Nourishing and Healthy Foods to Keep in the Kitchen

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of eating unhealthily. Not everyone knows how to start a plant-based diet. Also, not everyone has the time to prepare elaborate, nourishing dishes. It’s just so tempting to buy take-out and pizza and fry up chicken nuggets. But eating healthy needn’t be a burden; you can stock up on various healthy ingredients that you can easily throw together to make healthy meals. Here are some foods to keep in your kitchen to do just that.

Essential Vegetables

When talking about vegetables, you should never forget sweet potato, celery, bell peppers, onions, celery. Most of these have a great shelf life, and you can use them in a variety of ways. You can stew them, make stock, or eat them as a snack.

Essential Fruits

Fruits are delicious and healthy too. You can snack on them by themselves, or you could add them to some oatmeal or baked goods. If you’re looking for fruit, try to stock up on apples, grapes, berries, and pears. They last a good long while.

Plant-Based Milk

You could add any plant-based milk you want to your fridge. It’s useful to create creamy dishes and for breakfast cereal. I prefer oat or almond milk with no added sugar.

Salsa

You don’t need to make your own salsa! Store-bought is perfectly fine for your needs depending on where you get it. You can use it as an ingredient or as a dip. I prefer the Whole Foods salsa as it is made fresh most of the time.

Mustard

A great way to add flavor to sauces or dressings is to put some good old mustard. Any kind works, as long as you like it. 

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit is always good to have and lasts quite a while. Any kind works, so just pick your favorites! You can also use them to make some baking recipes sweeter. I love dried mango!

Nuts

Nuts are great for creating nut milk. They are also a good source of protein and can be sprinkled onto your salads or main dishes as garnish.

Hummus

If you’re in need of a sandwich spread or a dip, hummus is an excellent choice. Try to find low-fat tubs.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a great source of protein and tastes nice and creamy as well. It’s good for making sandwiches and baked goods.

Greens

Lettuce, spinach, and kale are the greens you should be shopping for. You can always make a quick salad out of them or put them into your stews and soups.

Herbs

When getting herbs, always get them fresh. You can use them to liven up many recipes. A few good ones to get are cilantro, parsley, thyme, sage, dill, rosemary, and basil. You can make the basil into a delicious pesto with only a few more ingredients. The rest make meals more than the sum of their parts.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are lots of foods you can use to create your healthy meals. Have a go-to supplier of nutritious ingredients so you can easily shop once you run out of these foods. If you’re unsure of what to do with these ingredients, we will be releasing a plant based quick recipe book or refer to the 2 e-books included with the plant based transition course here. This should give you results of various recipes you could try. Good luck in the kitchen!

Looking for ways on how to start a plant-based diet? Check out Plant Based Jeff today! This is a one-stop shop for all-natural products run by a top plant-based transition coach.