliced and slivered)
Raw cashews or cashew pieces
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Sesame seeds (good garnish for Asian dishes, toasted have more flavor)

Nut butters and other items to add to dishes, to make sauces and dressings (very high in fat and calorie dense, use sparingly)

100% peanut butter (avoid peanut butter “spread”)
100% almond butter (for baking and sauces)
100% cashew butter (for baking and sauces)
100% sunflower butter (if you can’t eat tree nuts)
Tahini (ground sesame paste, used in hummus, salad dressing and sauces)
Miso pastes: mellow white, yellow or chickpea, red, barley, brown, rice