Kitchen & Pantry Staples

A lot of the recipes that I come up with are things that I do on the fly. Sometimes I feel creative, and I kind of just pick and choose from what I have on hand. With that being said, I wanted to go through what I tend to have in my kitchen at any given time.

In the Fridge/Freezer.

Lean meat, portioned out. I generally have chicken breasts and/or ground turkey in my freezer at all times. These packages generally come in the refrigerator section of your grocery store, and they’re usually in one pound packages (give or take a bit). Meat almost always goes bad if I don’t portion it out. I can’t eat a pound of meat’s worth of leftovers in a week. As soon as I get home from the grocery store, I portion out the chicken breasts into individual bags or portion the ground turkey into quarter pound sections. Then, I label it with the date and put it in the freezer. It’s super easy to do, and helps with proper portions.

Dairy. I opt for skim milk. For butter, I generally go with a Land O Lakes variety, either with canola oil or one of the lighter options.

Eggs

Minced Garlic. Garlic is super intimidating to me. There are all these layers and then you have to peel it or you can squash it. Ugh, it’s just too much to worry about. You can buy entire jars of garlic that’s already minced! It’s a lifesaver.

In the Pantry.

Canned Goods. Now, canned vegetables are definitely not the best option out there. If you can’t get fresh, you’re supposed to get frozen. I used to exclusively eat canned vegetables because they were easy and flavorful. It’s the preservatives! Now, I tend to just keep some “no salt added” black beans, golden corn, chick peas, and diced tomatoes. Also, as weird as it may be to some, I keep canned chicken around too.

Starches. I always have at least a few boxes of pasta in my pantry. I opt for whole wheat or a vegetable pasta if you can find it. Quinoa is also great to have on hand, or brown rice.

Breadcrumbs. I tend to mix my Italian style breadcrumbs and Panko breadcrumbs in one “bucket”. It’s a nice mix of flavor.

Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

Tomato Sauce. I do keep Cento crushed tomatoes at all times. However, sometimes I don’t have the time to really allow the sauce and flavor to simmer, so I like to keep a standard jar sauce from Prego or Bertolli.

Produce.

I really am learning to love fresh produce. It’s exciting to cook, and full of possibilities. If you shop within season, it’s also a huge money saver as well. I’ve only just gotten better about eating vegetables, so these are my “go to” options depending on what looks good.

Onion | Zucchini | Broccoli Crowns | Sweet Potatoes | Kale | Peppers

Fruit is another good one to have on hand, though I exclusively eat that raw. I keep apples on hand at all times because Olivia loves them too. Berry season is one of my favorites. Mangoes are delicious, and pineapple is a must. Usually, pre-cut is a bit out of my fiscal range/grocery budget, and I’m too intimidated to get a whole pineapple.

A lot of times, you can just mix and match these kitchen staples to create a super accessible and delicious meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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