Healthy Pantry Staples You Need In Your Kitchen
Here are some of my favourite healthy pantry staples, what that means is that I always have them on hand and stock up whenever I see a sale. That way, when I’m in a bind (or low on groceries) I can still whip up a quick meal that’s healthy and delicious.
Healthy Pantry Staples
Did you know that only 2/5 children eat the recommended “7 a day” when it comes to vegetables? My child is one of the 3/5, it’s true. It’s not always easy to have picky eaters fall in love with broccoli or asparagus. My son loves sweet food, so I like to a bit of honey dijon to his plate so he can dip his vegetables in. I do this because nutritionists have said that you can “flavour train” kids. This means the more you make the changes, the more they get used to it (totally works for adults too).
So with that being said, I wanted to share some healthy pantry staples to help you have the healthiest options possible.
Healthy Pantry Staples
Dijon Mustard – I’m a huge fan of dijon. I add it to my baked potato, my broccoli cheddar soup, and I often make vinaigrettes with it (like this Dijon Vinaigrette and Honey Dijon Vinaigrette). Did you know that dijon acts as a binding agent between olive oil and vinegar?
I’m really excited that my household brand, Maille, and their honey dijon mustard.
Here are some ways you can use Maille’s Award-winning Honey Dijon Mustard:
- Use as a glaze for grilled asparagus
- Substitute for BBQ sauce when BBQing chicken
- Serve on the side for your kids to dip their steamed broccoli in (this also works for picky husbands)
- Make Maille’s BBQ Sweet Corn.
Herbs & Spices – Herbs and spices are a low cost and low-calorie way to add flavour to your meals.
Some of my favourite herbs and spices are:
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Cayenne
- Chili
Beans & Legumes – Whether you have canned or dried these are great healthy pantry staples. You can usually find chickpeas and black beans in my pantry.
Nuts – Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, they’re all good. Whenever I hit the afternoon slump I like to head over to my pantry and grab a few almonds or cashews. Just a few of them satisfy my hunger and keep me trucking along until dinner.
Bone broth – I usually buy cartons of chicken broth in bulk for easy soups and flavour to vegetables and rice. I recently explored bone broth in KCup form and it’s my new obsession.
Quinoa, whole wheat pasta. Whether it’s side salads, a side grain, or a quick pasta dish. These are healthy pantry staples that will help you out in a bind. They’re blank canvases that you can use over and over and create totally different recipes each time.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar – My cabinet has a number of vinegars from balsamic vinegar to specialty balsamic vinegars from those tempting oil and vinegar stores. That being said, my favorite vinegars are apple cider and red wine vinegar. I use them mostly for salad dressings and vinaigrettes but they also liven up stir fries with zero calories added.
Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil – I have a few other oils in my pantry but these three are my favorite.
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Jarred marinara, tomato sauce, tomato paste – On the days where I’m short on time I like to quickly boil some whole wheat pasta and whip up a quick sauce using low sugar marinara sauce or I’ll whip up something difference using tomato sauce and paste. Another idea would be to combine it with some ground beef or turkey and black beans, add some spices and you’ll have some clean eating chili.
Coconut Milk – I always have coconut milk on hand as it a delicious way to add a creamy texture to sauces, smoothies, and soups.
Tuna – I don’t eat tuna often, but I like to have it on hand for lunchtime emergencies.
Sriracha, Hot Sauce, Thai Chili Paste – I’ve been going through a spicy phase (is it a phase if it’s been going on for years?). When it comes to hot sauce, I’ve been putting that sh…stuff on everything since I was 16. Sriracha entered my life (and my eggs) roughly three years ago and chili paste is a new addition that I started experimenting with a few months ago. They’re low-calorie flavors for every meal of the day.
Peanut Butter – Does this really need an explanation? I’m not shy about my love of peanut butter, I’m known to eat it out of the jar with a spoon (and chocolate). It’s so darn good. To keep it healthier, make sure you check the labels to ensure your peanut butter only has peanuts listed as ingredients (sometimes you can find it with some coconut oil too). I also make sure to have almond butter always on hand as well.
Dark Chocolate – You can bet your bottom dollar I have chocolate in my pantry. When the night cravings hit, I want to have healthier options on hand and I’d rather have a bit of 70-85% dark chocolate then cave and run to Bulk Barn to load up on Whoppers (that may have happened a time or two).
Pro tip: Melt an ounce of dark chocolate and dip granny smith apples in them, it’s so good!
Other pantry staples you’ll often find at my house: popcorn kernels, powdered peanut butter, almond butter, protein powder, gluten free pasta, coconut sugar.
Worried about emergencies? I wrote about how to stock a healthy pantry for emergencies over at Randa Nutrition.
What healthy pantry staples do you keep in your home?
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Maille, as always all opinions are my own.
I’d like to try the Asian flavors salad
Would love to try “Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille”… Yum!
I’d make the Savoury honey Dijon muffins served with Comté Cheese. They look awesome.
I’d pair with honey ham yumm!
I’d like to try the http://www.maille.ca/en/recipes/roasted-pumpkin-seeds.html with Honey Mustard – I’ve never “flavoured” the seeds prior to baking so that was the first thing that intrigued me, secondly we sometimes cinnamon sugar them after roasting so substituting the honey mustard in the recipe would bring that sweetness and the most pressing reason is that I currently have the seeds from 2 butternut squashes from last night sitting in the fridge waiting to be roasted today!
I would try the sweet bbq corn – yuum!!
Cheesy Mushroom Bites look really delicious, I think my whole family would love them!
I would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn a la Maille! My entire family loves corn on the cob and this would be a nice change to try!
I’d like to try the Asian salad
Would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille, looks & sounds really good!
I would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille! Thanks!
Would like to try the cheesy mushroom bites. They look yummy
Love the sounds of their Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
I would like the chocolate ganache tart
I’d love to make Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie. sounds yummy.
Id love to try the chocolate ganache tart
I would make the Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing
Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie. thanks
The Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing sounds delicious and absolutely perfect for summer dinners on the patio
’d like to try the Asian flavors salad! Sounds so good.
I’d love to try the Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing.
I would love to try the Savoury honey Dijon muffins served with Comté Cheese recipe.
I luv to try Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie.
I would like to try the Chicken Pie recipe.
Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille this looks yummy and I will be trying it out this summer.
I would try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
The honey mustard chicken pie sounds delish!
I love to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie.
i like to try honey mustard chicken pie, entry pls
The Asian flavors salad, breaded shrimps with Maille honey mustard and panko sounds delicious.
I would like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille
I’d like to try the Gooey Maille Balsamic Brownies, sounds like an interesting flavourful brownie recipe.
I’d love to try the Asian salad recipe.
I am ready to prepare and taste the Crab Cakes with Sweet Mustard Sauce.
The Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie sounds delicious.
I’d like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille!
I would love to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie. Sounds delicious!
Would love to try the cheesy mushroom bites, looks delicious!
Would like to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie!
Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing
Asian Flavored Salad
Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille
I really want to try the Cheesy Mushroom Bites
The Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille sounds so good
The cheesy mushroom bites intrigued me the most.
So many interesting recipes! I think I would try the Asian flavours salad first
I would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn a la Maille! A new take on an old favorite!
I’d love to try the cheesy mushroom bites!
I would like to try the Mushrooms on Toast recipe
The Asian Salad looks great!
Gooey Maille Balsamic Brownies sound very interesting
I would love to try the Asian flavour shrimp salad.
We put mustard in everything! I’d like to try the mushrooms on toast. Yum!
Besos Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
Would love to try the Asian flavors salad, breaded shrimps with Maille honey mustard and panko sounds absolutely delicious!!
I would love the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
I would try the Gooey Maille Balsamic Brownies.
I would like to try the Pretzel Dip!
The Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing sounds so yummy.
http://www.maille.ca/en/recipes/honey-mustard-popcorn.html
This honey mustard popcorn stands out. I do love my popcorn!
The honey mustard chicken pie sounds very good.
I would have to say the cheesy mushroom bites
The widget is acting odd and very slow !
Oh no! Keep me in the loop, I’ve been thinking about switching companies for giveaways so this may push me to do so.
I’d pair with honey ham
I would like to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie. It sounds great!
The Steak, Coleslaw & Honey Mustard Sliders sound amazing!
Savoury honey Dijon muffins served with Comté Cheese sounds delish
I would love to try the honey mustard chicken pie
I would love to make the Cheesy Mushroom Bites recipe.
I would try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille
being a vegetarian i would love to try the Gluten-Free Crispy Vegetable Fritters
I would try the pie and a few others as well.
The Gluten-Free Crispy Vegetable Fritters look yummy
I like the cheesy mushroom bites
Honey mustard chicken pie
I would love to try the Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing looks yummy
Would like to try the cheesy mushroom bites They look really good.
I’d love to try the Gluten Free Vegetable Fritters.
we would like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn a la Maille!
Everything looks so good. http://www.maille.ca/en/recipes/glutenfree-crispy-vegetable-fritters.html would be first one to make then the savory
The savoury muffins sound so good
I’d like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille
I would like to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
I’d like to try Savoury honey Dijon muffins served with Comté Cheese
I would love, love, love to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie.
I would try the savoury honey dijon muffins – looks interesting!
I’d love to try the Cheesy Mushroom Bites recipe.
I would like to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
I would like to try the Honey Mustard Chicken Pie
I’d like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille.
i have to agree with the majority above, the sweet bbq corn. mmm
I would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille! Sounds yummy!
The Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie sounds delicious!
OMG the Cheesy Mushroom bites look amazing!
I would like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille recipe. It looks yummmmmmmy.
the sweet bbq corn sounds so good
I want to try making the savory Honey Dijon muffins because they sound so different.
I would like to try the Chicken Pie.
The sweet BBQ corn.
I want to try the Honey Mustard Chicken Pie — http://www.maille.ca/en/recipes/chicken-pie.html
The sweet bbq corn!
I`d love to try the Cheesy Mushroom Bites
I would love to try the Asian salad, it sounds yummy!
I would like to try the Honey Mustard Chicken Pie.
I would love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn a la Maille!I love my corn on the cob and this would take it to a whole new delicious level!
I would love to try Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie.
The Cheesy Mushroom Bites!!
The Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie. It sounds deliciousss!
I would love to try the savoury honeu dijon muffins. I never thought of those.
I would love to try the Chevre Apple Salad with Rosemary Honey Mustard Dressing. It looks delicious.
how is honey dijon muffins a thing?? i would have to try those first
I’d love to try asparagus on the grill with the Maille Honey Dijon mustard marinade recipe on the website.
Cheesy mushroom bites sound good
I would love to try the Maille Honey Mustard Chicken Pie recipe.
Great prize a lot of boos condiments always a must in The pantry
I would like to try the Sweet BBQ Corn à la Maille.
I’d love to try the Sweet BBQ Corn a la Maille!
I would love to try the sweet BBQ corn a la Maille
I keep Epicure Spices and dip mixes, Epicure Powder chicken, vegetable and beef broth in my cupboard they are super low in sodium and I make what I need so I never waste any.
I have a few Epicure spices too 🙂 Yum!