These are a few of the pantry staples that I like to keep our kitchen stocked with to make fresh and nutritious meals, snacks and desserts. While not all of these are essential, having the majority of them allows me to create an assortment of dishes, with a variety of flavor profiles, at any given time.

As a rule of thumb, we generally buy produce and dairy items on a weekly basis, and fish and meat just on the days we will be cooking it, then keep everything else on hand to use as needed. But, in times of emergency, we will stock up ahead of time as, thankfully, many of the things on this list either have a long shelf life, are hearty enough to last a while or can be stored in the freezer.

GRAINS

• pasta

• quinoa

• rice

• rice noodles

• oats

• cornmeal

• bread crumbs {make your own with stale bread}

• tortilla wraps {can be stored in the freezer + taken out as needed}

PROTEINS {*can be stored in the freezer + taken out when needed}

• canned tuna

• canned clams

• whole chicken*

• chicken thighs*

• shrimp*

• pork loin*

• ground meat*

• tofu

• chickpeas

• nut butters

• chicken sausage*

• bacon*

• kielbasa*

SEEDS

• nuts (walnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews)

• flax

• pumpkin

PRODUCE {*can be cut up and frozen}

• ginger

• garlic

• potatoes

• sweet potatoes

• carrots*

• beets*

• zucchini*

• broccoli*

• kale*

• celery

• red peppers*

• oranges

• lemons {for the times I can’t find fresh, I get a jar of lemon juice}

• limes

DAIRY

• parmesan cheese (lasts for a long time; great for a variety of uses)

• mozzarella (freezes well; mild cheese so it works well for many things outside of pizza and pasta)

• eggs

• yogurt

• milk

• butter {can freeze}

• heavy cream {can freeze into cubes, good for making sauces creamy}

• cream cheese {last unopened, good for making creamy sauces}

• ice-cream

CANNED GOODS

• broth

• crushed tomatoes

• tomato paste

• coconut milk

• 100% pure pumpkin puree

• olives

• artichoke hearts

BAKING

• flour

• almond flour

• GF flour

• baking powder

• baking soda

• cocoa powder

• granulated sugar

• brown sugar

• coconut sugar

• vanilla

• chocolate chips

• rapid rise yeast {can be store in the freezer}

• brewer’s yeast

• coconut (flakes, shredded)

SPICES

• salt {sea salt + flakes}

• black pepper

• cinnamon

• curry powder

• chili powder

• red pepper flakes

• sesame seeds

• everything but the bagel

• dukkah

• fresh herbs- cilantro, parsely, dill, basil, mint {pick up herb plants instead of just a bunch of herbs to ensure you always have fresh ones on hand + it’s more cost effective and less wasteful}

CONDIMENTS

• mayonnaise

• mustard

• ketchup

• oil (olive, garlic-infused, sesame, coconut)

• vinegars (apple, red wine, rice)

• soy sauce/coconut aminos/bragg’s aminos

• honey

• maple syrup

• lemon juice

• ghee

• jam

• cooking spray

• hot sauce

• sriracha

FROZEN

• corn

• peas

• green beans

• berries

• pineapple

• bananas {buy fresh, then freeze}

• zoodles

• veggie burgers or Beyond Meat burgers

• cookie dough {pre-make, then freeze into balls}

SNACKS

• rice cakes

• crackers

• popcorn

• chocolate bars

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS (aka things we usually only have on hand for emergencies)

• salsa {good for making sauces, adding to soups}

• Annie’s Mac and Cheese {a favorite guilty pleasure}

• juice

• seltzer water