My Favorite Pantry Staples to Have On Hand

If any of you are like me you have not put real pants on for 3 weeks as it has been a rotation of leggings and loungewear. And you know what, I’m not mad about it. I will say the urge to be an actual human and put jeans on has started to kick in, so tomorrow might be the day.

I did just order these jeans from Everlane during their 25% sale, and I am pumped for them to get here this week so I can see how they look. A little outside my box with the straight leg, but we are living during an uncomfortable time right now, so why not try something new to keep things some what interesting over here.

But enough about jeans, let’s talk the pantry goods my husband and I are currently working through as we stalked up on all our favorites to ensure we were prepared for BEFORE the panic of the Coronavirus set in.

Now, I preface this with my husband thought I was absolutely nuts at the end of February to start buying a few extra things to have on hand like toilet paper, paper towels, medicine, bottles of water, hand soap/sanitizer, frozen fruit and veggie, meat and wine. No, I wasn’t the weirdo buying it all and wiping out the grocery store, but I was conscious enough to buy a little extra each week to have just in case.

And now that we are advised to stay in our homes as much as possible, we have become two little chefs challenging ourselves to make meals with what we have on hand and explore new recipes.

So today, let’s talk about our pantry staples that are turning our meals into delicious mouthfuls of amazing food!

Pantry staples can mean different things to different people but for me personally, I like to stock up on items that will stay good for 2+ weeks. We buy mostly healthy foods and brands whose ingredients personally align with our lifestyle.

For me, our pantry staples included:

Dry goods:

• cans of organic soups

• canned black beans, dice tomatoes, pumpkin and chicken

• grains like quinoa, brown rice, pasta, oats, hot cereals + granola

• snacks like popcorn, granola bars, drive fruit, coconut chips, nuts, chips

• jarred pasta sauce + enchilada sauce

• hard tortilla shells + taco seasoning

• tahini

• avocado oil + spray

• ghee

• maple syrup

• almond flour

• almond butter

• pancake mix

• all the spices

• dark chocolate chips

• seeded bread, naan, whole wheat pita pockets - we actually keep in the fridge for a longer shelf life

Fruits and veggies with a long shelf life:

• root vegetables including sweet potatoes, butternut squash, potatoes

• onions and garlic

• carrots

• hearty greens like kale and brussels sprouts

• apples + grapes

• citrus fruits

• avocado (we refrigerate ours for a longer shelf life)

Dairy with a long shelf life:

• organic almond milk + shelf-stable almond milk that will stay good unopened for months

• greek yogurt

• eggs

• organic cheese

Protein:

• ground turkey, steaks, fish + shrimp, sausage, and organic chicken thighs + breasts in the freezer

• canned chicken

• lunchmeat

• turkey bacon - applewood bacon can last up to a month in the fridge unopened

Frozen produce:

• broccoli

• cauliflower

• corn

• mixed peppers

• strawberries

• blueberries

• banana - i buy fresh banana’s and cut them in half and freeze

Okay, so here are a few things we have made with our pantry staples!

• chicken tikka masala

• chocolate chip cookies

• sweet potato + brussels sprout egg hash

• chicken nachos with the works

• mexican fajitas with all the toppings

• frittatas

• steak power bowls

Have you made anything fun with your pantry staples? Share below!