A Stocked Kitchen – What To Have on Hand
One way to save yourself some time is to have certain items in your
pantry at all times. That way if you don’t have the time or energy to
prepare a large meal you can put together a quick dinner for your family.
We sometimes think that we have to serve a meat, starch, and a vegetable
every evening. Not true, a sandwich or quesadilla is a nice quick fix.
Make a list of items that you want to have in your home at all times.
This includes canned goods, pasta, and frozen foods. For example, my
family knows that they will always find refried beans, instant white and
brown rice, frozen vegetables, black beans, flour tortillas, shredded
taco cheese, enchilada sauce, and taco sauce. We can have bean tacos,
leftover chicken or beef tacos, quesadillas. Or I can make our favorite
Chicken Enchilada Casserole. I could make a different meal each night of
the week with just my pantry items.
Other items to consider for your self are croutons, pasta, tomato sauce
and paste, minced garlic, rice, pasta sauce, canned tuna, shrimp, and
salmon, green chilies, mushrooms, canned ham, canned chili.
Your freezer items could include bags of frozen vegetables. Unlike a
canned vegetable, you can portion out what you need and put the rest back
in the freezer. They also taste a lot better than canned. Buy frozen
boneless skinless chicken breast, fish fillets, meat balls, and shrimp.
All take less time to defrost than some other meats, so they are good for
last minute meals.
My refrigerator items include milk, cream cheese, low fat sour cream,
feta cheese as well as other favorite cheeses. Things that started in my
pantry and then go to the refrigerator are sweet pickle relish, several
different mustards, hoisin sauce, white and red wine, favorite hot sauces
and salsas, capers, wasabi, horseradish, barbeque sauce, lemon and lime
juice, and various olives.
Once you have your items in your house, make sure you check them before
you head to the grocery store and add to your list what you are low or
out of.
One of my favorite ways to keep the cost down and the kids (and hubby)
satisfied with my purchases is to have a note pad and pen in a very
convenient drawer in the kitchen. I started this practice many years
ago. My family knows that if they use the last of something they are to
put it on the list. If they want something that I don’t typically buy,
they put it on the list. And YES I do buy it for them. I would go to the
grocery store and come home to a family who was always looking for
something that wasn’t in the grocery bags. “Why didn’t you buy this”
“We never have anything good” “You should have told me you were going”
etc. You know the drill.
I decided to turn the tables and make each of them responsible for why we
don’t have anything good in the house. They were told that if they want
something they are to put it on the list. At first I worried that my
grocery bill would be a lot higher, but I found that things didn’t really
change at all. They really didn’t go overboard like I expected and I
didn’t get any hassle when I got home. My answer to those questions is
“It wasn’t on the list.” They learned very quickly.
Now I’m not spending money on things they are not in the mood for this
week, I can focus on meals not snacks, and they get an occasional item or
two that they normally wouldn’t find in the house.
This is what you will find in my kitchen at any given time.
Pantry
fat free, less-sodium broths
canned beans
canned tomatoes
jams and jellies
olives
capers
hot sauce
soy sauce
olive and canola oil
balsamic and red wine vinegar
dried pasta
wine
quick cooking rice
sauces (barbecue, soy, hoisin, etc)
canned fish (tuna, salmon, etc.)
green chilies
croutons
canned chili
Canned mushrooms
Refrigerator
bottled minced garlic
flour tortillas
shredded cheese
taco sauce
cream cheese
low fat sour cream
horseradish
wasabi paste
salsa
various olives
sweet relish
variety of mustards
feta cheese
bleu cheese
roasted red peppers
milk
low fat mayo
Freezer
variety of vegetables
chicken tenders
chicken breasts
chicken thighs
fish fillets
meat balls
shrimp
