What’s in my pantry.. a peek inside the heart of a home. Not only is this one of my most requested posts, but whenever another blogger does this post- I’m always so eager to read!
My family always jokes that we keep our pantry stocked for the apocalypse. It’s probably true but RJ is so OCD and I like to have things on hand, because you never know what could pop up! Our pantry definitely stays more stocked than our fridge, solely because it’s filled with items that last longer. While some things rotate in and out depending on the season, today I’m sharing our go to grocery list for our pantry!
Later this month, I am continuing the ‘What’s in Our..’ Tour with the fridge, our baking cabinet and a kitchen appliance breakdown!
Breads + Grains + Rice.
– GG Crackers I stockpile, read my full post on how I eat them here
– Tortilla Chips
– Individual Bags of Popcorn. smart pop, pirate’s booty, etc. the ones that you can take to go and are around 100 calories! these are such a great afternoon snack, especially with lime juice + paprika.
–Random boxes of crackers Carr Crackers are my favorite. I like to keep crackers in case I need to make a quick cheese board for unexpected guests.
– 90 Second Bags of Rice These are a game changer for RJ. I love cauliflower rice but he is not a fan. We can grill chicken, pop one of these in the microwave and add a veggie for a healthy, easy dinner. We mainly buy the Spanish rice and Rice Pilaf, but there are a million and one flavors.
Cans. A huge staple in our pantry + the main thing that drives RJ’s OCD nuts. Cans are great because they are cheap and last forever. I know a lot of them have added sodium, so I try to to always buy reduced sodium + limit how many I use a day/meal.
– Cream of Chicken Soup This one is huge during the winter. a main staple in many of our soups and casseroles. I try to keep around 4 in our pantry at all times.
– Chicken Stock Also great for soups!
– Tuna Having a couple of these in the pantry means I always have a lunch ready if I need something quick.
– Kidney Beans Also a staple for soups, chilis. usually keep 4 in the pantry.
– Black Beans Probably our most used can, we use these for so many things.
– Refried Black Beans My current favorite. the healthier option to your favorite mexican restaurants refried pinto beans, these are SO good for taco night.
– Black Eye Peas Also a favorite of mine. this is my go-to side for so many dinners.
– Navy Beans Something else we mainly stock up on in the cooler months. Navy beans are great in soups and chilis.
– Green Beans. Probably not the healthiest way to get a green veggie in, but they stay fresh for so long and are nice to have on hand if I’m in a pinch! I always buy the no sodium added, French style green beans & then I add lemon juice to them. So yummy.
Snacks. I’m a huge snacker and if I buy unhealthy snacks, I will will will eat them – so I try to keep all healthy-ish things on deck! I am more of a sweet gal and most of my pantry snacks reflect that. I could eat salads, healthy meals all day but afterwards I will be CRAVING desserts.
– Nuts Nuts keep me full and are the perfect snack alone or on top of a salad. A few of my faves- plain walnuts or almonds (for salads), individual bags of chocolate covered almonds (easy dessert), individual pack of flavored almonds (good for a snack on the go! I keep a few packs in my car/bag).
– Peanut Butter Holy cow, I LIVE for PB. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite foods of all time. Since I was little, I’ve just eaten PB on it’s own, with bananas, on a sandwich, with ice cream – you name it! I buy all natural peanut butter and read the label + I try to limit how much I eat. I recently bought PB2 powder and will let you know how it is!
– Fiber One Bars I love fiber one bars. They truly taste like the best dessert ever + also have so much fiber, they keep you full for so long. My current fave: the chocolate cookie dough brownie.
– Larabars These are another option that I love for dessert that I cannot get enough of. I also will use these for breakfast if I’m running super late. My favorite ‘dessert’ flavors: Mint Chocolate Chip, Banana Bread, Cinnamon Roll (this one is also good for breakfast), Blueberry Muffin. In case you’ve never had Larabars before they’re great because they are all natural & some are even vegan! They are made with about 5 ingredients or less.
– Lunabars Another bar option that I love, although this one is solely for a ‘healthier’ dessert option. I buy a box and then cut them all in half, storing them in a baggie in our pantry. Half of one makes the perfect after lunch/dinner snack. My current fave is Chocolate Caramel Coconut.
– Fruit & Nut Rounds These are exclusive to Trader Joe’s but if you live by one you should definitely try these! They are shaped like a cookie but are made of only two-three ingredients!
Fruit + Veggies. One trick with fruit/veggies is to store it the same way you find it at the store (cold produce in the fridge, other produce room temp)
– Lemons
– Limes
– Cuties
– Kiwis
– Tomatoes
– Bananas
– Sweet Potato
– Squash Spaghetti Squash, butternut squash, zucchini
In addition to these sections, I also like to keep things on hand for quick meals. We love Italian and Mexican food, so we are always stocking up on those things. I also have a basket that’s filled with ‘RJ approved snacks’, these are things I try not to eat, but aren’t as ‘healthy’ as my snacks and a Breakfast Basket. We aren’t huge breakfast people but I always try to keep a box of bisquik + a few other random items just in case.
Mexican.
– Diced Tomatoes
– Diced Tomatoes + Green Chilis (the can you use for rotel dip)
– Green Chilis
– Enchilada Sauce
– Salsa
– Tomatillo Salsa one of my favorite quick meals is salsa chicken and it’s SO easy.
Italian.
– Diced Tomatoes with Italian seasoning One of my favorite meals is angel hair pasta, fresh garlic, fresh basil, olive oil and a can of this mixed together.
– Tomato Paste I use this for soups, chilis, ground turkey, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, so many things!
– Dry Pasta
– Pasta Sauce
– Pesto Another great staple for easy dinners!
I hope this list is helpful! As far as organization goes, I basically keep it organized the same way that I broke down this list. I use baskets from Walmart to keep things sectioned off together. I like the baskets because I can tell when they start to get empty and remember exactly what I need to add to my list. What is in your pantry staples?! I always love finding new faves, so lemme know! #OhYesPlz XO
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