Stock your pantry with the basic ingredients

The first step to enable economical and easy Medi-inspired meal planning is to stock your pantry with the basic staples that will make it so much easier to follow your diet. Supplying yourself with these pantry items allows you to just focus on buying fresh produce, meat, and seafood when you go to the grocery, and it helps you to expedite meal planning and preparation.

Canned Items

Artichoke Hearts, Beans, Capers, Chicken Broth, Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes, Pesto (or you can make your own), Olives, Tomato Paste, Tomato Sauce, and Vegetable Broth (low sodium.)

Stock up with a variety of beans – canned, dried, or frozen – multiple colors of lentils, black beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), green beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, and any other legume.

Canned seafood: Anchovies, Salmon, Sardines, and Tuna. (Always try to get wild- and sustainably-caught seafood products.

Herbs and Spices

Allspice, Basil, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Cumin, Dill, Fennel Seeds, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Marjoram, Minced Onion, Mint, Nutmeg, Onion Powder, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Smoked Paprika, Spicy Paprika, Sweet Paprika, Sumac, Tarragon, and Thyme.

Oil, Vinegar, and Cooking Wine

Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (high quality oil), Red Wine Vinegar, Red Wine, and White Wine. (Remember, the wine should not be sweet and should be tasty enough to drink on its own!)

Olive oil is worth repeating. You will stop using other oils and butter…buy it by the gallon and then refill a pretty container, as needed. When you cut out other oils and butter, then you will be amazed at how much you use!

Nuts & Seeds

Cashews, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds (try both white and black), Sliced almonds, and Walnuts.

Dairy and Refrigerated Products

Brie, Chevre, Feta, Greek Yogurt (plain), Haloumi, Milk, Ricotta, and Mozzarella (Fresh), Pecorino, and Parmesan Cheese.

Whole Grains

Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Bulgar Wheat, Black Rice (also called Forbidden Rice), Brown Rice, Couscous, Farro, Oatmeal, Polenta, Quinoa, Red Rice, Wild Rice, and White Rice.

Barley Flour, Quinoa Flour (for Gluten Free), Rye Flour, Spelt Flour, and Whole wheat flour.

Pasta made from whole wheat or vegetables, such as chickpea pasta. Most pastas from Italy are made from durum wheat. Try different styles of pasta to keep your meals more interesting.

Condiments

Dijon Mustard, Harissa, Honey, Hummus, Lemon Juice, Tahini Sauce, and Tzatziki (easy to make on your own.)