Believe it or not, I didn’t always have a ton of high-quality products in my pantry. It used to be full of sugary breakfast cereals, pop tarts, canola oil, processed foods and all sorts of things I don’t eat anymore.

One of the biggest things I struggled with when starting to make healthier, higher-quality food choices day in and day out was WHAT DO I STOCK MY PANTRY WITH?! It all felt super overwhelming and expensive, so it was something I put off for a while and ended up slowly transitioning over time.

The pantry is like the backbone of most households when it comes to making meals and what you have in it will likely dictate how healthy or unhealthy your meals are. Of course what’s fresh and in the fridge has a big influence too, but with every meal we make, we’re usually grabbing SOMETHING out of the pantry.

When it comes to revamping your pantry, there’s a few different approaches.

You can either 1. Throw out everything that has ingredients in it you no longer would like to consume and start from scratch buying all new things, OR 2. You can slowly reintroduce better products as you run out of your old ones. There is no right way to do this, so do whatever works best for you!

If you’re looking at how and where to buy quality products to fill your pantry with, I always end up going to Natural Grocers because they have SO MANY different brand names and high-quality products with fair prices. If you haven’t been to a Natural Grocers before, check out their store finder and see if there’s one near you!

Things to look for when buying new products:

1. ALWAYS READ the ingredients list! Just because a product promotes itself as “Organic” and “Healthy” or even “Gluten Free” doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily better.
2. Look for added sugars, preservatives, colors, GMO’s etc.
3. Compare prices! If you’re budgeting, there’s no shame in taking your time as you walk through the store to figure out how to get the best bang for your buck. Take your time!
4. Be patient with yourself as you make the transition to healthier products for your family. For most people, this is not a SWITCH that all the sudden flips, but a process over time. Do the best you can with what you can.
5. ENJOY the process! Save some extra time in your schedule to go do this, don’t rush yourself.

I’ve split the pantry into a few different categories to make this easier to navigate as well as my favorite brands in the parenthesis:

Gluten Free Grains:

• Jasmine White Rice (Lundberg)
• Gluten Free Quick Oats (Bobs Red Mill)
• Quinoa (Bobs Red Mill)
• Gluten Free Bread/Bagels (Canyon Bakehouse, Outside The Breadbox)
• Gluten Free Pasta (Tinkyada)

Oils/Sauces:

• Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs, Natural Grocers Brand)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Coconut Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar (Napa Valley Naturals)
• Champagne Vinegar (Napa Valley Naturals)
• Sesame Oil (Napa Valley Naturals)
• Free Range Chicken Broth- low sodium (Pacific Foods)
• Organic Vegetable Broth- low sodium (Pacific Foods)
• Sriracha (Natural Value)

Canned Foods

• Organic Pasta Sauce (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Tomato Paste (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Wild Caught Sardines (Wild Planet)
• Wild Caught Tuna Fish (Wild Planet)
• Olives (Divina)
• Full Fat Coconut Milk (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Beans (garbanzo, kidney, black, etc.) (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Mustard (Kensingtons)
• Ketchup (Kensingtons)
• Mayo (kensingtons)

Snacks

• Tortilla Chips (Siete Foods)
• Potato Chips (Jacksons Honest)
• Crackers (Simple Mills, Absolutely Gluten Free)
• Rice Cakes (Lundberg)
• Plantain Chips
• Dried Fruit, Sulfur Free (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Snack Bars (Epic, GoMacro, Kind)
• Fruit Snacks (Annies)

Sweets

• Caramels (Cocomels)
• Chocolate Bars (Taza, AlterEco)
• Chocolate Truffles (AlterEco)
• Brownie/cookie Mixes (Simple Mills, Pamela’s)

Baking

• Almond Flour (Bobs Red Mill)
• Coconut Flour (Bobs Red Mill)
• Cassava Flour (Bobs Red Mill)
• Tapioca Flour (Bobs Red Mill)
• Arrowroot Flour (Bobs Red Mill)
• Pancake Mix (Pamelas)
• Gluten Free Breadcrumbs (Ians, Outside The Bread Box)
• Chia Seeds (Bobs Red Mill)
• Coconut Sugar (Navitas)
• Raw Honey (Natural Grocers, local brands in your area)
• Pure Maple Syrup (Shady Maple Farms, Natural Grocers Brand)
• Stevia (NuNaturals)
• Mineral Salt (Redmonds)
• Baking Powder (Bobs Red Mill)
• Baking Soda (Bobs Red Mill)
• Cacao Powder (Natural Grocers Brand)
• Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life)
• Vanilla Extract (Simply Organic)

Misc.

• Raw Nut Butters
• Coconut Butter
• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Winter Squash
• Plantains
• Sparkling Water (Topo Chico + La Croix)

If you have any questions for me, please leave a comment! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but more so what we personally stock up on in the Crowell Household and make sure we have extras of!

*This post is sponsored and paid for by Natural Grocers, a local grocery store I visit frequently and truly love! All opinions are my own.