I’m all about staying healthy by eating a well balanced diet.  My opinion is you should eat foods in their most natural states to get the most benefit.  Each food has its own benefits, vitamins, minerals, that it has to offer which is why it is important to eat a variety.

Here’s one example of what I mean; ConAgra Foods, Inc., one of North America’s leading food makers, presented research findings this week exploring the unique cardiovascular benefits of tomatoes as part of a heart-healthy diet. Recent studies have suggested that the distinct combination of nutrients found in tomatoes may have a measurable impact on heart disease prevention.  According to a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lycopene absorption is 2-3 times greater in canned tomato products than raw tomatoes.  Using Hunt’s canned tomatoes is a great way to get a significant source of fiber, Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene into your diet.

I talk about eating wholesomely on this blog over and over (and over…and over…).  I’ve talked about which grocery items my family buys/eats organically and which ones I do not.  I’ve talked about how regardless of whether I buy organic or not, I try to buy whole foods (not processed – or as minimally processed as possible).  I cook from scratch and have shared lots of my tried and true recipes with you.  And, through this journey of mine I’ve gone from eating lots of processed foods to very little and I’ve realized that cooking from scratch often doesn’t require that much more work than preparing processed foods.

Another realization I’ve had is that my pantry looks a lot different.  It doesn’t have nearly as many items in it but yet I can prepare a lot of new foods I didn’t before!  How does that happen?  I’ve learned to bake a lot of things I used to purchase and instead of buying hotdog buns, hamburger buns, pita bread, tortillas, loaf bread, baguette, etc, I can make it all buy purchasing a bag of flour (which I was already buying) and a jar of yeast.  That is a big savings in waste and in money!  There are more examples of this where instead of buying a lot of different foods, I buy a few ingredients to make several different things.

So what will you see in my pantry?

• dried beans
• canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (I prefer Hunts)
• dried pasta
• lots of baking ingredients like different types of flour in bins, yeast
• powdered sugar, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey
• dried fruits (raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, blueberries) & nuts (almonds, pecans)
• Rice (brown, white, yellow, & Aborio)
• Canned Tuna & chicken
• Cereal, Oatmeal, & Grits
• Tea bags (I’m a southern gal!) & Coffee
• Soda Crackers, Club Crackers, other assorted crackers
• Bottles of Organic Juices
• Home Canned Pears, Applesauce, Pear Sauce, Pickles, Jellies, & Spaghetti Sauce
• Canned Green Beans, Corn, Various Canned Beans, Chiles, Baked Beans, Rotele,
• Peanut Butter, Pie Filing, Jell-O, Popcorn Kernels, Chocolate Chips
• Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, Teriyaki sauce, Relish, Mustard, & soy sauce

Okay, so you’ve had a peek into what is almost always in my pantry, now how do I use these ingredients? Check out all the recipes on my blog for ideas but here’s one of our favorites to fix for parties!  I’m sure you’ll be going to more than a few of those in the coming weeks, so add this to your tool belt!  I make this for parties year round because it can be made out of a few ingredients + stuff I always keep in my pantry!  It is always a hit and it makes a bunch (hence why it is great for parties)!  It has many other names: Redneck Caviar, Texas Caviar, probably half a dozen others, but we call it:

Southern Caviar

1 small bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 can black eyed peas (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 small can of yellow niblet corn
2 small cans of white shoepeg corn
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 medium green pepper, chopped finely
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped finely
1 can Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

Mix all ingredients together. Stir and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours (even better if you can do it a day before). Serve chilled to room temperature with Frito Scoops.