JenniferM | On 02, Jun 2012

Readers who are new to eating clean often write in asking us what they should put on their grocery list as “must-haves.”  Since I just completed my grocery list for shopping tomorrow, I thought I’d share since we’re asked this question a lot.

The following list makes up what I keep in my cupboard and fridge, so except for produce, I don’t necessarily shop for these items every week.  Keep in mind some things on my list are home canned, some items are bought from the farmer’s market, some are provided to us free, and some things I have to buy online since I am in a rural area and can’t find everything I need locally.  I’ll indicate beside the items I use that are home canned or bought online and if you can’t do home canned, just look for products with the fewest ingredients possible and ingredients in which you know what the listed ingredients are.

Just a note on the dairy products — all the full fat and real stuff I eat in moderation or sparingly and I buy full-fat because I have yet to find a low-fat version of any of it that is technically clean (not saying there aren’t any, I just haven’t found them here yet!).  When I buy anything dairy from the supermarket, I try to choose those brands that have the fewest ingredients (and I know exactly what the ingredients are, nothing I can’t pronounce or don’t know what it is!).

I also do not do cow’s milk from the supermarket any longer because of the lactose issue.  I do, however, drink lactose-free milk on occasion and am looking for a farm where I can get real cow’s milk.  If you do dairy milk, go for the skim milk.

Fruits and Vegetables

Any and all.  I try to buy in season as much as possible, but sometimes use frozen or home canned.

• Apples, all varieties
• Bananas
• Berries of all types (we pick our own to eat or freeze, but I will use fresh or frozen from the supermarket if needed)
• Oranges
• Peaches (fresh, home canned or frozen)
• Pears (fresh or home canned)
• Seedless grapes, all varieties
• Plums
• Raisins
• Baby spinach
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Romaine lettuce
• Beans, all varieties (home canned or dry)
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Corn
• Green beans (home canned)
• Onions, all varieties
• Peppers, all varieties
• Red Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• White potatoes

Eggs and Dairy

• Fresh farm eggs (farmer’s market)
• Cheese (the real stuff), all varieties
• Cottage cheese (many clean eaters eat the low-fat version)
• Cream cheese (Horizon Organic)
• Ricotta cheese
• Sour cream (Horizon Organic)
• Grass-fed butter
• Plain Greek yogurt

Baking Products and Dry Goods

• King Arthur whole wheat pastry flour (online)
• Masa harina for corn tortillas (online)
• Almond flour (online or local supermarket)
• Coconut flour (online)
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Sea salt
• Pure vanilla extract
• Pure almond extract
• Steel-cut oats (farmer’s market or online)

Meat, Poultry, Seafood

• Lean, grass-fed beef only, all cuts
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, whole chicken
• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Trout (only in the summer when my husband goes fishing!)
• Venison (we home can our own or freeze it, have not purchased anywhere)
• Pork tenderloin

Nuts, Seeds and Oils

• Nuts, all varieties, mainly pecans, walnuts, pistachios, and almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Non-stick cooking spray

Sweeteners

• Pure maple syrup (farmer’s market)
• Raw honey (farmer’s market or my father-in-law)
• Sucanat

Canned Goods

• Tomato paste
• Water-packed tuna
• Chicken broth
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Pasta sauce (home canned)

Condiments

• Mustard
• Dijon mustard
• Salsa (home canned)
• Soy sauce, low sodium

Herbs and Spices

• Cinnamon
• Dry mustard
• Oregano
• Basil
• Bay leaves
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Chili powder
• Red pepper flakes

Other

• Unsweetened almond milk
• Unsweetened coconut milk
• Grain-sweetened chocolate (online)
• Cacao (online)
• MaraNatha peanut butter and almond butter
• Green tea
• Black tea
• Wheat germ
• Ground flaxseed