Utah Mama

What’s in your pantry? (Part 2)

Last week I featured Part 1 of the two-part “What’s in your pantry?” series. The first part gave you six tips for improving the health of your kitchen pantry courtesy of a “Pantry Raid,” fab article from Fitness magazine. Today I bring you five more tips to finish up the series. Enjoy a few chips dipped in salsa verde while reading them!

Tip #7: Beans

Beans, beans, the musical fruit … Did you know canned beans can cost twice as much per pound as the dried ones and have 50 times the sodium? Kind of makes sense but I never thought much about it, mainly because I don’t have the patience (or planning) to soak dried beans. But you can soak them overnight, drain them in the morning and then freeze what you don’t need. And guess what? No need to defrost! Now that’s cool!

Tip #8: Tuna

I’m not a big fan of tuna unless it’s the kind that comes in a can, but apparently the canned kind I love (albacore) has two-thirds more mercury than the chunk light variety. Ewwwwww! There is hope: I can buy brands of albacore that use troll- or pole-and-line-caught fish (e.g. Wild Planet)—these fish are smaller so they haven’t had as much time to absorb all that mercury.

Tip #9: Grains

Fortunately our family is doing something right! We rarely use white rice, only cooking it when we have guests over who prefer white to brown. Did you know white rices is “stripped of up to 90 percent of its B vitamins, 60 percent of its iron and most of its fiber and essential fatty acids”? Crazy! If you’re not a fan of brown rice or are tired of this particular grain, try bulgur, wheat berries or farro.

Tip #10: Chocolate

Ah, chocolate. Chocolate and me are like this (picture two fingers tightly wound around each other). I love me some seriously chocolaty chocolate-chip cookies, but a half cup of chocolate-chip goodness has over 500 calories and 30 grams of fat. Ugh. The article suggests adding three tablespoons of cocoa powder to batter, be it cookie, cake or muffin, before baking. Supposedly you’ll get the chocolaty flavor you love for just 37 calories and 2 grams of fat. Of course, a high-fat, high-chocolate treat is okay now and then too (from Diet According to Emily, a book not yet or ever available on Amazon.com).

Tip #11: Artichokes vs. green olives

Fortunately this is easy for me as I love artichokes and dislike green olives. I dislike them even more now that I know four green olives equals two grams of fat! Artichoke hearts have a similar salty flavor, zero fat and more antioxidants then any other vegetable. Who knew? Make sure you rinse them before adding them to salads, stews, pizzas or tomato sauce.

Um, anyone else hungry?

Summer is a great time to transition to a healthier diet. You’re surrounded by farmers markets (think fresh fruit and veggies) and plenty of outdoor activities. Feel free to give your fridge a makeover as well!

First image by Chiot’s Run; second image by elana’s pantry. All images shared via Flickr.