Two of the questions I’ve been asked a lot are ‘what should I order’, and ‘what do you like to always have on hand in your pantry or freezer?’ So here’s a list of the kinds of things I order in bulk, and always try to keep stocked up on. 

[Update: I’m now on the GAPS diet now, so my pantry and freezer look a lot different – we don’t use any grains, starches, or most legumes, and mostly stock up on bulk meat, fish, veges, nuts, seeds, good quality fats, and some fruit. But I’ve left this list for you to get ideas from in case you are not grain free.]

Grains & Flours: Spelt grain, unbleached plain spelt flour, buckwheat grain, millet, quinoa, oats, quinoa flakes, brown rice, basmati rice, arrowroot flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/tapioca, chickpeas (for making flour), sorghum flour, cornstarch (now & then), coconut flour (or I make my own)

Sweeteners: Rapadura, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, raw honey, pure maple syrup, green stevia powder

Dried Fruit: Dates (dried & raw), sultanas, apricots (now & then), shredded coconut (I have a dehydrator and can dry my own in-season fruits, especially bananas & mangoes, but I do buy some)

Nuts & Seeds: Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, linseeds, chia seeds (I buy all my nuts and seeds raw, although I often buy blanched almonds as well for dairy free sour cream or milks)

Legumes: Chickpeas, lentils (red & green), lima beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, turtle beans – (I also buy other beans in small amounts from the grocery store as I need them, sometimes tinned, sometimes dry)

Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, macadamia oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, sesame oil (all organic cold pressed if possible)

Other: Raw cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, additive free baking powder, shoyu or tamari sauce, coarse celtic sea salt, himalayan salt, raw cacao butter 

I store my grains, flours, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in my large chest freezer. This keeps them fresh and stops them getting mouldy or weevily. We live in the wet tropics, so you really can’t leave grains and flours just sitting in the cupboard for long periods of time – they’ll turn green and cobwebby! There are other ways to store your bulk goods safely, though, if you don’t have a large freezer. See this post for tips for storage tips!