Although it may seem overwhelming, preparing your kitchen for plant-based eating is easier than you might think. As an added bonus, you just might find yourself saving money on your weekly food bill. Staple foods such as beans (dried or canned), potatoes (white or sweet), squash and bags of brown rice have a low dollar to weight ratio that can more than offset the higher costs of seasonal vegetables and fruit.
Here is a list of food items that we try to keep on hand most of the time. This is by no means an exhaustive list. You may enjoy different plant-based foods than we do so feel free to personalize these suggestions.
Fresh vegetables: Carrots, celery, greens (kale, spinach, arugula, chard, cilantro), sweet peppers, squash, onions, garlic, ginger, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, white potatoes, sweet potatoes
Frozen vegetables: Peas, corn, green beans
Sun-dried tomatoes
Legumes (dried or canned): Black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, chickpeas, lentils
Grains: Brown rice, brown basmati rice, quinoa, rolled oats, cornmeal, whole grain pasta, whole-grain bread, whole-grain tortillas
Fruit: Fresh fruit is best, followed by frozen. Eat canned fruit sparingly.
Fresh fruit: Bananas, apples, oranges, pears
Frozen fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, mangos
Canned fruit: Peaches, pears, pineapples, fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, applesauce
Dried fruit: Raisins, cranberries, dates, prunes
Seeds: Flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds
Nuts (all unsalted): Cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, peanuts
Peanut butter or other nut butter, honey, jam, hummus
Tofu – firm or silken (depending on your favourite recipes)
Non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, oat, etc)
Sauces: Your favourite barbecue sauce, hot sauce, Salsa, tamari or soy sauce, mustard, low sodium/low fat pasta sauce
Vinegars: cider, rice, balsamic, malt
Oil: Canola oil
Lemon juice, lime juice
Nutritional yeast, cocoa powder
Canned diced tomatoes
A small amount of white sugar and brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, coconut extract, corn starch or other sauce thickener, vegetable broth powder or cubes
Whole-wheat or other whole grain flour
Tea: Your favourites
A wide range of herbs and spices – important ones for us are basil, chili powder, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, curry, curry paste, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, thyme
Happy cooking!
Promoting a healthy adventurous lifestyle powered by plants and the strength of scientific evidence.
My name is Debra Harley (BScPhm) and I welcome you to my retirement project, this website. Over the course of a life many lessons are learned, altering deeply-rooted ideas and creating new passions.
