I love cooking nutritious meals at home! One key to making my life much easier is having a pantry stocked with healthy foods. I always joke that Isaac and I have way too much food in the house for two people, but then again, I don’t ever complain when I look up recipes and already have all the ingredients on hand!
I’ve teamed up with my local Whole Foods here in Richmond (Short Pump) as part of the Choices Count healthy eating initiative and the Pantry Stock Up Contest, to show that stocking a healthy pantry can be done pretty easily and doesn’t have to blow your bank account. Whole Foods gave me the healthy pantry shopping list and a $50.00 gift card so I could buy the pantry stock up items and experiment with some of the Whole Foods recipes. If you know me and my love for Whole Foods, you’ll know that I was all over this idea!
Whole Foods Healthy Pantry Shopping List
- 1 lb black beans
- 1 lb lentils
- 1 lb quinoa
- 2 lbs brown rice
- 3 (32-oz) boxes vegetable broth
- 1 (32-oz) box chicken broth
- 1 lb rolled oats
- 2 cans cannellini beans
- 1 lb orechiette pasta
- 1 lb pasta, your favorite kind
- 1 can black beans
- 1 jar unsweetened applesauce
- 1 (32-oz) box unsweetened soymilk
- 1 (32-oz) box unsweetened almondmilk
- 1 (5-oz) can tuna
- 3 (15-oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 package no-oil sundried tomatoes
- 1 jar pasta sauce
I think Whole Foods did an excellent job crafting this list. If you were to check out my pantry at any given time we’d typically have most of these items on hand. Beans, as well as, whole grains like quinoa, oats and brown rice are a big component of my diet. And although I don’t eat pasta all that often, we always have whole grain noodles because Isaac loves making big batches of pasta.
Many of the items were on sale at the time I was shopping and I found some good deals in the bulk bins (my favorite place to stock-up) so I actually spent a little less than $50 on everything! Definitely not bad when you think about how many different meals these ingredients will make.
In terms of the meals, Whole Foods gives a list of recipes on their blog that can be crafted with these ingredients (including soups, pasta, pancakes and overnight oats). I’m definitely going to be trying some of those out – in fact, I’ve already gotten started on that and I’ll be sharing those details soon. In the meantime, definitely check out the Whole Foods blog as the Pantry Stock Up Contest is national campaign and they are giving away a ton of great prizes if you enter before January 31, 2012:
$50 Pantry Staples Stock Ups – 31 winners will receive a $50 Whole Foods Market® gift card along with a list of suggested pantry staples needed to make 14 of our healthy recipes.
Five grand-prize packages include:
- Pantry Staples for a Year – Each grand-prize winner will receive a Whole Foods Market gift card for $599 to use for stocking your pantry for a year.
- Customized elfa® pantry system from The Container Store ($500 value) – Each grand-prize winner will receive a customized pantry design from The Container Store and a $500 elfa Store More Card to makeover your pantry.
Definitely worth checking out!!! $599.00 gift card – yes please. Fingers crossed that I win one of those! 
Do you keep your pantry stocked with healthy foods? If so, what are your key items? In addition to the items on the Whole Foods list, I like to have lots of spices on hand so I can add flavor to things without extra calories. 
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for the great info! I definitely will check out to win something
Btw, love your blog! Just started to become a fan of yours!
Love this grocery haul!! But I thought you were going to stay away from canned tomatoes?? Do you get a fresh juice and sip it as you shop like me???
I definitely want to limit my consumption of canned tomatoes but it’s hard to completely eliminate them. No – our store doesn’t have a juice bar. It’s sad! :/
I definitely try to keep my pantry stocked. I always have a few cans of beans and chickpeas as well as canned tomatoes. I also make sure I have plenty of rolled oats and brown rice, and another grain like farro, wheatberries or millet (I’m allergic to quinoa
), and tons of red lentils. I usually buy Better than Bullion instead of boxed broth, just because it lasts for a really long time even after you open it, and it works out to be a bit cheaper (I think?). It is so much easier to throw a quick and healthy meal together when you have most of the components on-hand already!
What a great challenge! That’s what my pantry actually usually looks like…with kashi and protein powder!
I seriously need to print out this list and then STICK TO IT! My grocery budget gets high because I end up filling my cart with impulse buys!
I always keep vegetable bullion on hand–since I’m usually cooking for one, I rarely need a whole or even half can of broth. With bullion, you can use just what you need!
Walnuts, almonds, and raisins are also staples for me.
oh i miss whole foods! i used to have one down the street from me in grad school. now it’s over an hour and a half away
. thinking about making a trip to stock up on some goodies. like kombucha. some other staples i love are couscous, peanut butter, and dark chocolate (gotta have it in the house at all times!).
Definitely have to enter this! I could spend hours, and a large wad of cash, in Whole Foods.
Oh me too girl!! I didn’t forget about Hot House! Maybe sometime next week?
I live in the bulk section at Whole Foods Market! It is a fantastic place to really stock up on so many healthy foods. 1 pd of anything there can serve about 10 or more people. Two things we always have on stock from the bulk section is nutritional yeast and TVP. Yum!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
This is something I always have an issue with: how do I stock my cupboards with meaningful foods without breaking the bank?
Thanks again and good luck!!
most of those items are pantry staples for me too! i’m having a hard time coming up with any other staples that aren’t on the list. i guess breadcrumbs, chia seeds, flax, and nuts are also staples for me.
Yes- chia seeds. Forgot those little guys!!
A pantry stocked with healthy foods is a must! We always have brown rice, beans, whole grain pasta, pasta sauce, a few varieties of Kellogg’s FiberPlus(R) cereal, apples, bananas and raisins on hand. Oh, and spices! Those are a must.
Bulk foods is the way to go
Rolled oats are key and we always have quinoa and nuts and seeds too. But most importantly there is always a jar of peanut butter ready to go!
I can’t believe I forgot about my nuts and nut butters. Those are must-haves.
I love Whole Foods, I drive 35 miles one way to get the closest location, well worth it. I plan before I shop so I only need to go back every 4 months, bulk foods go a long, plus they let you stack their coupons with manufacturer coupons!
Really?!? I’ll have to inquire about the coupon stacking at my location. Good to know.
Having a stocked pantry is key to healthy eating! I also like to have a stocked up fridge – we’ll make a big batch of brown/wild rice to eat throughout the week and also have a big bowl of salad washed and reading to go
I totally agree! I usually make a batch of quinoa and buy salad greens as well as other fresh veggies and fruits to have one hand for the week. It works out really well for quick meals.
I definitely have heard that I have a pantry that’s enough to feed a family of four… and I’m single! My pantry has benefitted many people, as I’ve always had enough on hand to make random dinners and to give away if they needed something. I always hit up the bulk bins to stock my pantry, even more so now that I live an hour away from the nearest Whole Foods!
A staple I’m known for: unique jams & mustards.
yes to keeping healthy food stocked and on hand!! totally agree! makes life easier when you have great choices around!
What a great idea and thanks for the heads up on the contest! I could always use an excuse to up my grocery budget…