This post is also available in: Suomi (Finnish)
this post is sponsored by Food Market Herkku & Asennemedia
As I’ve probably told a million times, I love food shopping. Especially when we travel I tend to visit all the food shops and markets (you can bet that I loved LA for this) but I’m pretty good at it back home too. Now that we’re back to our everyday life (my hubby’s back at work and I’m at home), our routines have become pretty important again. We like to get groceries delivered at home from this asian grocery store a couple times a month and then in between we try to be pretty efficient when going to the store. Our meals are more planned nowadays and our grocery list is pretty detailed, which makes life a lot easier. When planning our meals I like to keep a couple things in mind: get things in bulk rather than in small quantities, buy seasonal, and make sure I have all the basic ingredients in our cupboards. So I was pretty happy when Food Market Herkku wanted to collaborate with me, as it means I get to talk about my favorite food products and finally share my pantry must-haves with you!
Sometimes I wish I was a minimalist, but when I’m in the kitchen, I like to have a bunch of ingredients around so that it’s easy to start baking or prepping a meal. I like to try new products but I also like knowing that I have my go-to ingredients. So here’s a list of my must-have ingredients and tips on what you should be getting on your next visit at Food Market Herkku!
– Fruits: Fruits are my jam. I always have to have some fresh fruits at home as they’re such an easy snack and a great add on top of porridge, to smoothies, baked goods or even salads. I buy bananas and apples (mostly organic) around the year but otherwise try to stick to what’s in season. Like now I’ve been eating all the citrus fruit! Food Market Herkku always has seasonal veggies and fruits beautifully presented, which makes shopping a lot easier.
– Frozen berries: I make sure we never run out of frozen berries, as they’re probably my favorite ingredient ever. I buy them in bulk, as I want them to last for a while and they tend to be cheaper that way (plus it’s less plastic!). So I usually go for the huge bags by Marjex, as almost all of their berries (except the sea buckthorn and cranberries) are from Finland.
– Nuts and seeds: I usually have a few different nuts and seeds at home, as they’re a great snack and I like to use them as toppings for salads or porridges, or add them to baked goods. I like to toast nuts before serving, as it makes them a lot more delicious! I store nuts in the fridge and seeds in the cupboard.
– Flakes and flour: I like to bake a couple times a week, so it’s nice to have a few different grains at hand. I cook porridge and pancakes with oat, millet and buckwheat flakes, and make my baked goods usually with rice, buckwheat and almond flour. There’s a really nice selection of gluten-free grains, flakes, and flours at Herkku, so it’s easy to get all the things you need at once.
– Rice and pasta: We eat a lot of rice and pasta during weeknights and my favorites are wild rice and brown rice pasta. Lately I’ve been loving lentil pasta too, as it’s very nutritional and my 8-month old boy loves it too.
– Oils: I use oils daily for frying, baking, to salads or spreads or just on top of veggies. My favorite oils are olive oil, coconut oil, avocado lemon oil (the Olivado one from Herkku), pumpkin seed oil, and sesame oil.
– Lentils: Lentils are such a great ingredient and I use them a lot as I stomach them much better than beans. I use them for stews, bolognese or on top of soup.
– Plant milks: I know I should probably make these myself but haven’t just gotten into a good routine, so I tend to buy plant milks from the store. We use them daily in smoothies, porridges, Runner Bean Coffee and matcha, and baking. I like the gluten free oat milk by Juustoportti, Santa Maria’s creamy coconut milk, and the unsweetened organic almond milk by Almond Dream.
+ Bonus tip! Even though I try to be pretty organized and love to cook, sometimes you need a night off and get takeout or buy something from a deli. I like to get some of the salads from Herkku as they have a pretty wide selection, and now they also have a bunch of new options at their Meals & Bites section. There’s a lot of vegan options too, which is great!
With all the ingredients in the cupboards, there’s one food I keep making all the time. Overnight oats. The ayuverdic side in me knows that I should really have warm foods, but the tired mom in me knows that overnight oats is a super easy breakfast, and it keeps my belly full until lunch (and at least my matcha is warm!). With all the citrus fruits in season, I’ve been adding oranges to my overnight oats and really loving it. With coconut milk and chopped dates, this tastes almost like a dessert but in a way that’s totally appropriate for breakfast. Hope you guys enjoy it too!
xo’s!
Winter Overnight Oats with Orange and Coconut
gluten-free + vegan
notes: if you’re in the mood for an even deeper orange flavor, add a bit of grated orange zest to the porridge!
serves two
1 1/4 cup | 300 ml gluten-free rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 orange
1 to 2 dates, pitted
1/2 cup | 100 ml full-fat coconut milk
1 2/3 cup | 400 ml unsweetened almond milk (or other plant milk)
orange and granola for serving
METHOD:
1. Measure the oats and chia seeds into a large bowl. Peel the orange and chop it into small pieces. Chop also the dates into smaller pieces. Add the orange, dates, and coconut and almond milk to the bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl and place to the fridge for at least for hours, or overnight.
2. Once the porridge is done, divide it into two bowls and top with more orange and some granola. Serve and enjoy!
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