Guest Post: Paleo Must-Haves for the Pantry

You may think keeping a stocked pantry is not possible when living a Paleo lifestyle and while there aren't many non perishable things you can keep, Becky Reece (founder of Sexy Mom's Running Club) does have some great ideas. Here's what she has to say about Paleo Must-Haves for the Pantry.

As a busy mom of five, I know how important it is to keep a properly stocked kitchen!  With kids who have diet issues (my 6’2” son is 40 pounds underweight due to his previous diet of white foods and my oldest daughter has IBS and misc. allergies), you could say I learned my lesson with the first two kids and the rest I have introduced to a much cleaner, back to basics diet.

My first suggestion is to ALWAYS have fresh fruit.  I keep a fruit bowl on the counter and in the fridge I always keep single serving washed fruits and vegetables.  It’s easy and healthy for them to grab berries, carrot sticks, or even hard-boiled eggs from the refrigerator. This way, when the kids come home from school and open the fridge or put their bag on the counter, fresh fruit or veggies is the first thing they see!

I also suggest keeping zip lock baggies with nuts in the pantry.  By having individual snack packs of nuts available they get some protein to help fill them up before dinner.

Simple treats like the power bar recipe listed below are also great alternatives to keep your pantry not only healthy, but satisfying.

Here’s a Power Bar recipe courtesy of elanaspantry.com:

.      2 cups almonds (raw)

.      ½ cup golden flaxmeal

.      ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

.      ½ cup creamy roasted almond butter

.      ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

.      ½ cup coconut oil

.      4 drops stevia

.      1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

.      1 tablespoon vanilla extract

.      1 cup chocolate chunks (optional)

1.      Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor

2.      Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds

3.      In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat

4.      Remove coconut oil from stove, stir stevia, agave and vanilla into oil

5.      Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste

6.      Press mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish

7.      Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens

8.      In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously

9.      Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens

10.  Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve

Makes 20 bars

Armed with a mission to empower moms across the country to feel beautiful no matter what their size, mother-of-five Becky Reece founded Sexy Mom's Running Club to help busy women make themselves a priority again, while still balancing career and family.

Many thanks to Becky for writing this post! Feel free to leave a comment with any questions you may have for her.