Pantry Essentials

Tips and Tricks
Dec 21, 2017
3 min read

If you have been following my recipes lately, you may have noticed that I love to cook and bake with ingredients that I already have on hand. So some of you may be wondering what my kitchen essentials are when keeping my pantry and fridge stocked. It may come to a surprise but I love to keep minimal ingredients on hand to leave room for all the other goodies we bring home, so my essentials list is relatively short to other lists that I have seen. (and I’m not going to lie, I always have a couple frozen meal options on hand for the times when there just isn’t time to make dinner and nothing is prepared ahead of time)

For my pantry I keep a variety of canned vegetables and baking goods. Although I prefer fresh produce over canned for most cooking, it is good to keep a variety of canned option on hand as well for days the fridge is empty (guilty of this right now) or canned vegetables are often preferred for many soups and casseroles. Remember to always choose the salt-free or at least the low-sodium options as you can always add salt during the cooking process if needed for taste. Canned foods are notorious for packing in enormous amounts of unnecessary salt and sometimes even sugar! I’m sure you have seen that some “canned goods” now come in boxes instead (like stock and soups) and these tend to be lower in added preservatives/salt. Remember to read your labels! In order to keep stocked, I buy about 3-5 cans at a time depending on how often I use it and then I can go a while without having to purchase more (when I am down to 1 can left usually).

Canned goods: chicken stock, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, lentil soup
Dry goods: beans, brown rice, quinoa, quick oats, pasta, flour, gluten free flour (I prefer Teft), sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda (on my shopping list right now), baking powder, salt, pepper, vanilla extract, and a wide variety of spices (parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, chili powder, chipotle powder, paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, curry, ginger etc., bread (I love Dave’s Killer Bread)
Others: protein bars, popcorn kernels (perfect quick snack), tea, coffee, olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, variety of nuts, nut butter, protein snacks, honey

Keeping the fridge stocked with good essentials is another challenge since it involves going to the store much more frequently. I am lucky to have a Costco membership so I buy my meats and butter in bulk and freeze half to use later. I have listed all my produce here although some is kept out of the fridge.

Produce: romaine lettuce or mixed greens, lemons, avocados, garlic, carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, fuji apples, bananas, berries (fresh or frozen), other seasonal fruits
Dairy: low-fat milk, butter, sour cream, yogurt, cheddar cheese (my favorite)
Protein: chicken breast, ground turkey, eggs
Other: low-fat salad dressings, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup

I also keep a small herb garden on my balcony with parsley, sage, rosemary, mint, and of course basil! We also are growing strawberries, chilis and aloe (used frequently for facials and sunburns).

Remember to keep your kitchen essentials healthy and complete to allow for easy nutritious means everyday!