We’ve all got our list of must-haves.  You know the foods that you totally freak out about if you run out.  In my case…..the foods that send my husband out to the store late at night rather than waiting till the next day.  I’m sure we don’t all have the same list.  In fact, you might get a chuckle out of reading my list.

 

1.  Milk:  This is at the top of the list for many of you.  How the heck are we supposed to start our day out without our morning oats or cup of milk?  I certainly don’t like to see those cranky faces in the morning when there isn’t milk in the house.

2.  Eggs:  We like to eat eggs all day.  They are breakfast tradition, of course, but we also like them in for lunch.  Egg salad and eggs on our salad are some of our favorites.  Let’s not forget……eggs for dinner is one of our fastest go-to dinners.

3.  Whole Wheat Flour:  Since we ditched processed food, I have to cook quite a bit more.  I use whole wheat flour for pancakes, muffins, and all sorts of recipes.

4.  Butter: I need it!  We use butter to bake with, to make vegetables more delicious, and it sure does taste fantastic when you use it to fry an egg.

5.  Coconut Oil:  We use coconut oil to bake with, make pancakes, and every once in a while………I’ll fry homemade chicken fingers in it.

6.  Dry Pasta: We are way to busy to live life without dry pasta.  Whole wheat pasta is easy to make in a variety recipes.  The kids love it and the leftovers work really great in the lunchboxes.

7.  Honey/Maple Syrup: Honey and maple syrup are the primary sweeteners we use in the house.  Baking, sauces, granola……..we use honey or maple syrup in all of it.

8.  Oats:  We love our oats.  I have lots of recipes for oats and they are a delicious, nutritious, and satisfying start to our day. Oats are also perfect for making snacks.

9.  Cucumbers:  Yes, I said cucumbers.  My family loves cucumbers.  We probably average eating 1 cucumber per day.  We slice them up and put them on the table at dinner each night.  My daughter and my high school son fight over who should get the most cucumbers.  I love that they are excited about a vegetable.  Feel free to substitute your family favorite here.

10. Plain Yogurt:  Where to start?  Plain yogurt is so versatile.  We stir jam into yogurt for the lunchbox, use yogurt in our smoothies, make fruit and yogurt parfaits.

11. Bananas: Bananas are an easy grab-in-go breakfast or snack.  They are also a great sweetener.  Muffins don’t need much other sweetener when a banana is used.  I also keep a bunch of bananas in the freezer so I’m always ready to make delicious smoothies.  As the bananas get to brown to eat, we peel them and freeze them.  They are even sweeter as they start to turn brown.

12. Dark Chocolate Chips:  Yes, dark chocolate keeps me happy.  This is moma’s secret weapon.  As long as I can have a bit of dark chocolate when the cravings hit, nobody gets hurt.  Dark chocolate (not the sugary crap) has also been shown to be good for our hearts, our brains, and contains plenty of antioxidants.

 

 

When folks find out that my family eats real food we often get asked, “What do you eat?”  This list is a good representation of how just a few ingredients can allow us eat real food on a regular basis.

So, what is on your list of must-haves?  How do you keep those items stocked? Does your family have a favorite vegetable?

If you are looking for help in making the transition to eating more real food, you should check out the Real Food Experience posts. You can get get started at the beginning or jump around the challenges. You can find a complete round-up of the program here. Each week’s challenge is full of terrific advice to help you transition from fast and processed food to a real food diet. Changes that will help you to live a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule. I would also love for you to join me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a regular basis. Leave me a comment and let me know you are there. I love to visit with my readers. Yes, I’m a real person.