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What’s in Tish’s Pantry?

This Question of the Week put me in the vulnerable and embarrassed department. I have a naughty pantry! There, I said it! My good stuff is all up in the fresh fruits and veggies. I’m not a baker or an exquisite chef, so you won’t find any of the cool ingredients you saw in Jenn’s pantry…yet. (I’m still working on that one goal of adding barley and quinoa to my resume.) With that being said, I give thee my poor Mother Hubbard-like cupboard.

pantry, question of the week, baked goods

 

TA DA!!! Did I already mention I’m far from chef-ish? I’m the kind of gal who buys as I bake. I don’t keep any go-tos in there for inspiration. If the recipe calls for it, I’ll stick it in the pantry and if there’s any left over…well, then it looks like I actually make stuff, but it’s a convenient facade, I say! I knew Keri Glassman, who is working with Arnold/Orowheat Sandwich Thins for its Smart Eating campaign, would see through my deceit, though. I showed her my shame—shelf by shelf—and let her give me the news.

You’ll see from my first shelf that there’s no rhyme or reason for where I place things. I’d like to say I have this keen plan behind how I’ve organized everything, but that would be a lie. This shelf consists of  spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, crackers (left over from my many book-club gatherings), cereal, pasta, macadamia nuts and tomato paste. (Still not sure why I had to buy that.)

The second shelf consists of all the stuff I use for liquid stuff. That’s about the extent of my placement power. There’s some soy protein powder, black teas, cinnamon teas, mint teas, Splenda and the leftover honey I had from making that lovely apple cinnamon granola.

The last shelf is a hodge-podge of awesome. We have almonds, we have pecans, we have walnuts and pistachios! (Aladdin quote.) There’s some tomato basil almonds I like to throw in salads, lots and lots of brown rice. (My boyfriend is obsessed with his rice cooker…plus he’s Filipino. Meals just aren’t complete unless some rice is up in the mix.) I have some old-fashioned oats from the granola gifts, whole-wheat pancake and waffle mix, marshmallows and a grip of dried fruit the dude received from people at the gym he manages. See how I’m trying to explain the staples I think Glassman might frown upon?

Glassman saw all of my shelves and had this to say:

  • Make sure there is no added sugar in your tomato sauce. Ditch the crackers and go with ones that are whole grain and high fiber.
  • Get rid of the Splenda and Soy Protein Powder. I’d rather you use whey protein (if you eat dairy); I’m not a fan of processed soy. Instead of Splenda, use a drop of real cane sugar, or better yet, some cinnamon and nutmeg, which are sweet spices.
  • Make sure all the raw nuts and dried fruit don’t have added sugar.
  • Great regarding the long grain rice, add in quinoa and barley, too, for a change.

So how did I fare after reading her review? Not too shabby! And I even picked up some inspiration in the process. I have agave nectar that I drop in my tea now, but I’ll definitely try out the cinnamon and nutmeg since they happen to be two spices I love. Why didn’t I think to add them before?! Most importantly she saw my lack of quinoa and barley, which was just the nudge I needed in order to try those bad grains out. She definitely gets mad points for the suggestions and for helping me stick to my New Year’s goals.

Are you a buy-to-bake gal or do you stock up on impressive goodies like Jenn? —Tish

 

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Comments

3 Comments
  1. Oh girl, just wait until next week when I post and you’ll be feeling really good about your pantry …

  2. FBG Tish says:

    LOL…K! Can’t wait to share the shame!

  3. I’m glad I don’t have to post mine. I am chef-ish but that means I also have a lot of things in their, and I’m sure they’re not all that healthy. This looks a lot more like my freezer.

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