The Foods That I Always Have In My House

There are certain food staples that I always have in my house.  They are my healthy family food staples.

Sweet Potatoes- They are great because you can mix them into other foods, bake them, mash them, or blend them into soup.  Whatever you want, but they are very good for you and they are delicious. I have previously wrote a post about a couple sweet potato recipes that you can find here: https://halfcrazymama.com/2013/01/07/easy-healthy-deliciousness-sweet-potatoes/

Spinach- It is a great vegetable that can last for a while in the fridge.  I always buy the huge box of it because of how much I cook with it.  It super easy to make a quick salad, just throw some dried fruit and almonds on and toss in a light balsamic vinaigrette.  I cook with it all the time.  Add it to a quesadilla, throw some in the pasta dish I’m cooking, saute some for a side with any meal, blend with a berry smoothie I’m making for my almost 3 year old (tip, don’t put the smoothie in a clear cup so they don’t see it’s green and they won’t know the difference!).  It is so easy and versatile.

Dried fruits and nuts- I keep all kinds of dried fruits and nuts in canisters on my counter so it is easy to access.  My husband and I are than way more likely to snack on them than digging into the pantry for other foods.  I buy all sorts dried food at farmers market.  I always have raw almonds and pistachios.  Having them on the counter also makes it very easy to fill a baggy and take in the car for my snack as I am running errands.

Greek yogurt- I LOVE greek yogurt and so does my family.  I usually have a big container of plain nonfat greek yogurt to cook with or use with my own mix ins.  I also buy the single serving flavored ones because it is easier to get my family to eat those.  Fage, Greek Gods, Chobani they are all delicious.  To be honest at this point in time I usually buy what is on sale.

Bananas- easy for snacks, lunches, to cook with, add to cereal or oatmeal, and quite frankly it is a fruit that my almost 3 year old and my husband will eat.

Light String Cheese- Again, this is a super easy grab and go snack and I find that it is more filling and satisfying than a lot of other snacks with bigger calorie price tags.

Berries- Strawberries, blueberries, and rasberries, I try to have all 3 on hand, but sometimes they are harder to find or out of season.  Living in California though the odds are good that my local grocery store has all 3 in stock.  My almost 3 year old also will eat berries.  They make great snacks by themselves, cereal mix ins, yogurt toppers, or smoothies.

Old fashion oats- I cook oatmeal frequently, but I also cook “breakfast cookies” with it.  Mix some ingredients like pumpkin, greek yogurt , etc with oats and I make “cookies” that my family will eat along with healthier ingredients than actual cookies.

These foods help me make healthier decisions for myself and my family.

What are some of your must have food staples?