This took me long enough to put together. I apologize! I had a request for this post a while back. I initially was going to shoot a video… then I shot it wrong and it was a mess. THEN I re-shot it… and it still didn’t look right. It was giving me major anxiety… so much that I put it off entirely and didn’t want to come back to it. AH, I am horrible at video. I want to get better… maybe that will be something I work on this year. But I didn’t want to not write this post because the video wasn’t coming out great.
SO, here I am with a regular ‘ol post. I hope you guys don’t mind. Maybe in the future, I’ll re-shoot and do a fridge and pantry tour. But for now, this is what I have for ya.
After the tour, I am also sharing my top 10 pantry essentials and why. 💚
Also note – I didn’t even edit these photos. This is a pretty rough look at what we have going on… because it’s real life, right? No one’s pantry or fridge looks perfect at all times… including ours. I’d like to think it looks authentic, lol!
What’s in my fridge and pantry? Well, a whole lot. We keep it pretty stocked up. The fridge part will change more often than the pantry, but I’ll be honest… it looks like the below pretty consistently. It’s winter over here so things aren’t as fresh and colorful as I’d like (hey, maybe I’ll do a video tour in the summer). But we do our best. Let’s start with the fridge.
Fridge
Top shelf is lots of non-dairy milk. My husband and I drink almond while Willow drinks Ripple and coconut or cashew. Some OJ. BBQ sauce, lentil soup leftovers… and a ton of leftovers on the second shelf… I spy mashed potatoes, rice, yogurt, sweet potato fries… and cat food.
Some carrots, tofu, pickles, tomatoes, blackberries. Then all the bread products – wraps, whole wheat, burger buns, etc.
Top is where greens usually go – looks like we only have celery, broccoli, zucchini, and cucumber on hand this week. Then apples, oranges, pears, lemons, limes.
Some vegan cream cheese and earth balance butter… more milk and Willow’s sippy cups ready to roll.
Hodge podge of condiments and whatnot. Hot sauce, mustards, salsa, jam, soy sauce, thai sauce, bbq sauce.
In the freezer we have some extra ice, raw cashews (for cashew cheese), waffles for Willow, bread, veggie burgers, tempeh. I also spy some chicken breasts for my husband.
A whole lot of frozen veggies, hash browns, and frozen fruit for smoothies.
On the door, we have frozen bananas, walnuts, a rogue veggie burger, dough, and below (you can’t really see them) are frozen muffins and pancakes that I have for Willow.
Pantry
Grains and more grains. Rice, oats, popcorn kernels, barley, quinoa, freekeh, flours, corn starch, sugar…
Crackers, veggie straws, chips (we don’t usually have chips in the house but this was for company we had for holidays), pastas, noodles.
Willow’s snack drawer, basically. Her crackers, fig bars, cheerios… then mama’s cocoa powder.
This drawer is a mess… so many things lol. Lots of nut butters, canned fruit, coconut milk, apple sauce, salt, bread crumb, condiments, etc.
Canned veggies, beans, tomato base products, etc.
Dry beans and lentils, more popcorn kernels, extra salt…
The baking drawer is a disaster… you accumulate a lot as you continue to bake, honestly. But major ingredients here that I use a lot are flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, coconut flour, chocolate chips, date sugar, molasses…
Teas and coffees!
Last but not least, potatoes, onions, garlic, oils, vinegars, etc.
My Top 10 Pantry Essentials
1.Textured vegetable protein, also known as TVP. At about $3-4 a bag, this stuff is a no-brainer. It is a complete protein – a soy product – that you rehydrate and can be used like beef crumbles. I love to use this in soups, chilis, taco or burritos, American chop suey, shepherd’s pie… whatever you used to make with beef crumbles, you can use this with similar results. And you get a lot of use out of 1 bag since it rehydrates! A must-have in every vegan/vegetarian pantry.
2. Cashews. My favorite vegan “cheese”. Cashews can be blended up with seasonings to make things such as vegan queso, creamy sauces, mac and cheese, dressings, sour cream, “ricotta” in lasagna and pastas, pizza topping, etc. I couldn’t live without cashews.
3. Canned jackfruit. Trader Joe’s has a can of jackfruit for about $2 and that, my friend, is much cheaper than any cut of meat you’ll find at a grocery store. You can use it in dishes that call for pulled pork or pulled chicken. My favorite ways to enjoy: BBQ jackfruit, jackfruit enchiladas, and jackfruit and cheese quesadillas. It’s such an interesting fruit and I am very grateful for it.
4. Nutritional yeast. I’m sure you have heard plant-eaters raving about nooch because it is worth raving about. This powdery yeast is as cheesy as it gets. A bottle can run you about $8 or so (this is my favorite brand – affiliate link), but it lasts you quite a bit if you are only using a tbsp or so here and there. I use in creamy/cheesy sauce recipes, tofu scrambles, on my popcorn… pretty much anytime I want something to be cheesy, I turn to nooch. It’s also a great source of B12 for vegans.
5. Lentils. This one seems basic but worth a mention because lentils are probably the most budget-friendly sources of protein/iron you can get as a vegan and they can be used in sooo many ways. Soups are the obvious choice, but also as a meat substitute in recipes such as sloppy joe’s, shepherd’s pie, chili, and even Italian meatballs (these are to die for). One of my favorite uses for lentils as a mom is to blend into red sauce to boost up the protein and iron in my plant-based toddler’s pasta. She loves pasta with red sauce and won’t notice the difference. She also loves lentil soup as is, but this is just a welcome change.
6. Applesauce. Unsweetened applesauce is a must-have in my pantry because I do a whole lot of baking and this can be used as an egg replacer or even in place of oil (if you are avoiding). It usually takes about 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce to replace a whole egg in most cake or brownie recipes.
7. Ground flaxseed. I use ground flaxseed everyday (no joke) and a bag of it will last FOR-EV-ER. I always sprinkle a tbsp into our morning oats to bulk them up and for that boost in omegas. I also always add to our pancake batter. But aside from that, this is another great egg replacer in baking. To replace one egg, you use a tbsp of ground flaxseed and mix with 3 tbsp of water. After letting it sit a few minutes, it thickens. You won’t notice any change in flavor.
8. Oats. Here’s another no-brainer, but really. Oats are dirt cheap and can be used for more than just your average oatmeal breakfast. I like to blend mine into a fine powder and use in my pancake recipes for a healthier alternative.
9. Chickpea flour. This is a big one for me lately because I am obsessed with making chickpea “egg” sandwiches. This is a great protein source and really does a great job replicating an egg. You can scramble, make an omelet, or even use for quiche recipes. I highly recommend having it on hand if you are a savory breakfast kind of person and want a change from the usual tofu.
10. Dried beans. Another straight-forward choice but I find that dried beans are not only more bang for your buck but taste so much better. The texture and flavor are really worth the extra effort. Nothing wrong with canned, especially because they are great in a pinch, but I am calling out dried beans because they are our preference. Chickpeas especially!! They are so much more flavorful and plump up so nicely.
