How I stock my pantry - a list of must have essentials
and a recipe for homemade ricotta <3
I am a CHRONIC list maker, to the point where I literally have notebooks full of random lists. Things to do, meals to make, items to buy… ugh I am so type A that it’s scares me. I’m leaning into it more though, trying to find a balance between going with the flow and staying organized. If you’re like me and need something physical to refer to because there’s a billion things running through your head at once, then let me help ya out.
This is my go to shopping/pantry stock list. I obviously don’t buy all of this at once, but I definitely make sure to replenish these items as soon as I run out. These are my essentials, when all else fails I know this list got me!
I buy 80% of my food locally, my produce comes from the farmers market, my meat + raw dairy comes from Udder Milk a local members only farm delivery service, and the other 20% like grains, beans, condiments I get from WholeFoods, or local health food shops near me. In the beginning of my health journey I shopped primarily at Trader Joes - mostly because it’s what I could afford, but now looking back I wish I knew how accessible the farmers market really was.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anything beats those TJ prices but you really get what you pay for. Why would I buy a bag of spinach that’s been shipped in from another state… when I could get fresh spinach, harvested hours prior from a local farm right in my city? Aside from the obvious health benefits of shopping locally, I’ve also developed a completely new relationship with my food. I feel like it’s become the most sacred thing to me, it’s how I connect back to the Earth, and more importantly back to my body.
For the first 25 years of my life I never once associated food with nutrition, I mostly just thought of food as a necessity - something I had to eat to survive. Unless of course, we’re referring to french fries, pizza, and ice cream, those were my favorite “foods” lol. My mom always jokes and says that I was on a beige food diet as a kid, I NEVER ate vegetables. As a matter of fact I was always the last one at the dinner table, mostly as a form of punishment because I wasn’t allowed to get up until after I ate all my veggies. It was traumatic to say the least. I also had never heard of an avocado until I was well out of highschool lmfao, wow that’s crazy to admit but hey look at me now.
Now this is what a typical grocery haul looks like, sometimes I can hardly believe how much I’ve changed lol. Now I can’t go more than 2 days without a vegetable, or I’ll literally go feral. Once you start eating fresh food it’s hard to go back, the food in the stores is so flavorless and limiting. You can’t find wild ramps, nettle, chive blossoms, or brussel sprouts on the stalk at the supermarket. These things make food exciting, edible flowers?!?! YES PLEASE. The farmers market has also become such a wholesome, meditative experience for me - especially living in NYC. It’s a place I can go to relax and unwind, and just get lost exploring. My nervous system really needs more of that these days.
I swear I will never stop advocating for people to shop at their local farmers market. I consider myself a Union Square GreenMarket ambassador at this point. I want so badly for everyone to experience the beauty of strolling through the market on a beautiful spring morning, then going home with a fresh loaf of bread, some eggs, veggies and making themselves a simple little breakfast. My friends, let me tell you - nothing beats those mornings. Make it a solo date, or a wholesome day with a friend. Even if all you buy is a bag of lettuce, I really recommend you at least explore and get familiar with what’s in season.
As promised, I also wanted to share this simple recipe for homemade ricotta from my newest meal prep video. It seems insanely intimidating, but it’s actually painstakingly easy. I used raw unpasteurized milk for mine, but you can use regular Whole Milk as well. Just make sure it isn’t ultra pasteurized, look for a labels that tells you whether it’s homogenized or not. Sometimes it will say “vat pasteurized” or “low temperature pasteurization”.
Raw Milk Ricotta
