The Pantry of a 225-Pound Weight-Loss Editor: The Good, the Sinful, and the Embarrassing!

For the next few weeks, I thought I’d share what’s in my kitchen and what I eat. I’m definitely not a model for anyone to imitate—just because I’m a weight-loss editor doesn’t mean I’m immune to junk food cravings. Most days I keep things fairly balanced, but I certainly have room for improvement. I try to cook from scratch most nights, but if I’m at the office until 8 o’clock, I’m likely to succumb to the hot bar at Whole Foods.

It’s a tough job, but I try to balance my inner foodie with my nutrition know-it-all. To see the struggle, take a tour of my pantry and counter. I kept everything as it was, minus a few items that had passed their prime. Let’s start with the counter first.

Counter
You can see some sad-looking limes, a little bag of red potatoes from Jones Valley Urban Farm (which is less than 10 minutes from where I live), a big bar of baking chocolate, some basil I got from my closest farmers’ market, and a bar of Santander for evening snacking. I break off two squares a night, about 87 calories worth of dessert.

Add this to your grocery list: Fresh herbs. They make dishes taste delicious, and you can buy them cheaply at local markets.

Pantry
We’ll go from top to bottom, and left to right.

Top two shelves: Capers, oils, fish sauce, Italian chestnut honey, a can of chipotle peppers, a box of golden raisins, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, three bottles of balsamic vinegar, Cava vinegar, German vinegar, pumpkin seed oil, pistachio oil, walnut oil, sugar, anchovies,  barbecue sauce made by a former Cooking Light test-kitchen professional, fig vinegar, and a bottle of Absolut with 10 vanilla beans soaking in it. (Homemade vanilla extract!)

Third shelf: Staples. Veggie broth, beans, chickpeas, cans of tuna (which are great for dinner in a pinch), whole-grain corn meal, and quick polenta.

Bottom shelf: A bag of locally produced corn meal, brown sugar, farro, and several types of rice—basmati, Arborio, and Spanish for paella.

Add this to your grocery list: Pumpkin seed oil and pistachio oil. As you can see, I love using oil and vinegars to flavor my food in a healthy way. These two oils add a delicious and strong, nutty flavor that are great for salad dressings or sprinkled over steamed veggies.

The other side: Almond butter on the far left. That little jar with a red lid? It’s some fleur de sel that I scraped a vanilla bean into. (It’s vanilla-flavored fleur de sel, and it’s awesome on fresh pineapple, watermelon, scallops and other seafood, and roasted potatoes. I hear it’s good on popcorn and ice cream too, but I haven’t tried it yet.)

Next shelf: Maple syrup (which I use to make granola or drizzle on sweet potatoes), turbinado sugar that I use for baking, more vinegars, and a little pack of Justin’s nut butter.

Third shelf: Pecans, pastas, sundried tomatoes, black beans, amaranth, millet, pine nuts, lentils.

Bottom shelf: Sushi rice, oatmeal, homemade vanilla sugar, two different types of brown sugar, and a bag of barley.

Add this to your grocery list: Amaranth and millet. One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2009 was to eat more whole grains, and these two are full of fiber and protein.

Next: The sinful