Over the past several days, I've been sharing tips that have helped us avoid fast food. Admittedly, a well stocked pantry is the first step for me. Admit it, peeking in someone else's cupboards is a voyeuristic thrill. Although I confess, there are things I really wanted to hide before I posted this picture. Things I don't want my fellow adherents to healthy eating and green living to see. Photos don't lie and my pantry reveals that we keep chocolate drink powder and commercial cereals in the pantry. We have cake mixes and jarred pasta sauce. We have regular store bought peanut butter (as well as the natural stuff that only Mr. Daily Green eats and we keep that in the fridge), not to mention plastic bags and straws. But there also are enough essentials to put together just about anything we'd like to eat on any given day.
With yesterday being the Superbowl, a day second only to Thanksgiving with potential for gluttonous eating, we had a full family schedule. After getting home from a morning at church, we all grabbed a quick bite for lunch, before heading separate ways. I was in the kitchen prepping for our evening grazing. I had a taste for lettuce wraps, the kind that I like to order when we eat out. My daughter asked if I was going to make buffalo chicken dip like I always did. I hadn't planned on it, but honestly, when I realized that she thought of that as a Superbowl tradition, I decided I needed to do so and surprise her when she got home that evening. Besides a well stocked pantry, I also recommend investing in a chest freezer. We buy our meat from local farmers and always have something on hand to thaw and eat. I also freeze fruit and vegetables for when it's not in season and beef and chicken broth (although I do keep instant soup base in the pantry if you look at my photo confessional).
There are several guides online for stocking a pantry, I adapted the lists to my own needs, as a starting point. Take into account what you liked to cook and how often you'll make the effort. I have a ton of cookbooks, that I frequently peruse for inspiration, although with all the recipe sites online, a future project I have in mind involves becoming a minimalist on my cookbooks and (gasp) cleaning out my inventory.
Basics
- Flours (wheat, white and bread)
- Sugars (brown, granulated, powdered)
- Pasta variety
- Grains (couscous, brown, wild and white rice, quinoa, oats, cornmeal)
- Oils (olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil)
- Canned/Jarred Tomatoes (sauce, diced, stewed, paste, sundried)
- Natural Sweeteners (honey, maple syrup)
- Vinegars (balsamic, white, red wine, apple cider, rice wine)
- Specialty Sauces (hot sauce, soy sauce)
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, peanuts)
- Canned tuna
- Canned Beans and Dry Lentils (black, cannelini, garbanzo, kidney)
- Capers and olives (black, green, kalamata)
- Vegetables (onions, potatoes, garlic)
- Coffee and variety of teas
Herbs and Spices
- Oregano
- Basil
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Bay Leaves
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
- Dry Mustard
- Paprika
- Saffron
- Spice Blends
- Pepper (ground and whole, and red pepper flakes)
- Salts (kosher, sea salt, pickling salt, rock salt)
Baking Supplies
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cornstarch
- Cream of Tartar
- Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Chips or Chunks
- Extracts (vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint)
No comments :
Post a Comment