Ever opened your cupboards and felt overwhelmed? Me too. There are bottles of half-used sauces, plastic boxes in all shapes and sizes, stuff I'll never need again. Forget that! Part of a simple, healthy life is cutting through the clutter, purging the pantry, and purchasing only what's needed. Just the basics.

But for now, throw everything in your fridge, cupboards, and pantry away. Everything. All those half-opened, half-used, long-gone pastas and sauces and plastic bottles. Toss them. Trash them. Then, marvel over your pantry and feel the peace.

1. HONEY
Raw honey. It's the primary sweetener used in my recipes. Buy local raw honey whenever possible. Vegan eaters will want agave or pure maple syrup. I prefer pure maple syrup because the flavor is so, so happy. As a second option for all eaters, I reccomend liquid stevia; it's a great way to add a little sweetness to smoothies, coffee, and tea without any of the blood-sugar spike that happens with most sweeteners.

2. SOY SAUCE
Soy Sauce or Tamari if you're gluten-free/paleo.

3. BUTTER
Grassfed butter. As a bulletproof believer, I tend to buy Kerrygold whenever possible. Shelf-stable ghee (a flavorful, clarified butter) is also a great option.

4. CHOPPED GARLIC
Chopped garlic. I like fresh garlic as much as the next mom, but pre-chopped garlic is a time saver, a cost saver, a smelly-finger saver, and a 5 o'clock crazy-saver. Buy it, pop it in your fridge, and consider dinner prep halfway done.

5. COCONUT OIL
Coconut Oil. Find any type you like; I prefer organic coconut oil. LouAna is cheap or buy in bulk at Costco. Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, tasty, and ideal for frying or sauteeing meats. It firms up at room temperature, so keep it in the cupboard during the winter but store it in the fridge during the summer. That way it won’t go rancid and you'll have this yummy oil ready to flavor dishes in every season. In my recipes, if melted coconut oil is called for you can zap it quickly in the microwave or melt it over the stove (if you're a no-micro kinda gal).

6. EGGS
Grassfed Eggs. If you're not on a budget, go organic if possible. No matter how you buy them, an 18-pack of eggs is must-have for a healthy kitchen. Vegan eaters will want to avoid this one, of course. 

7. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar is my favorite. Buy it in bulk and keep it on hand for marinating, salad dressings, and smoothies. Vinegar is cheap, easy to stock, and offers incredible detoxing/cleansing benefits. Pantry perfection.

8. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Thankfully, organic olive oil isn’t much more than traditional olive oil. If you can, buy it organic. My recipes use olive oil for drizzling, not frying. The smoke-point is too low to use it in frying & sauteeing but the flavor is next to none as a drizzle-sauce.

9. SALT
I highly recommend Maldon sea salt. This flaked, gourmet salt is perfect for everything. It lends a beautiful texture to meats, veggies, and chocolate bark. The flavor is balanced and divine; the price is excellent. You'll always be delighted to open your cupboard and discover this salt.

10. PEPPER
a pepper mill and fill it with bulk Black Peppercorns (less waste when you buy it in a bag). I find the peppercorn melange to be odd-tasting at times so stick to black pepper. But if you like the colored peppercorns (they are so pretty, aren't they?) by all means, melange it up.