My Pantry

Welcome to my overflowing pantry of natural, plant-based foods.

As I have experienced it myself – every beginning is difficult. When I moved out of my parents and began an independent life with an own apartment, job and money – lots and lots changed. And one thing was food.

All of the sudden I was the one responsible for what landed on my table. I went to the supermarket and bought the food, I would prepare and eat at home. I couldn’t hide behind sentences like „Well, I didn’t buy that bar of chocolate – but now that it is here, it might as well get eaten”, it was now completely up to me what ended in my stomach. So over the first few months of living on my own, things were slowly changing. I integrated more vegetables in my meals, ate less and less pasta (hands up, who couldn’t live off pasta every day?!) and tried to cut down on dairy products. One really funny thing that I noticed at one point: ever since I moved out, never have I bought meat once!

And while I browsed the Internet, stumbled across various food blogs and learned about quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat, I had quit on diary products and meat completely. I read, I tried and experimented, over and over again until I reached a point where I knew how to build up a good balanced meal.

What I want to say: everything is possible! I came from a place where I didn’t really care or know about food to where I am now. Happy and healthy!
 I hope livingthehealthychoice will be a guide and inspiration for you and your own healthy living.

MyPantry smaller

What will you find in my pantry?

As I love love love going to the (super)market as much as others love to go shopping, I will not often run out of food completely. Put fresh vegetables and fruits aside, a big part of my diet are whole grains, nuts and seeds of all kind. In the following I categorized and listed various ingredients that you will most likely always find in my home.

Grains & seeds
Quinoa – probably my favourite seed ever.
Amaranth – great as a side dish, and newly I prepare it as a porridge for breaktast
Couscous – “no time!” alternative
Buckwheat – nearly forgotten around here, yet super delicious, for sweet and savoury dishes
Polenta
Millet
Hemp seeds – often slightly roasted and put over salad or used in my ever favorite parsley-hemp-pesto
Sunflower seeds – (see above!)
Pumpkin seeds

Flours
Buckwheat flour – most used flour in my kitchen!
Almond flour – super easy homemade flour, great in sweet treats
Cornmeal
Spelt flour

Plant milks
Nut milks
– Almond milk
– Hazelnut milk
– Cashew milk
Soya milk
Rice milk
Oat milk
Coconut milk – great for curries, soups or desserts!

Pasta
Buckwheat pasta
Wholegrain pasta

Natural sweeteners
Maple syrup
Agave syrup – inexpensive alternative of maple syrup
Bananas – even cheaper!
Dates
Dried Figs

Beans & lentils
Kidney beans – my favourite beans
White beans
Black beans
Chickpeas – great for making hummus or a simple salad
Beluga lentils
Red lentils

Nuts
Almonds – favourite nut!
Walnuts – brain food
Cashew nuts
Hazelnuts – let me just say: homemade nutella!
Brazil nuts
Coconut – mostly shredded and put over my breakfast

Superfoods
Hemp seeds
Flax seeds – rather inexpensive, plus super nourishing, great addition to smoothies
Chia seeds – can be used so diverse! Add it to smoothies, sprinkle over your granola or make super tasty chia pudding
Cacao nibs – raw chocolate nibs, delicious when sprinkled over breakfast
Maca powder – moulty tasting powder that I blend in smoothies or oatmeal
Chlorella, Wheatgrass & Spirulina powder – Green super powders, perfect addition to a green smoothie
Acai powder – very expensive, but makes great acai breakfast bowls!
Hemp powder – great protein powder that I like to add to my smoothies after a workout

What kitchen supplies will you find in my pantry?

During this past year, my stack of kitchen supplies has quadrupled.. at least! When I changed my eating habits, I owned an inexpensive blender that I shortly after broke by trying to make nut butter. Not a good idea – I very much advice you to read that blender manual! From then on all I was asking for christmas and birthdays was kitchen supplies and I have come up with a presentable, but still reasonable stock of them. May I present you my favorites, my boys, each one has its own story and I will share some of them over time.

Philips HR2096/00the blender I use for all my smoothies

Philips HR2096/00
the blender I use for all my smoothies

Kenwood CH256blender two for nuts, homemade flours, etc..

Kenwood CH256
blender two for nuts, homemade flours, etc..

Braun MR 300my immersion blender, that I start to love again

Braun MR 300
my immersion blender, that I start to love again

Gefu Spirelli 13460super small vegetable spiralizer

Gefu Spirelli 13460
super small vegetable spiralizer

Philips HR1869/01newest member of the family, my juicer

Philips HR1869/01
newest member of the family, my juicer

This is my pantry, my happy place.

 

Welcome to my kitchen, my colourful world of nourishing foods. Here I choose to live healthy, eating whole, plant-based foods; a happy mix of vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

I am Pauline, a food lover and photographer from Berlin.

My recipes are simple, vegetarian dishes with plant-based and natural ingredients only. Perfect for everyday life. You do not have to be a skilled cook to have a balanced and healthy diet – I am not! An open mind and willingness to try out something new everyday shall be enough. It’s an infinite journey, and I am happy about everyone who decides to come along.

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