Keep Your Pantry Stocked With Staples for Healthy Eating
2020 has taught us all many things but one thing near the top of the list, I think we have all learned the importance of a pantry (or larder, cellar, cupboard) well-stocked with staples for healthy eating and at least some of the value of healthy cooking at home or even cooking from scratch.
A good way to motivate you to cook more healthy meals at home is by keeping your kitchen stocked with the essentials. That way, you always have ingredients at home to make a home-cooked meal and avoid having to order pizza or drive through a local fast food restaurant.
Here are some of the essential pantry items to be sure you have on hand.
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Oil and Dressing
The first types of ingredients you should always have stocked include a combination of oil, dressing, and condiments. By having these in your kitchen already, you can prepare a lot of meals with other ingredients you have and not have to worry about picking up extra items every time you go to the grocery store. Have a variety of oil based on your needs, including coconut, olive, avocado, sesame, and maybe even peanut oil. Have different types of vinegar, such as red wine and rice vinegar, and sauces like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Don’t forget basic condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, honey, and any others your family enjoys. Or, if you want to take it to the next level, make your own homemade versions of mayo, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and salad dressings.
Rice, Pasta and Grains
In your pantry, make sure you have plenty of rice, pasta, and grains. These items can be made with nothing more than boiling water and some basic ingredients. You should have a combination of different beans and grains, such as kidney beans, chili beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, along with quinoa and couscous. For rice, choose your favorites, but also have a variety, such as wild rice, jasmine rice, white rice, and brown rice. Have different forms of pasta, including bowtie, spaghetti noodles, and lasagna noodles. This will cover a lot of your basic meal options.
Seasonings, Herbs and Spices
Include a wide range of seasonings and herbs in your food storage, both fresh and dried herbs. Choose the basics like rosemary, basil, oregano, and mint. These herbs combined with seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic salt will take you far in your different meals. Also consider things like all-spice, nutmeg and multiple seasoning bottles, such as a bottle of Italian seasoning and curry powder to make the cooking process even easier.
My spice cabinet is one of the most well stocked in my kitchen as I know that just adding a bit of spice or herbs to a meal takes it from boring, to yum!
For example, take a humble bowl of oatmeal. If you leave that bowl of oatmeal plain with a bit of milk, it’s ok, but add a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar? Next level! And speaking of brown sugar, next up are a few more very important pantry items.
Dry Goods to Keep Your Pantry Stocked
In addition to all the above items, you should have some other important staples in the pantry. These include items that help you bake so many things from scratch, such as bread, biscuits, cookies, cakes and muffins. Just about any baked item can be made from a few common ingredients that are usually pretty easy to have stocked in your pantry. Make sure to have plenty of salt, sugar, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and other items that help you prepare your different baked items or treats.
Add yeast to the list as I’m sure we’ve all heard of the big shortage in 2020 that led to the sourdough craze. But trust me, if you haven’t mastered sourdough, you want to make sure to keep some yeast on hand. I buy mine in a big block and actually store it, unopened till I need it, in the freezer. I’ll make sure to link the kinds and size, below.
Nuts and Dried Fruits
I love to keep a selection of dried fruits and nuts stocked in my pantry for nutrition and flavour. Raisins, dried apricots, dried mango, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts. All of these have significant nutritional value plus they make a meal or snack taste good.
Remember that bowl of oatmeal I was talking about before? Now imagine it with brown sugar and cinnamon AND raisins and maybe even a few walnuts. So yummy and nutritious and filling as well!!
We have all learned many lessons with this pandemic and are still learning. One of the most important, I believe, was being prepared for anything starting with a pantry stocked with staples and healthy ingredients to not just survive, but to thrive.
For more in depth reading about keeping a pantry stocked with staples check out some of the following books I recommend:
- A Year Without the Grocery Store: A Step-By-Step Guide to Acquiring, Organizing, and Cooking Food Storage
- Independence Days – A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation
- 57 Scientifically-Proven Survival Foods To Stockpile
Related Posts:
- How to Keep Your Food Pantry Organized
- Canning Basics for the Homestead
- Food Storage and Safety at Home
- Storing the Harvest: Best Ways to Preserve Food
- 10 Frugal Kitchen Tips for the Holiday Season
- 10 Must Have Spices to Flavour The Prepared Kitchen ~ A Year Without The Grocery Store
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