Your Winter Wellness Pantry Guide

Stocking your pantry with these essential items will help you create delicious, immune-boosting, and satisfying meals throughout winter. Enjoy cold-weather comfort with these thoughtful and healthful additions. Here's how to stock your pantry for the colder months while considering flavor, comfort, health, and wellness.

Ginger

We began our journey with the ​versatile root, ginger​. We learned about its anti-inflammatory properties and how to incorporate its zest into our lives for both health and flavor.
Fresh or dried, this warming superfood can be used in teas, soups, stir-fries, and desserts for immunity-boosting and anti-inflammatory benefits.

• Ginger: Fresh ginger root, dried ginger, and ginger tea.
• Shopping list: Fresh ginger root, ground ginger, ginger tea bags

Honey

The natural sweetness of honey is not just about the taste; honey has an antioxidant-rich profile and synergy with other ingredients.

It is an excellent natural sweetener known for its antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Adds its soothing sweetness to oatmeal and teas or as a drizzle over your Greek yogurt.

• Honey: Raw honey, flavored honey, and manuka honey.
• Shopping list: Organic raw honey, manuka honey

Fermented Foods

The ​art of fermentation​ embraces the cultivation of beneficial bacteria and the tangy additions they bring to our plates. Items like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, or pickles provide healthy probiotics to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, and boost mood.

The Fermented Hot Sauce recipe is perfect for adding heat and flavor to your meals. It's packed with the benefits of the fermentation process and can be drizzled over your favorite dishes or used as a dipping sauce. For another fermented food option, try the Lacto-Fermented Brussels Sprouts recipe. Serve them as a side dish, toss them in salads, or add them to grain bowls for a probiotic boost.

• Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, pickles, and yogurt.
• Shopping list: Organic sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, pickles, Greek yogurt

Garlic

Celebrate ​garlic​'s medicinal virtue and the robust depth it adds to our cooking. Garlic delivers deep, savory flavor to your dishes and offers immune-boosting properties. It's a perfect addition to broths, stews, and winter casseroles.

• Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves, garlic powder, and minced garlic.
• Shopping list: Fresh garlic, garlic powder, jarred minced garlic

Chili Peppers

Incorporate a touch of heat in your food with chili peppers while enjoying the health benefits of capsaicin. Chili peppers can lend their warmth to soups, stews, and sauces.

Make use of this pantry staple in the Jalapeno Hot Honey recipe. This can work great as a spread or to give a spicy twist to your dishes.

• Chili Peppers: Fresh chili peppers, dried chili flakes, and hot sauces.
• Shopping list: Fresh jalapeños, dried red chili flakes, your favorite hot sauce

Infused Oils, Vinegar, or Liquors

Infusions were the elixirs of life in our sixth week. We learned to infuse oils, vinegar, and water​ in a bottle to capture essence and health. Infused items can flavor winter roasts, sauces, or cocktails. Consider flavors like rosemary-infused olive oil or cucumber-infused vodka.

The Rosemary Infused Honey recipe is a great example of how to make and use infused honey.

• Infused Oils, Vinegar, Honeys, or Liquors: Rosemary-infused olive oil, chili-infused honey, or cucumber-infused vodka.
• Shopping list: Extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, vodka, fresh rosemary, fresh chilies, cucumber

Citrus Fruits

Adding a burst of sunshine, citrus came into play on week seven. We grasped the ​value of citrus​ not just for their vitamin C, but also for the bright zest they contribute to dishes. Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits brighten the flavor of our winter meals and help ward off colds with their vitamin C content. Use them in everything from marinades to hot beverages.

Use in a Lemon Fermented Ginger Honey recipe, which can be added to your tea or as a topping on toast for a quick snack.

• Citrus Fruits: Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes.
• Shopping list: Navel oranges, fresh lemons, grapefruits, limes

Dried Herbs

Herbs took the stage in week eight. Wellness entered through our garden gate as we infused ​culinary creations with aromatic herbs​, each with unique health benefits. Oregano, rosemary, and Thyme contribute to the depth of flavor in dishes and offer unique health benefits. Oregano can act as a natural antibiotic, while rosemary improves memory and concentration.

• Dried Herbs: Oregano, rosemary, Thyme, and sage.
• Shopping list: Dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried Thyme, dried sage

Spices

Tap into the potent ​flavors and health properties of spices​, making every meal an adventure. Turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin add warmth and depth to your winter dishes and are packed with antioxidants. Use them in warm drinks, roasts, stews, and more.

• Spices: Turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and ground cloves.
• Shopping list: Ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground cloves

Efficient Storage

And finally, ​pantry staples and uses ​occupied our eleventh week. Learn how to get our pantry items at their best for maximum flavor and nutritional benefit.

Use glass jars for dry goods and maintain optimal conditions for fresh produce. Store oils and nuts in the fridge to prevent them from going rancid.

• Efficient Storage: Glass jars, airtight containers, and proper refrigeration.
• Shopping list: Glass jars of various sizes, airtight containers, cooler bags

By incorporating these essential items into your pantry, you will be well-equipped to create delicious, immune-boosting, and ultimately satisfying meals throughout the winter. Enjoy cold-weather comfort with these thoughtful and healthful additions!

Winter Wellness Pantry Shopping List

Use this comprehensive shopping list to stock your pantry with essential winter wellness ingredients that nourish your body and promote overall health during the colder months.

Fresh Produce

• Garlic
• Ginger root
• Lemons
• Oranges
• Grapefruits
• Turmeric root (optional)

Spices and Herbs

• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Nutmeg
• Cardamom
• Ground turmeric
• Dried rosemary
• Dried thyme
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Dried ginger powder
• Black pepper
• Sea salt

Fermented Foods

• Fermented hot sauce
• Lacto-fermented Brussels sprouts
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Greek yogurt or kefir

Legumes & Grains

• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Black beans
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• Barley
• Oats

Nuts & Seeds

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds

Oils, Vinegars & Condiments

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Raw honey
• Infused honey (i.e., Thyme Infused Honey)
• Nut butters (i.e., almond butter)

Dried Fruits

• Dates
• Raisins
• Apricots
• Turkish figs
• Goji berries

Beverages

• Green tea
• Herbal tea
• Pure fruit juice (with no added sugars)

Miscellaneous

• Almond milk or other plant-based milk
• Cacao powder
• Dark chocolate (70% or higher)

This list gives you the essential ingredients to create delicious, wholesome meals that cater to your winter wellness needs. Remember to buy in bulk when possible, opt for organic and sustainably-produced products when feasible, and store perishable ingredients properly to maintain their freshness and nutrition.