So, I will have a bit of extra money in a few weeks and I want to revamp my pantry. In the house is just myself and my 14 y.o. son and I was wondering what must have healthy staples you guys keep your pantries stocked with. You know things like spices, seasonings, etc that help with last minute meal ideas etc.
Last edited by WillsAngel; 01-25-2011 at 06:22 PM.
whole wheat pasta, lentils (brown, red), peas, beans (brown, black, pinto), brown rice, whole wheat cous cous, and quinoa. if you keep these, with some basic spices, you add protein and some veggies to any of them and you have an easy peasy meal.
and for breakfast, i have a lot of whey protein and steel cut oats.
well, for qunioa i go to raleys, but i know costco sells it by the bulk as well. I think most health food stores would carry it as well
As for spices, i love everything but curry is definitely what i most versatile. I love chilli with everything too, powder, flakes and paste. Salsa is also awesome, and I add it to almost anything; i know a lot of folks here cook with it as well.
I can't give you more specifics, i'm not that great of a cook- hope that helps though!
I have a great variety of spices.
I always put onion and garlic powders in my canned soup. And also soul food seasoning.
Otherwise canned soup is just too bland.
In my canned ravioli and spaghetti I always add extra Italian spices.
I grow a lot of fruit, and when I make apple and pear juice I always add mulling spices and brown sugar for extra flavor.
I love Spike seasoning. It's got everything in it, and you can get a reduced sodium version. In my Kroger it's not in the spice aisle. It's in the healthy organic aisle. I also have to constantly have red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, paprika, ginger, italian seasoning, and curry.
As for other products, organic tomato sauce is very cheap at Kroger, so I stock up. I'm also nuts for onions and bell peppers, so I constantly have frozen bags of them in the freezer. They're not organic, but they're cheap and go with anything.
Last edited by 3FCer344892; 01-27-2011 at 02:09 PM.
for spices and seasonings, it really depends on what kinds of foods you like to make
i like to make asian dishes, my ethnic background is mediterranean, so i have spices and dried herbs on hand to make this types of dishes.
ie, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sriacha, hoisin, soy sauce, etc...for my mediterranean, i have dry oregano, paparika, capers, lemons, herbs de provence, garlic, saffron, nutmeg, bay leaves, cinnamon, etc.
I keep my spice rack stocked up with all sorts of spices. I try to avoid salt, so use spices instead. My favorites for easy meals are curry, cilantro, cumin, oregano, basil, garlic, tumeric and herbs de Provence.
I keep cans of diced tomatoes, garbonzo beans, black beans, red kidney beans, chicken broth and Cannellini beans. I also like to keep tomato paste and tomato puree on hand.
Brown rice, quinoa, cous cous, and wheat bran, dried split peas, lentils, garbonzo beans, kidney beans and navy beans.
Steel Cut Oats, peanut butter, and cheerios are generally in my pantry along with whole grain pastas in various shapes and sizes.
For oils and vinegars I use sesame oil, cannola oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basalmic vinegar, rice vinegar and soy sauce (low sodium)
With these items on hand I can make a meal with whatever meats and veggies I have in the house.
A lot of the things already listed -- including canned chickpeas and bagged walnuts, to be specific -- plus Pam spray or the like, and jarred pesto which can be put on pasta or pizza as-is. Clover honey. All my flours -- white, bread, wheat & rye.
I use every spice, heh ... Especially couldn't do without black pepper, basil and cinnamon.
must have pantry provisions
