My Favorite Healthy Kitchen Pantry Staples: For Quick, Easy & Delicious Plant-Based/Vegan Meals

 

Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers

 

If you've received this post via email click here for the web version--It has lots of photos, so the web my display better than email.

 

Seems like lately I have less & less time to blog--with traveling to Connecticut, my job, working on Saturday, emergency shopping for a new clothes dryer and a car (time & money)--blah, blah, blah.  I'm home today--just got back from a fantastic 1/2 spinning--1/2 weight-lifting exercise class & I'm determined to unload at least 5 posts.  Yeah right--when will I learn?

Numero Uno Post!  What's in my pantry these days?  I'm always getting emails asking for a post about my favorite food products--so here goes!

 The Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers

I'm about to save you a whole lot of time & money on all that fresh produce crammed in your refrigerator.

On August 24 here's what my favorite sister-in-law emailed me:

.i've come across these safe plastic containers for food storage that are phenomenal-i've had cilantro last 2 weeks, no kidding. i found them in georgia at the Home Goods TJ Maxx store, but  they must be around everywhere and maybe even sur la table etc. the name is: "Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers" -i got a set of three and will definitely buy more-forget the bags!  Your favorite sister-in-law

Last February 2010 I was all about storing my sprouts, veggies, and greens in PEAKfresh Produce Bags.  Well, the thrill is gone.  Kinetic Go Green has stolen my heart! 

Here's why:  It was impossible to find anything in a fridge filled with unidentifiable plastic bags stacked one on top of each other--and I HATED washing them out to reuse them.  Here's what I wrote back in February.   Don't bother.

My friend Marge offered to picked up 2 sets of the Go Green Containers for me at a TJ Maxx Home Goods store near where she works--an offer I couldn't refuse.  They aren't cheap--$24.00 for a set of 1 large container that's great for greens--and 2 smaller ones that work for berries, leftovers, herbs, mushrooms, or green beans.  

My sis-in-law was absolutely right!  These containers really do keep my greens, herbs, and produce fresher longer--like about 2 weeks or more--and they are see-through and stackable.  All the reviews I read about this product are glowing. 

To be honest, I don't know much about the FDA Approved Nana Silver Technology used in these containers--maybe one of you will.  For many of you--this will be probably be a deal-breaker.  Looking online I learned that silver nano-particles prevent against spoilage and protect against the colonization of harmful bacteria--but there are also some articles that call for more research before it's used in our food packaging.  Think BPA in Nalgene water bottles.  Click here to read more.  Tom, the scientist, any thoughts? 

"Kinetic's Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers feature BPA Free Plastic Food Storage with FDA Approved Nano Silver Technology that keeps your foods fresher up to 3 times longer than conventional plastic food storage. Airtight & Watertight Silicone Seal. Refrigerator & Freezer Safe. Microwave Safe & Top Rack Dishwasher Safe." Quote comes from their website  Me: Don't ever microwave plastic or put it in the dishwasher!

Love the Stackable & Findable Refrigerator Storage

  

Some of My Favorite Plant-Based Food Finds

For Breakfast:

Wildwood Soyogurt-the Best Plain Unsweetened Soy Yogurt I Have Tasted.  Find it at Health Food Stores--not at Whole Foods.  No bloat-no discomfort non-dairy yogurt.  Love this stuff!

Trader Joe's Very Cherry Berry Blend with Sweet Cherries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries. The Best Mix of Frozen Berries I've Ever Tasted.  Use it in smoothies, on top of yogurt or steel-cut oatmeal or all by itself.

For Breakfast, Lunch, or just a Snack.  Soyogurt, Berries, and Chia

Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal--This is my husband's favorite after-dinner snack. 

Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Muffins topped with PB2 & All-Fruit Spread & Chia--is a fast-delicious-take-with-you breakfast.  The 7-grain Ezekiel Sprouted Muffins (no raisins) are wonderful for sandwiches.

PB2 or Trader Joe's "Powdered Peanut Butter" on Ezekiel English Muffins--Breakfast on the Run!

PB2 or TJ's Powdered Peanut Butter (aka defatted peanut flour)

Dinner Pantry Staples

I wouldn't want to be without any of these products--they make meals delicious & quick.

I literally Hoard Kabuli Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts in my freezer!  It's an almost INSTANT dinner when you top it with jarred spaghetti sauce, jarred roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh basil, water-packed artichoke hearts, canned mushrooms--and anything else that you don't have to chop & saute first! Just Hold the Cheese!  I can only find these at one local health food store--and not at Whole Foods.

You Will NEVER MISS the cheese on a veggie loaded Kabuli Crust pizza

Alvarado Street Sprouted Burger Buns--made with Sprouted Whole Wheat Berries & Whole Wheat Flour--Just 140 Calories a Bun, 3 Grams of Fiber, 7 Grams of Protein.  Great for Sandwiches and Homemade or Frozen Veggie Burgers

Mestemacher's Whole-Grained Thin-Sliced German Specialty Breads.  These are dense breads unlike any other.  They come in multiple grain varieties & unopened have a long shelf-life.  Great for traveling.  Delicious for snacks when toasted, spread with hummus & topped with sliced tomato, roasted red pepper, or kalamata olives.  Find at specialty & health food stores. 

My Lazy-Girl Indulgence--Frozen Brown Rice in 2 cup Microwaveable Pouches.  Get the Rice Expression brand in regular grocery stores--or Trader Joe's (much cheaper) Brand.  What a time-saver!!

Bionaturae is an Artisan Pasta made from freshly-milled wheat from small farms in Italy.  The taste is incomparable to other whole-grain pastas!  Comes in all pasta varieties.  Find at health food stores.  Recently reviewed on New York Times--best tasting whole wheat paste.  I agree!  Click here.

Hodgson Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pasta--Great Tasting with the Added Bonus of Flax for a better Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio

Muir Glen Portabello Mushroom Pasta Sauce--one of my three favorite no-fat pasta/pizza sauces.  The other two are:  Trader Joe's Fat-Free Organic Spaghetti Sauce with Mushrooms and Whole Foods 365 Organic Pasta Sauce

Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Crushed Tomatoes are THE BEST for all recipes calling for diced or chopped tomatoes!  Also try their Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes in Adobo-Sauce (FANTASTIC for Spicy Flavor) & their latest: Fire-Roasted Diced No-Salt Tomatoes.

Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs--Use for any recipes calling for whole wheat breadcrumbs.  Great for oil-free crunchy breadcrumb toppings for casseroles!

Bearito's Organic Vegetarian Refried Beans with Green Chilis.  Great for stuffing into tortillas along with salsa, or for Dr. Neal Barnard's Three Layer Tortilla Casserole.  Click here for recipe

Trader Joe's Steamed Ready-to-Eat French Lentils.  Long Shelf-Life Unopened.  Great to top a salad, add to a humus sandwich, for a quick-to-make Mediterranean Salad, or lentil soup.  These are firm--not mushy lentils. 

Mediterranean Lentil Salad made with Trader Joe's Cooked Lentils.  Click here for the recipe.

A Lentil Humus Tomato Cucumber Red Pepper Sandwich

I alway stock up on Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (Pacific Brand or Trader Joe's).  I use it instead of oil for sauteeing vegetables and when recipes include broth.  For coffee--soymilk (not the light variety) really works almost as well as cream (??!!!)  For cereal, hot cocoa, chocolate banana milkshakes, and cooking, I like Pacific Brand Oat Milk, Almond Milk, and Hazelnut Milk.  I use plain unsweetened soymilk when I need an unflavored milk substitute for a recipe.  *These are on the Esselstyn's approved food lists--but they recommend looking for no added oil or sugar in the ingredients.

This is just a sampling of products that make eating plant-based quick & easy. I've skipped the usual suspects of beans, cereals, grains, seasonings, and spices.

I'd love to hear what's on  everyone else's Must Have in the Pantry List!

Comments

[Gael in Vermont]

Looks like my pantry!
I can't live without Bionaturae GLUTEN-FREE pasta...I think, hands down, it's the BEST gluten-free pasta out there - and I've tasted them all. Most are mushy and tasteless, but Bionaturae is almost identical to real pasta. My friends can't tell the difference. I also must have quinoa... a true staple in my pantry. I know we're working hard towards no-added fat, but sometimes, I get the urge. At those weak times, I can turn to original recipe Veganaise...OMG, tastes like Hellman's to me! Love the stuff, but I don't use it too often. I'm trying to be good! Is the Ezekial bread gluten-free??????

[Healthy Librarian]

Gael,
Thanks for the tip about Bionaturae having gluten free pasta--I didn't know that! My friend Barb will be happy to hear that. Some Ezekiel products are gluten-free but you have to look at the labels--they have an English muffin & tortilla that are gluten-free. Totally understand the urge for something like Veganaise every once in a while! I agree about the Quinoa as a pantry staple.

[Jeff]

A 7 piece of the Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers can be bought at Amazon for $24.99.

[Ellen @ I Am Gluten Free]

I was given the green bags (Mrs. Mayer's???…not sure) by a friend and didn't use them for about a year. I finally tried them a few weeks ago and it didn't take long for me to realize they work like a charm. However, I agree with you about the nuisance of washing them out etc. I've seen the Go Green plastic boxes and can understand why you'd think they are fantastic. I'll defiintely pick up a set now that I've tried the bags. The boxes will be so much more convenient!

[Barbara]

This is a fantastic list - thanks! That pizza looks wonderful.

The only pantry item I can add is nutritional yeast. It's definitely an acquired taste but now that I've acquired it, I like to sprinkle it on broccoli or kale, along with fresh lemon juice. Whole Foods carries little jars of Red Star.

I did a quick look about silver nanoparticles (couldn't resist) and saw the link below. I hadn't realized how prevalent this technology is - I never even heard of it until I read your post. It's in socks and washing machines (!) as well as your containers. Maybe you already found this - ?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429135502.htm
Silver Nanoparticles May Be Killing Beneficial Bacteria In Wastewater Treatment.

According to Zhiqiang Hu, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in MU's College of Engineering: "Because of the increasing use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products, the risk that this material will be released into sewage lines, wastewater treatment facilities, and, eventually, to rivers, streams and lakes is of concern." "We found that silver nanoparticles are extremely toxic. The nanoparticles destroy the benign species of bacteria that are used for wastewater treatment. It basically halts the reproduction activity of the good bacteria."
Hu said silver nanoparticles generate more unique chemicals, known as highly reactive oxygen species, than do larger forms of silver. These oxygen species chemicals likely inhibit bacterial growth. For example, the use of wastewater treatment "sludge" as land-application fertilizer is a common practice, according to Hu. If high levels of silver nanoparticles are present in the sludge, soil used to grow food crops may be harmed.

Barbara

[MG]

I picked up a bag of the Ian's breadcrumbs today and look forward to trying them! What else do you use them in? I'd also like to suggest Pyrex or other glass containers for travelware. Heavier than plastic but no plastic to leach into your food provided you don't add steaming food or fill too high. Even BPA-free plastic leaches xenoestrogens (estrogen-like substances) and other harmful compounds. Glass cleans like a charm, too!

[Pam]

re: plastic containers...Wht do you use to take lunch to work? Is it safe to heat up lunch in plastic containers in the microwave?

[Healthy Librarian]

MG--Thanks for the gentle reminder about the benefits of glass. I keep glass containers in my desk drawer at work to heat things up--but don't use it for travel ware or home storage--because of weight & it's harder to have enough containers to store all my leftover. Maybe I need to reconsider.

Pam--I use plastic to carry things--but never put anything hot in them--and never heat things up in them. Big No-No. I keep a glass bowl, and a smaller square glass conainer with a glass lid at work for heating in the microwave.

[MG]

Where did you buy the glass-lidded container? I have one that I'd guess is from the 1950s. My mom balked about switching to glass but once she did has not looked back. Plastic leaches to a degree even at room or cooler temp, although heat does make a big difference. I'm not sure if re-using plastic causes it to leach at a greater rate or not.

[Healthy Librarian]

MG--My sister bought me a 3-sized set at Crate & Barrel about 1 1/2 years ago. They are fantastic. When I was there this summer to pickup more they said they were discontinued. Darn. Instead they just have glass containers with plastic lids. You're right--the glass-lids were definitely 1950's.

I did get a Pyrex set with plastic lids from Costco--but the sizes are all graduated--not really what I was after for everyday storage.

[Chris G.]

I've recently have been adding organic Hemp Seed protein powder for green smoothies. I swore I'd never do such a thing, but I was concerned with how much protein I was getting in my plant-based diet and my nearly all carb smoothies. The nutritional profile of this stuff is amazing. Omega 3 : Omega 6 at 1:4, all the carbs from fiber (8g per serving = 30% of RDA), a full complement of amino acids, B-vitamins, and it tastes fine. Kind of nutty. Perhaps it will surprise you to?

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Harvest-Original-16-Ounce-Container/dp/B000E23VXW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287624488&sr=8-2

[Healthy Librarian]

Hi Chris,

So interesting that you've added the hemp protein. I started thinking the same thing--because I do exercise almost daily. I actually picked up something called "Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 50" at Whole Foods about a month ago. 15 grams of protein in 4 TBS, 130 calories--but I've only used it once--no particular reason.

I like the nutrient breakdown of your hemp better--less fat, less calories.

So..the $64,000 question. What do you think about it so far--re how you feel? Let me know. I value your opinions.