Substitutes & Staples

Have a peek into my pantry!
This is a list of things I always have stored because I use them all the time and they are healthy alternatives to things that you should probably get rid of anyways. (:

 

 

1. Coconut Oil– First of all, HUGE kudos to Kroger’s Simple Truth brand for hopping on the fad wagon! Love that they sell their organic coconut oil for $6.something. They also have extra virgin coconut oil, but it has a more prominent coconut flavor. Coconut oil is perfect for high heat frying but I use it as my go-to oil for almost everything. Good for skin and hair too!
2. Coconut Flour- (Pictured in my little red jar there) A low carb substitute for all purpose flour, I use coconut flour for baking! It’s a more packed consistency than almond flour, but it does have a coconut flavor to it. I love the hint of coconut though because it makes for killer blueberry muffins!
3. Almond Meal/Flour– Again, THANKS KROGER!! Simple Truth brand almond flour is a good $5 cheaper than any other brand I’ve found so far! Another low-carb substitute, I would say almond flour is more of a “bread-crumb” kind of texture. I love using it for any kind of crust or breading. I have used it for baking, but I find that I usually add some coconut flour along with it to make whatever I am baking come together a little better. But I ❤ almond flour so much.
4. Stevia– Stevia is natural sweetener derived from the stevia leaf. I keep this around incase of sweet-tooth emergency! Some people don’t like it, but I can’t find anything about it that I don’t like! Just be sure check every box/bag/packet of stevia you buy to ensure the only ingredient is either “stevia leaf extract” or “Reb A” (a short name for Rebaudioside which is the name of the extract) because all of them are different and many of them have added sugars like maltodextrin or dextrose. The only other sweeteners I keep in my house are Pure maple syrup and honey which I use for any special occasion dessert baking (though they are  NOT low carb substitutes, they are less processed than any other forms of sugar)
5. Coconut Aminos– This is a substitute for soy sauce. Blaine and I are huge fans of stir-fry and we go through this stuff like crazy! Generic soy sauce has gluten in it, and the tamari, though GF is still made out of soy that is genetically modified to death. The taste of the coconut aminos is very similar to soy sauce and it’s made from coconuts… I honestly have no idea how it works but it works!
6. (not pictured) Homemade Mayonnaise– I promise to make a post on this in the very near future. I would not have survived Whole 30 without it!

EDIT- The Stevia packets that I had in the picture above have dextrose as the first ingredient. I am not sure why I never caught it but I wanted to correct the post and show a picture of a brand I found without dextrose/maltodextrin/cellulose powder! And I even found it in my Kroger’s Nature’s Market section for a good price!

These are my main staples. I cannot wait to start sharing recipes with you guys! Feel free to ask any questions and stay tuned.

Kaitie Holley, housewife