1. lentils, black beans, pinto beans, white beans, mung beans... any bean. protein! buying them dry is more beneficial, because they last indefinitely, use less packaging, fewer fossil fuels because processing is minimal, no additives, and they're significantly cheaper than canned. only drawback is they have to soak for a while before cooking, (except for red lentils). just put them in a mixing bowl with enough water that they are submerged by 2 inches, leave them in a cool place (counter or cabinet), go to bed, and either drain them when you wake up if you have time to cook them right then, or keep them submerged until an hour or 2 before dinner time. don't leave them much longer than a day. they take different amounts of time to cook. i'll add recipes soon, but just as a general rule, cook them in the same amount of water (new water!) as you soaked them on LOW with the lid on. you don't really have to stir them-- in fact, the more you remove the lid, the longer they take to cook because your letting heat out. cook times vary depending on size of the bean, green lentils taking about an hour, chick peas can take up to 3. so check them every 1/2 hour or so if you're worried.
2. rice, quinoa, amaranth, oats, cous cous... - they don't have to be soaked. eating them with any #1 makes a complete protein. proportions of water to grain vary, so check the package or google your specific grain.
3. nuts of any and all sorts. as i mentioned, if you do self-checkout at a grocery store that carries bulk items, you can ring fancy ones up as peanuts. they last a really long time, especially in a sealed container.
4. dried fruit - same deal; ring up as raisins. if you're trying to break a junk food or sugar habit, this is the way to do it. they have lots of sugar which can satisfy that craving, but also tons of vitamins so your body will in fact stop craving junk when your body is getting all the stuff it needs.
5. white and wheat flour for baking, batter, gravy, thickener for soup - just all around good to have on hand. keep it in a sealed container, like one of those tall glass or ceramic ones with the hook-and-snap lid.
6. whole sugar - aside from coffee and tea, you can use it to ferment tea (recipe to come) and many other uses. look for USA sugar (though it comes from the conquered land of hawaii, it's better than supporting imperialism by buying imported foods), and whole is better than refined because it's in it's most natural state - always healthier and fewer fossil fuels used.
7. herbs and spices - bought in bulk, they are a lot cheaper. some grocery stores carry them in bulk but they're not usually organic. try your co-op. what you buy depends on what you like-- what cuisines do you like? indian, italian, greek? look up online recipes of your favorite meals and see what spices they use. i recommend getting fresh herbs if you can, dried oregano and cilantro don't taste like anything but are amazing fresh and have more vitamins that way. as for spices, you can either get the whole seeds and use a small mortar and pestle or get pre-ground. some of my favorites are cumin, turmeric, curry, coriander, red pepper flakes. spice mixes are usually pretty good...if they're free! i'm not opposed to them, i just like to make my own combination. up to you. i think i'll have to make a whole post on how to use them.
8. bragg's liquid aminos - tastes like soy sauce but contains essential amino acids. good replacement for salt in most dishes. you can get it at health food stores.
9. kosher salt - for some reason it's just better! i like the medium granules the best because you don't get a bomb of salt on your food.
10. onions - they magically last for ages and can be used to bulk up any stir fry, soup, or sandwich.
11. garlic - my favorite! it adds a bold flavor to sometimes boring dishes. i know i preach using unprocessed foods, but i fucking hate cutting garlic and i use so much of it that i would spend more time cutting garlic than... i want to. so, i buy the largest size of spice world pre-cut garlic in brine. pieces this small must be added about a minute or 2 before you're done sauteeing or stir frying.
13. high-heat oil - safflower or canola, but not olive, sesame, or flax! once they reach a certain temperature and/or are cooked for a certain amount of time (i'll have to look up the numbers), they become carcinogenic. so for stir fry, tofu, or anything that cooks more than a minute and higher than medium heat, be sure to have something other than olive oil!
14. a source of straight up protein - like tofu, seitan, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (tvp), or other meat replacers. it's important to make sure you're getting enough protein because without it, among other problems, you can start feeling really tired and hungry. personally, i don't eat any of the aforementioned except for tempeh and tofu because they are the least processed, have the fewest additives, and are the most whole. i choose not to eat fake meat-- they are often made of soy, which i am politically and healthily wary of, plus, they are sooo unnatural. if you choose to eat them, it's your call.
15. nutritional yeast - this mysterious yellow powder is a great alternative to cheese (which is expensive and requires more farty cows to use our arable land). it's a by-product of i think beer-making, so it doesn't require any production itself! it has a salty, cheesy flavor, so it's good to sprinkle on sauteed veggies the way you'd use shredded cheese. it's also commonly used to make gravy because it thickens in addition to being delicious. it's full of iron, too, and if bought in bulk, it's way cheap! what could be better?
16. frozen fruit - don't buy the packaged kind, it's shitty quality and used a lot of fossil fuels from start to finish. freeze your own! fruit is one of the easiest things to dumpster, too, so just cut up a few things and put them in a zip-lock bag. it's good to keep fruit on hand for the winter or to keep around to make smoothies. for quality purposes, i recommend keeping it in the freezer for no more than a season.
17. baking soda - sure it can be used in baking, but it can be used for sooo many more things. there are so many things that can start to smell like shit in the kitchen, sprinkling a little baking soda on them is a very effective way to get rid of smells. for example, sprinkle a tablespoon in your drain, a bit in the bottom of your compost bin after you dump it and wash it, a moldy water bottle (+ a 1/4 c vinegar... more on these to come). unlike chemical-based sprays, it's natural and safe to consume so you don't have to waste a shit ton of water vigorously rinsing whatever you washed.
18. white or cider vinegar - the bigger the better! it's good in food, but better for cleaning. this will require a much longer post.
with all these permanent things in your kitchen scenery, you'll never go hungry!
what i ate yesterday:
out of order, but...
1. green beans with balsamic vinegar glaze and olive oil; corn with butter; sauteed summer squash with hot red peppers and garlic; tofu with bbq sauce. total cost: all from mom's farm share except tofu, so about $0.50.
2. green lentils with potatoes and tomatoes, lots of spices; pita chips. total cost: uhh... a fraction of bulk purchase a long time ago...?, chips free from roommate gone on tour.
3. smoothie made from frozen strawberries and peaches, coconut milk, ginseng powder, ohio whole milk, think that's it. total cost: this is getting tedious. fruit dumpstered, milk, ginseng, and cococnut purchased.
4. bagel (purch), cucumber (farm share), cheese (given).
5. not pictured: my guilty pleasure, coffee and cola!!
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