• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Lealou Cooks

Easy Meal Plans for Busy Families

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Work With Me
  • Free Guide: Make Cooking at Home Easier
  • Cooking Classes + Events
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Cart

7 Spices to Keep in Your Cupboard

by Stephanie

7 Spices to Keep in Your Cupboard

Modern spice labels from Paper and Pear on Etsy


Do you have a drawer full of spices you don’t use?

Are they more than six months old?

If so, it’s time to toss those puppies!

Well, first you can do the smell test. If they don’t smell like anything in the bottle, they’re not going to make your food taste good.

Go through that drawer. Do the smell test and toss the ones that don’t smell like anything.

If you have spices that smell ok, but that you never use, consider giving them away. Or you can search online for recipes that use that particular spice and get creative! 

Look I’m going to keep it real.

This is a photo of my spice rack in my kitchen. It’s full to the brim of spices. I use many of them now and then, but there are only a handful of spices I use all the time. 

Italian Seasoning

I’m in love with Italian Seasoning because it’s a mix of all my favourite flavours: basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. I use it on everything from roasted potatoes to soups, burgers and even eggs! I use it if I want a bit of a milder, Mediterranean flavour.

Smoked Paprika

I love smoked paprika for its… well… smokiness! I use it all the time on sweet potatoes, chilli, tacos, roasted cauliflower to name a few. 

Chilli Powder

Chilli powder is not just for chilli! I use it on the same types of foods as smoked paprika. In fact, most times I use them together. You can also use it on fish! It adds a nice kick with a bit of lime juice.

Cumin

As with smoked paprika and chilli powder, I use cumin on everything from potatoes to curries. I get very sad if I don’t have cumin in the cupboard!

Garlic powder

Garlic powder is one of those spices that really doesn’t have the same nutritional punch as real garlic but I love using it in burgers, potatoes and other roasted veggies. It really kicks up the flavour profile to the next level.

Turmeric

I use turmeric mostly for nutritional and anti-inflammatory purposes. I use a ton in curries, warm drinks, and smoothies. If you have sore muscles from working out or sore joints from walking, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric or more a day to your soups, curries and drinks!

Cinnamon

Last but not least is cinnamon! Cinnamon is delicious on top of oatmeal, cereals, hot chocolate, coffee elixirs and even in some soups and stews!

That’s it! I have a ton of others, but these are what I use the most. Go through your cupboards to assess what you use and rearrange your cupboards so they’re easily accessible. Then start thinking of how you can use your other spices too so they don’t go to waste.

If I don’t know how to use a particular spice or ingredient, I use Duck Duck Go to search for ways to use it. Try it!


P.S.: Follow me on Instagram to get weekly tips and tricks!

P.P.S.: Get other tips and tricks here!

Free Guide + Simple Recipes!

Get my Free Guide: 3 Tips to Make Cooking at Home Easier + Easy Recipes Meal Plan

Thank you for subscribing! Your free guide and recipe booklet is on its way!

Something went wrong.

We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Follow Me
RSS

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: cooking tips, food, spices

Before Footer

Follow me on Instagram • @lealoulemonade

How to Survive the Holidays Feeling Great! The ho How to Survive the Holidays Feeling Great!

The holidays are here and we want you to feel great during and after the festivities. 

We also want you to enjoy yourself and not stress too much. It can be a stressful time for many people especially when food is involved.

Here are 4 tips to feel great during and after the holidays:


1. Drink lots of water. Not only will you likely be eating more food than normal, but winter is a dry season so drink up! Water will keep you hydrated all season.


2. Put down your phone and connect with your friends and loved ones. Nothing on your phone is more important than the face in front of you. If you want to share a cat video, share it and then put your phone away again. 🐈

3. Don’t stress and be mindful. Think about what you really love during the holidays and eat it, but eat it mindfully. Sit down, breathe at the table, and eat slow. Taste your food. Be grateful for the beautiful bounty.


4. Connect with me now for a nourishing meal plan so you’re ready to start January with a gusto. 

Don’t fall into the “January Diet Trap”. I’m here for you!

PS. If you want a little recipe gift. Comment ‘gift’ below. I don’t have one of those fancy automated IG systems. I will send it to you in the flesh! 😂

Also to book a consult with me check out the link in my bio! I’d love to chat.
Some might think custom meal plans are over the to Some might think custom meal plans are over the top, but they’re not, and here’s why:

1. Stress levels are at an all-time high and you need to eat. With custom meal plans and recipe books, you have one less thing to think about.

Let someone else figure out exactly what you need to and want to eat (down to specific ingredients). The investment is worth it (time is money, my friend).

2. When you get that special food list from your practitioner, the stress can increase. Now you really don’t know what to eat.

Meal plans can be customized to create meals that fit you. If you can’t have lentils and you hate red peppers, it can be added to your plan so that you only get recipes without those ingredients. You won’t have to think about substituting them on your own.

Nothing is worse than finding a recipe online and having to make changes to fit your needs.

3. When you get a custom plan, most times they come with a prep plan that tells you when to cook. Plans are great, but when the heck are you going to cook this stuff?

Prep plans offer hour-by-hour help to help you cook and prep food so you’re not rushing during the week on your busiest days.

4. Getting a custom meal plan will help you save money long-term. You likely won’t overbuy food and then let it rot in the back of the fridge (an expensive thing to do right now!).

Custom plans come with grocery lists so you know what to buy and how much to buy each week.

5. On that note, you can use up the food you have in the fridge with a custom plan. Your meal planner will ask you what you have in your fridge and cupboard so you can use up the food you have first.

You’ll also get help with any leftover food you might have at the end of the week so you’re not left with extra food and wasted money.

If you’re looking for meal plan help DM me to chat!
I’ve been working with @onehealthservices for so I’ve been working with @onehealthservices for some time now creating meal plans for their clients to not only meet the needs of their protocols, but also give them recipes that taste GOOD!

This is the thing about working with a naturopath or culinary nutrition expert: you don’t have to eat food that tastes like cardboard. Blech!

Healthy food should taste good!

We can work with you to create a custom meal plan just for you so that you actually enjoy eating every week.

And if you don’t like to cook, we can schedule an hour to cook a few recipes online together to help you get the hang of it.

I have a few openings this week so take advantage of them! 

All of our calls are online so you don’t have to travel (psst I won’t judge if you’re on the call in your cozies!).

You can either book a free 15 minute consult with me or jump in with an hour with me which includes a meal plan on our first call. The link to my schedule is in my bio @lealoucooks
This is an old apple tree right outside my back do This is an old apple tree right outside my back door. 

It’s seen better days. I think it might be close to 200 years old. It needs a really good trim. 

Today I’m so proud that it gave me the most beautiful apples! 

Never judge a tree… or person… by an age. You never know what you’re going to get! 🍏🍎❤️

#urbanfarmer #gardenlover #growfood #appleseason

Footer

About Stephanie

Photo of a white woman with brown hair

Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

Popular Posts

  • Recipe: Snack Attack Energy Bites
  • Cooking Tips: How to Shop Your Cupboards.
  • Easy Recipe: White Bean Hummus with Kale and Zucchini
  • Five Tips to Get Our Kids to Eat More Nourishing Food
  • Easy Turkey Soup Recipe

etsy kitchen utensils and linen napkins

Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Before you go...

You might be interested in these posts:

Recipes

Eat what you love.

pureed pumpkin in a white bowl
Recipes

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Reusable jars filled with pantry items like beans
Lifestyle

Cooking Tips: How to Shop Your Cupboards.