I think I've seen this thread somewhere else, but I think it bears repeating. In our discussions elsewhere about our PLANNING and PREPARATION, it occurred to me that some of us might have different "staples" in our diets that we could learn from each other. For instance, Sarah turned me onto the Kashi Go Lean, which is now a staple of my diet.

Here's some stuff I keep in my kitchen.

Pantry:

Kashi Go Lean
Whole wheat pasta
Canned whole tomatoes
Tuna
Splenda
Good olive oil
Good balsamic vinegar
Garlic
FRUIT! I try to keep a good supply of apples, bananas, and at least one kind of berry on hand
GeniSoy Protein Powder (tastes like crap if you use too much but good used sparingly)
Real oatmeal (the rough delicious stuff)

Fridge:

1% milk
Lowfat greek yogurt (I like this so much better than the thin watery stuff!)
A good mustard
A good salsa (I use like it's going out of style - gives so much flavor to anything!)
Eggs (mmm. scrambled, hard boiled, omelettes!)
Egg beaters
Lowfat cheddar
A good parmesan (a tiny bit goes a long way and is filling)
Chicken sausage (too much sodium but soooo tasty)
Pickles
Baby spinach (for salads and in recipes)

Freezer:

Skinny Cow Bars (sometimes!)
Homemade chicken stock for cooking (is lower in salt than the canned stuff and has so much flavor!)

Go 'head. Tell me about all the delicious food I'm missing out on!

Here are things that are always always in my house

Pantry:
canned albacore tuna
canned chicken breast meat
Nonfat/low sodium chicken stock
canned tomato paste
canned diced tomatoes
lots and lots and lots of spices
onions
garlic

Fridge:
grape tomatoes
celery
broccoli
sweet bell peppers
baby spinach for salads
eggs
spicy mustard
nonfat plain yogurt
lowfat cottage cheese
shredded skim milk mozzarella
string cheese

Freezer:
individually frozen chicken tenderloins
"Smart Steaks" - steaks I buy frozen from costco that are individually frozen and trimmed of fat and they taste better than any "fresh" red meat
frozen large raw shrimp
frozen greenbeans
frozen brussel sprouts

Other:
Not food related BUT lots and lots of food storage things including baggies and tupperware.

Which diet are you following Jennifer?

Pantry
Good olive oil
Good balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Canned albacore
Pouched albacore
Canned low-sodium garbanzo beans
Canned low-sodium kidney beans
Canned portobello mushrooms
Dried porcini mushrooms
Dried red peppers
Garam Masala
My homemade sodium-free hot spice blend
Garlic Powder
Like 4000 other herbs and spices
Long grain brown rice
Basmati rice
All-Bran Extra Fiber
Kashi Go Lean
Designer Whey Protein Powder
Rye Bread or Stone Ground Multigrain 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Fresh garlic
Apples
Roma tomatoes and grape tomatoes
Vitamins and CLA

Fridge
Baby spinach
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Celery
Baby carrots
Romaine
Mesclun (mixed greens)
Fresh basil
Red onion
Fat Free Milk
I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray
Hellman's reduced fat mayo
Light 'n Lively lowfat cottage cheese (single servings)
Dannon nonfat plain yogurt
Garlic cilantro salsa
Parmigiano Reggiano (only the real thing!)
Reduced fat feta
Grey poupon
Minced garlic
Minced ginger
Bottled lemon juice

Freezer
Frozen asparagus
Frozen loose leaf spinach
Frozen kale
Frozen soybeans
Frozen mustard greens
Frozen artichoke hearts
Frozen blueberries
Frozen mixed berries
Homemade no-sodium vegetable stock
Chicken breasts
Tilapia
Flounder
Salmon
93% lean ground beef
Turkey breast chops (98% fat free)
Beef loin tenderloin (for a rare treat)
Smart Ones Orange and Vanilla Ice Cream Popsicles
Smart Ones Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream Popsicles
Edy's Fruit Bars No Sugar Added

Oh I forgot to add... "good olive oil"

Actually I bought the 3 pack of flavored olive oils from Costco which I use in cooking/salads all the time.

hmmmmm. how about if i tell you what i actually use?

progresso soups - the ones with lots of protein
brown rice
tea. lots of tea
crystal light and wyler's powdered drink mixes
splenda


in fridge/freezer

homemade chili
whole grain bread
low carb yogurt
thinly sliced cheddar from the deli
shredded romano
tex-mex deli turkey
hard boiled eggs
lf mayo [the chipotle flavored]
mustard
tahini dressing [a little goes a long way and it has lots of flavor in it]
a couple of bags of greens
red peppers
cucumbers
grape tomatoes
wasa bread
hershey's dark chocolate with almonds
fresh asparagus
a japanese eggplant
apples
16 quarts of frozen blackberries that i picked while hiking
frozen indian tv dinners made with chicken and brown rice

and the stuff that mom might eat

a raspberry pie
2 half gallons of ice cream
peanuts
wendy's chili
corn
butter
french bread
cream
rhubarb nut bread
a melon
bacon
ham
80% hamburger [which will get thrown away]
small ham steaks

Ha Jiff!

Actually everything I listed is stuff I use on a daily/weekly basis, those are what I consider my staples. I'll occassionally have other stuff in my fridge and I have a ton of stuff in my pantry that I need to throw out. Actually right now my fridge is full of stuff and so is my freezer and I recently cleared out my freezer.

You should see me when I run out of grape tomatoes (which I consider my sweet treat , I become like a rabid dog.

Right now I even have apples in my fridge because I want to make a salad and put them in it even though fruit is a rarity for me.

Also I have oatmeal in my pantry which I was using on a daily basis until I had a weight stall so I stopped using it for the time being.

This is fun! I keep almost everything in the fridge or freezer because of the heat here.

Fridge:
skim milk
lowfat cottage cheese
fresh pineapple
apples
oranges
papaya
banana
whatever berry I can find in the store
spinach leaves
asparagus
zucchini
broccoli
baby carrots
tomatoes
salsa
maui onions
sweet potatoes
baking potatoes
fat free tortillas
Brannola bread
sugarfree jam
nonfat yogurt - plain, strawberry, lemon
terriyaki
peanut butter
dijon mustard
monterey jack cheese

Freezer:
steaks
boneless skinless chicken breasts
mahi mahi filets
large raw shrimp
sugarfree popsicles
no sugar added fudgesicles
frozen veggie mix

Pantry:
olive oil
balsalmic vinegar
lentils
black beans
ortega chillies
rice
TONS of cereal - Basic 4, Cheerios, Special K, All Bran Extra Fiber, I have EVERYTHING that's not loaded with sugar
Every flavor of Crystal Light

Fridge:
Skim milk
eggs
tumaro's tortillas, spinach & herb
extra firm tofu
veggie slices, american & pepper jack
baby carrots
fresh spinach
fresh mushrooms
beer & pepsi for the boy
bottled water for me
fruit punch gatorade for both of us (I can only drink it cut in half with water)
4 kinds of mustard, dijon, cranberry, yellow & honey
peach butter
real butter (allergic to margarine)
big jar of minced garlic
smucker's spreadable fruit, cherry, blueberry & raspberry
knott's blueberry syrup
pancake syrup
worcestershire sauce
frank's red hot sauce
low sodium soy sauce
various lowfat salad dressings (ranch, raspberry viniagrette, catalina)
turkey bacon
green apples
black grapes
peaches


freezer:
2 kinds of Natural Ovens breads
4 flavors sherbet (cherry, lime, lemon & raspberry)
2 flavors sorbet (blueberry, chocolate)
sweet baby peas
baby broccoli
oriental mix
pepper mix (red, green, yellow peppers & onions)
2 flavors gardenburgers (santa fe & mushroom)
morning star farms facon, pizzaburgers, new black bean burgers & breakfast sausages
blue moon ice cream for the boy
ore ida chopped onions
various cuts of steak
fish
spinach
juices (grapefruit, white grape/raspberry, cranberry)
big pizzas for the boy
little pizzas for me

Pantry:
whole wheat pasta
brown rice
healthy requests soups
starkist chunk light tuna
dole canned pineapple chunks
canned mushroom stems & pieces
bamboo shoots
sliced water chestnuts
mac & cheese
ramen
italian breadcrumbs
pasta sauce (light alfredo & ragu)
canned clams
canned salmon
canned green beans
canned zucchini in red sauce
cannellini beans
akmak crackers
grape nuts cereal for me
kashi heart to heart cereal for me
boo berry cereal for the boy
flavored oatmeal packets for the boy
frosted shredded wheat for both of us
lemonade mix
iced tea mix
gatorade fruit punch mix
olive oil
red wine vinegar
sesame oil
every spice under the sun

Orangecupcakez,

In answer to your question, I am not currently following a commercial plan. I basically count calories and have developed my own nutritional plan based on all the good information I could cull together. I *aim* for a balanced 30/30/30 plan of 30% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats, although fat is kind of my achilles heel at this point (I'd like to get it down to 20% eventually and do 40/40 of carbs/protein). I try to eat healthier versions of everything: more complex carbs (hence, the whole wheat pasta), enough fats so I get full, lots of lean protein, tons of fruits/vegetables, and GALLONS of water. I try to avoid refined sugar as much as possible as well. I guess this kind of sounds like a modified South Beach (?), although I don't count carbs at all.

SARAHGIRL,

I rock the parm reg, too. I didn't specify, but it's what I meant by "good parmesan." Just a little makes EVERYTHING taste good. Mmmm, cheese. I will always eat cheese, methinks.

Jen, I couldn't agree more! I believe my soul might just die a little if I had to completely eliminate either parmigiano reggiano or a good quality pecorino romano from my life. Serious stuff.

yum, jif -- i just noticed your blackberries. send some our way