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Vegan Cooking
Does This Pantry Make My Butt Look Fat?
By Tammie Ortlieb
Peter Walsh, in his latest book Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More , suggests that a disorganized overstuffed pantry can lead to either overeating or eating foods that aren't good for you. The more we stock, the more we feel we can eat. Also, the more difficult to find the healthful foods, the more likely we are to grab what is close and easy and possibly not a nutritious option. More importantly, clutter in the closet often represents clutter in the soul; emotions or life issues, maybe, hiding in a bag of Oreos. A clean, organized pantry filled with wholesome foods is a healthful way to nourish the body, the spirit, and a growing family.
But where to start? Keep in mind the old sales trick of "if the customer can see it, she will purchase it." The same goes for food. If you can see it, if it is in a convenient, visible location, you will eat it. This goes for both good and bad foods. Using bins, baskets, crates, or boxes, arrange like items with like items. Keep, for example, a pretty basket on a shelf for all of the bulk nuts. A small rectangular bin can hold loose energy bars. Canned goods get their own space as do dried beans. Check expiration dates often and wipe down the shelves occasionally, clearing away crumbs and onion peels.
Follow this rule of thumb: If it sits on your shelves, it should be something you will eat. Remember the "see it, eat it" concept. If you try it and don?t like it, throw it out or give it away. Likewise, if you know that your body does not need this food, ditch it, ditch it fast. Find a friend who is good with "used food" and salvage what?s left of the package. Or host a tasting party. Everybody brings a brand of food or a dish that the others haven?t tried. In this way, experimentation happens without a lot of waste. And whoever likes the item most can take home any remainder.
If you're experimenting with brands, www.yogawithamey.com/veganpantry.html is a great link with some of the site owner's personal likes and dislikes. Sometimes finding the yummiest version of a vegan food is the easiest way to transition to a totally plant based diet. It's impossible, for example, to judge soymilk by one carton alone. Brands vary widely in their taste. Also check with friends, vegetarian or not, on foods they have tried and kept on the shelves. Many people today are switching to vegetarian food items for heart, cholesterol, or general health reasons. Maybe your neighbor has an absolute favorite veggie burger brand that you've not yet tried. Best way to find new favorites? Ask around.
For those of you who need a general guideline of what to keep on your pantry shelves, Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero has a great section on kitchen cabinet must-haves. Nava Atlas, too, has a nice guide on her website, In a Vegetarian Kitchen. Check out the list of basics at www.vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-pantry.htm. Keep in mind, however, that what fits one family will not necessarily do for another. Each household has its own likes and dislikes. Just because you're vegan, for example, does not mean that you have to ever eat tofu. It doesn't even mean that you will even like tofu. So be sure to stock your shelves with items you will use.
What to do with all that stuff you're clearing from your shelves? Find a friend who is good with accepting "used food" or temporarily adopt a family in need. Food banks will usually accept nonperishable unopened food items in non-breakable containers. Host a swap party. Similar to a clothing swap, guests bring pantry items to display and trade. Any items left at the end go to a food bank or a needy family. Another option is to simply use up what you have and avoid replacing it when it's gone.
The goal here? Save money, buy less. In the end this benefits not only your pocketbook, but the environment and your waistline. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we humans currently face an obesity epidemic. More than 1 billion individuals worldwide are overweight, with nearly 300 million of those obese. Obesity contributes to chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain forms of cancers. WHO attributes the sudden rise in obesity levels to "Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity" among other reasons. And, yes, this can apply to the vegan diet.
So, set aside an afternoon, grab a few trash bags, and own up to those issues lurking behind your pantry door.
Staples for the Vegan Pantry
Canned goods
- diced tomatoes (you'll also want some tomato sauce and tomato paste on hand for whipping up some homemade pizza sauce or marinara)
- beans of all kinds (look for no salt added varieties; try cannellini, dark red kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans)
- fruit (in its own juice, also canned pumpkin)
- vegetable broth (again, look for low- or no-sodium brands)
Dried beans
- lentils (all colors: red, green, brown)
- split-peas (yellow and green)
- black beans
- pinto beans
- navy beans
- adzuki beans
- Great Northern beans
- kidney beans
- flava beans
- black-eyed peas
Grains
- steel cut oats
- brown rice
- whole wheat couscous
- quinoa
- barley (add a bit to soups for extra flavor!)
Nut & Seeds
- cashews
- almonds (sliced, slivered, whole)
- walnuts (invest in a good chopper for crushed walnuts in seconds!)
- pecans
- pine nuts
- peanuts (which actually aren't nuts at all, but let's put them in here)
- sunflower seeds (great on salads)
- poppy seeds (mix into dinner muffins)
- sesame seeds (sprinkle some in your next stir-fry)
Pasta
- stock lots of varieties of whole wheat pastas (spaghetti, rotini, elbow noodles, penne, lasagna, capellini, manicotti)
Article continues below
Ten Steps to a Clean and Green Pantry:
Dump white, refined carbohydrates - load up, instead, on whole grains like steel cut oats, barley, brown rice, whole wheat couscous, and whole wheat pasta.
Trash the white sugar - plenty of health friendly options exist. Try maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or turbinado sugar.
Eliminate packaged/processed foods - shop for real foods. Ask yourself, "Could I pick this, plant this, or find it anywhere in nature?"
Rid your shelves of white flour - your local health food store should carry healthier options such as oat flour, whole wheat flour, spelt flour and buckwheat flour
Get the goodies out - nobody needs junk food, even vegan junk food. If it is in your house, you will eat it. Or worse, your kids will eat it. If you have lots of unopened bags and boxes, donate them to a local food bank or give them to neighbors. An occasional treat is far different than loading up on empty calories every day.
Organize - a neat and orderly pantry is easy to cook and eat from. You can see what you have, what you need, and what should be eaten quickly before it expires. When you get home from the grocery, pull the older items to the front where they can be seen and used first. Place the newer cans and boxes, then, to the back.
Focus on Food - batteries, old coffeepots, toys, dog collars, tools, and trash bins. These are not items that belong in a food storage closet. And yet, these have all at some point in time shown up in kitchen pantries of even the most organized home chef. Keep your shelves cleared of any non-food items. This maintains a clean, positive health-conscious approach to nutrition and eating.
Spice it up - no, not with actual spices, but with lots of different foods. Put some variety into your diet. Nutritionists suggest "eating the rainbow" or "eating your colors" when it comes to vegetables. Do the same with pantry items. A plate loaded with nothing but orange food is a boring plate. Sure, mashed sweet potatoes, steamed carrots, and homemade pumpkin muffins are tasty, vegan, and natural, but eating can and should be fun! Keep a variety of beans in all colors: dark red kidney, white navy beans, deep yellow split peas, and green lentils. Stock deep brown whole wheat pasta as well as earthy green spinach rotini and reddish pink tomato noodles.
Give dry beans a try - high in protein, iron, and fiber and low in fat, dry beans are also lacking in the salt that often hides in canned varieties. Simply soak overnight, then drain, rinse, and boil according to directions. Use in soups, salads, or as a side. Make up a big batch at the beginning of the week to cook with through the next weekend.
Fill her up - stay fully stocked with good for you, healthful foods to avoid grabbing for nutrient deficient excuses for a snack. If you have junk in the pantry, you will eat junk. If you have smart choices available and no junk, you will choose smart snacks. Don't give yourself the option in times of hunger, stress, or boredom. Stock healthful, nutritious foods. If you absolutely must have the rich, sugary, calorie laden item, make it a treat that you head out of the house for-a sorbet at the local ice cream parlor, one of those huge egg - and dairy-free cookies at the bakery down the street, a special order of vegan chocolates from www.veganessentials.com
Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.
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