We’ve all been there – you go to make a snack or a meal and you have nothing in your kitchen. Like, nothing – no rogue chicken tender, old yogurt. NOTHING. It’s the worst because it means you have to buy something that’s probably overpriced and bad for you. The way to avoid that is to keep a pantry stocked with healthy essentials at all times – that way there’s always something you can quickly throw together!

Every week when I’m placing my online grocery order, I take a quick inventory of pantry items that are running low and make sure to add those to the list. The proper way to keep track would be to have a white-board or notepad in the kitchen and write down every time you use the last of something – great in theory but I haven’t done it for some reason. On the list…

Here are my essentials – if you are new to cooking, a great way to start building up your pantry from scratch.

Staples:

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Vinegars (I love red wine, but white wine or apple cider are great)

Mustard

Crushed Garlic

Soy Sauce (or Tamari)

Honey

Grains:

Brown Rice

Quinoa

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Oats

Cous Cous

Canned:

Black Beans

Chickpeas

Corn

Chicken Broth/Stock (or veggie, beef, etc.)

Tuna (or salmon, anchovies, sardines, etc.)

Tomatoes (diced, whole, etc.)

Coconut Milk

Almond Milk

Cashew Butter (any nut butter you love)

Tomato Paste

Spices:

Cinnamon

Turmeric

Oregano

Rosemary

Cumin

Chili Flakes

Bay Leaves

Vanilla

Thyme

Basil

Baking:

Almond Flour

Whole Wheat Flour (or Buckwheat, etc.)

Raisins

Chocolate Chips

Nuts

Applesauce

Maple Syrup

Dates

 

Of course, this is just a rough idea of where to start – let me know some of your favorites!

CHH