Print Friendly

I’ve been asked on a number of occasions, “What staples do you keep in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry?”  The answer, a lot!  The reason I try and keep so much at my house is on any given occasion I can cook and healthy and tasty dinner without HAVING to go to the store.  This way when I go get out shopping it is rarely an “emergency” and therefore much more enjoyable and less stressful because it can work around my schedule.  If you have the space and the means I highly recommend having a “stocked” house, it opens up your options when it is time to cook!

Here is a “scratch the surface” look at my stock of ingredients.  Hum, what did I forget to mention?

  • Apple Sauce
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Baking staples: flour, sugars, baking powder and soda, vanilla, spices, flavorings, nuts and seeds, chocolate chips, oatmeal, oil (canola and coconut), honey, agave, etc.  I shop for some of these things (like mini chocolate chips) during the holidays, then I have more “specialty” items on hand all year and pay less.
  • Bread crumbs: Panko
  • Butter
  • Canned beans: usually one can of black, pinto, white/navy, and garbonzo, but most beans I use I make from dried beans
  • Canned tomatoes: diced, sauce, and paste, I use organic from Costco or Muir Glenn
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Coconut Milk
  • Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo, Tamari (soy sauce), sweet chili sauce, BBQ sauce, flavored mayo
  • Curry Paste (red and green)
  • Dried lentils, split peas, and beans
  • Eggs
  • Evaporated Milk
  • Frozen: bread, meat, berries, jam, butter, cheese, peppers, veggies, pre-cooked beans, pre-marinated meat, pre-cooked meat (especially chicken), ice cream :-)
  • Fruit: apples, oranges, bananas, seasonal fruit
  • Garlic
  • Green chiles
  • Ginger
  • Jarred peppers: Jalapeño and Pepperoncini
  • Lemons/limes
  • Maple syrup
  • Oatmeal: Irish and rolled
  • Oils: olive, canola, coconut, peanut, safflower, sesame, flavored olive oil
  • Onions
  • Pastas: penne, macaroni, spaghetti, egg noodles
  • Potatoes: russet and red
  • Quinoa
  • Rice:Jasmine and Brown)
  • Roasted Red Peppers
  • Tortillas: corn
  • Vinegars: balsamic, red wine, white wine, apple cider, rice wine
  • Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 1 Tbs. added to 1 cup of all purpose flour turns your flour into bread flour!
  • Wine for cooking
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Yogurt

Spices:

  • Cinnamon*
  • Black pepper*
  • Parsley*
  • Cumin*
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Paprika*
  • Dry mustard
  • Chili powder*
  • Oregano*
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Italian seasoning*
  • Thyme*
  • Basil *
  • Curry
  • Garlic powder*
  • Onion powder
  • Bay leafs*
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Silverwater Seasoning

*These spices are used the most