A paleo style pantry

I’m not going to lie. Experimenting with paleo hasn’t been cheap. I know it can be if you stick to basics, but getting your pantry sorted involves spending a bit of cash.

For my 7 day challenge, I took myself to Whole Foods to stock up on a range of raw, organic and fresh produce, free of corn, yeast and dairy. Remember I am sticking to a paleo style diet, as I am not gluten intolerant, so I added a couple of things that aren’t strictly considered paleo such as potatoes and quinoa.

What basics did I buy?

• Coconut oil
• Almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Sea salt
• Raw almonds
• Almond milk
• Organic coffee
• Apple cider vinegar
• Organic honey
• Grass fed ground beef (remember grain fed beef contains traces of corn and other grains)
• Cage free eggs
• Quinoa (debatable if this is paleo or not)
• Uncured ham
• Tuna in water
• Vegetable stock – natural ingredients only
• Tomato paste – no additives
• Tomato based sauce – natural ingredients only
• Guacamole – natural ingredients only
• Salsa
• Organics corn chips (to introduce into my diet after giving up corn)
• A range of fruit and veg including bananas, tomatoes, mushrooms, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, kale, potatoes (paleo question mark), lemons, limes, cauliflower, broccoli, basil, cilantro, cucumber, zucchini, carrots
• Wine for cooking

These ingredients set me back around $100 but remembering I had nothing in my pantry to begin with. It sounds like a lot of food, but I also eat a ridiculous amount. I run around 40 kilometres a week, so this girl gets HUNGRY, especially when I am cutting out my beloved grains and carb heavy bread.

I bought most of my ingredients from Whole Foods with the exception of the almond meal and coconut oil which is half the price at Trader Joes. You also probably don’t need to buy organic fruit and veg, but I thought I’d go the whole hog this first week.

If you have any tips about buying fresh, raw or organic produce, please share. I love a bargain and would love to hear from some experienced allergy or paleo eaters!

Next up, I’ll take you through some recipes I tested.