Stock-Up on Foods That Will Last
Stock up on foods that will last longer in your cabinet, fridge, and freezer.
Carbohydrates and Protein:
- Flour: Brown rice flour, whole-wheat flour, or coconut flour
- Gains: Rice, pasta- whole-wheat, bean/quinoa blend, steel cut or old-fashioned oatmeal, quinoa, cereal*, popcorn kernels, crackers**
- Breads: 100% whole-wheat English muffins, 100% whole-wheat bread or Ezekiel bread, tortillas
- Beans/legumes: dried or canned beans, dried legumes
*Some healthy cereal brands: Nature’s Path Whole O’s, Trader Joes Shredded Bite Size Wheats, Barbara’s Multigrain Puffins, Kashi 7 whole grain flakes, Kashi Autumn Wheat, Kashi Go Lean Original
**Some healthy crackers: Mary’s Gone Crackers, Crunchmeister multi-seed crackers, Blue Diamond Nut Thins, Nabisco Triscuits
Fats:
- Oils: avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil
Fats and Protein:
- Butter- peanut butter, nut or seed butters like sunflower seed butter or almond butter
- Fish- canned tuna or salmon, frozen fish
- Meats- frozen lean ground beef/chicken/turkey/bison. Chicken sausage, turkey sausage.
- Certain protein powders*, certain protein bars*, shelf-stable milk or nut milk, powdered milk, powdered eggs, fresh eggs**
*Contact a Registered Dietitian to discuss which foods fit your needs- your food sensitivities, food allergies and flavor profiles.
**To see if eggs are still fresh- conduct the float test. This test measures the amount of air that goes through an egg’s porous shell. To conduct: submerge in a glass of water. If the egg floats, it is time to toss the egg. If the egg sinks and lays on it’s side, it is fresh! If the egg stands up straight at the bottom of the glass then you should eat it soon.
Flavor:
- Dried spices- oregano, cilantro, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, etc.
- Sauces- tomato sauce or tomato paste and crushed tomatoes to make your own. Red, yellow, or green curry. Coconut aminos, mushroom sauce, salsa, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, low-sodium chicken/turkey/beef broth
Baking goods:
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Active yeast
- Nutritional yeast
Treats:
- Frozen grapes cut into halves
- Frozen raspberries with some dark chocolate chips
- Frozen Yasso bars
- Fair Trade Organic Dark Chocolate
- Dagoba Organic Dark Chocolate Beaucoup Berries
- Outshine Frozen Fruit Bar
- Annie’s homegrown honey Bunny Grahams
- Trader Joes Dark Chocolate Peanut butter Cups
Other Ideas:
- Roots and gourds like acorn squash, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric have a long shelf life when stored in a cool dark place
- Canned or jarred banana peppers, olives, jalapenos, or pickled vegetables can add a lot of flavor to a meal
- Green onions- cut and chop down to the white part, save and put into a cup- with only1/2 inch of water covering the bottom. Place in a window and watch the green part regrow to re-use.
- Buy basil, cilantro and other herbs to keep on the windowsill to last longer and provide flavor in your dishes.
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Briana Bruinooge, RD, LD, CSSD, Certified Personal Trainer
Specialties: Performance nutrition for athletes, weight management, meal planning, motivation/goal setting and positive body image awareness
Locations: Portsmouth, NH; Worksite Wellness; Tele-Health