Whole30: pantry list

Eeeek! We've got just a couple of weeks before we start the Whole30 together, friends. I can tell you that I am REALLY in need of a fresh start. I've been eating like crap the last two weeks, and I'm so very ready to get back on the wagon. 

So I thought I'd do a few posts before we start with tips/tricks/recipes that worked for me last time. One of the first things you'll need to do before you start your Whole30 is clean out and re-stock your pantry. A lot of your go-tos will be off-limits, and you'll want to be prepared with other alternatives for food preparation, or else you're likely to get frustrated and give up. 

Below is a list of things that are off-limits, along with a Whole30 approved alternative. Make a trip to your closest health food store, or Amazon (lifesaver!) sometime in the next couple of weeks and stock up on some new staples for your pantry.

You can't have vegetable or canola oil, but you can have coconut oil and olive oil 

You can't have traditional cooking sprays, but you can have 100% olive oil cooking spray (just read the label to make sure there is no added soy)

You can't have flour, but you can have almond flour (not for baking, but for thickening sauces, etc.)

You can't have butter, but you can have ghee

You can't have milk, but you can have coconut milk (full-fat, unsweetened) and almond milk (unsweetened)

You can't have soy sauce, but you can have coconut aminos

You can't have ketchup, but you can have hot sauce (I love Louisiana Hot Sauce and Chalula)

You can't have breadcrumbs, but you can have unsweetened shredded coconut

You can't have pre-made sauces, but you can make your own with curry powder or curry paste or canned tomatoes

You can't have nitrite-containing hot dogs, but you can have Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausage (this isn't technically for your pantry, but find some and keep it on hand for the nights you don't feel like cooking!)

You can't have sugary snacks, but you can have unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened dried fruit and Larabars (read the labels - not all are Whole30 compliant; I prefer Apple Pie and Blueberry Muffin)

You can't have peanut butter, but you can have almond butter (again, read the label - must be sugar- and soy-free)

You can't have chips or other salty cracker snacks, but you can have olives and nuts (raw or dry-roasted; must be sugar-free)

You can't have gum, but you can have mint leaves and/or mouthwash 

You can't have regular BBQ sauce, but you can have Caveman Bob's BBQ Sauce (it's pricey but WORTH IT - you won't be able to tell that it's sugar-free!).

You can find even more pantry ideas on the Whole30 website.