Soooo, what's in your pantry?

Your pantry contains lots of things, but are they things that help you prepare a healthy meal more easily?

I was in the checkout line at the grocery store last week and a woman said she hates cooking and struggles with ideas. She said she gets home from work or doing errands and she has to worry about dinner.

I think we can all relate....

You will have a head start with this dilemma if you have a well stocked pantry. When I think of a pantry, I also include my refrigerator and freezer as well as my dry goods area.

So what’s in a well stocked pantry? That depends on what you like to eat.

Let’s take a look at some ideas!

Dry and canned goods:

• Beans, lentils, and split peas

• Beans- canned refried, black, pinto and garbanzo

• Boxed vegetable, chicken, or beef broth

• Better than Broth ( it comes in a jar and it is wonderful) They have a chili paste flavor and it adds zip to chili sauces, taco soups and sauces. (I have the chicken, beef, vegetable and chili flavor in my refrigerator)

• Bottles water

• Canned milk

• Canned soups

• Cold cereal

• Diced tomatoes

• Dried coffee (for desserts)

• Enchilada sauce

• Fire roasted diced chilis

• Maple syrup

• Nuts and seeds

• Nut butters

• Oatmeal

• Olives (pitted black, green and kalamata)

• Pasta in packages

• Pasta sauce

• Potatoes

• Rice

• Teas (whatever you like)

• Tomato sauce

• Tomato paste

• Tuna canned or pouches

Oils:

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Coconut oil

• Avocado oil

• Non stick cooking spray

• Vinegars: white, balsamic, apple cider and rice

Refrigerator:

• Milk

• Eggs

• Cheese Cheddar, Parmesan, Bleu, Feta,

• Pickles sweet and dill

• Condiments: yellow and dijon mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce

• Salad dressings: your preference

• Yogurt greek (flavored and plain)

• Sour cream

• Cottage cheese

• Panko bread crumbs

Spices and baking items:

• Flour

• Sugar (granulated, powered, brown)

• Salt

• Baking soda

• Baking powder

• Corn starch

• Chocolate chips (milk and semi-sweet)

• Molasses

• Real vanilla

• Butter flavored Crisco (for pie crust)

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• Chili powder

• Celery salt

• Cinnamon

• Cloves

• Curry

• Cumin

• Dill

• Nutmeg

• Parsley (dried)

• Sea salt, regular salt and seasoning salt

• Pepper (black, peppercorns, lemon pepper)

• Taco seasoning

• Thyme (wonderful in chicken soup and pork dishes)

• Spike (red label) This is great in quiches and egg dishes

• Yeast

Freezer Essentials:

• Frozen berries

• Frozen bananas

• Frozen corn

• Frozen peas

• Frozen mixed vegetables

• Frozen meat

• Frozen healthy meals for an emergency

• Rice

• Frozen waffles

Spices can be expensive, so shop around:, here are some tips:

• Trader Joes has a small selection of spices but has great prices.

• Costco has a good deal on large containers of spices, buy them and split them with a friend.

• Grocery stores often have buy one and get one free deals. Keep your spice list in your phone and add to your collection when you see this sale.

• Buy in bulk, this a great way to stock up more economically.

Next time I will show a recipe from my pantry…

Ciao,

Jamie

Two websites I used to create these lists were:

Simply Frugal

This website wants to help you live the life you want. The blogger Taya gives tips on how to save trips to the grocery store with a well stocked pantry and how to save money by eating out less. She also had a large area of how to do things for free, I had fun cruising through the areas of interest to me.

Freutcake

This website shares fun with food. It is full of pictures, themes, and creative ideas. Leah the blogger has posts from her pantry that include lots of items baking. It is a happy site with lots of fun in the kitchen for everyone.