How To Stock A Healthy Kitchen

“Healthy Food” means a lot of different things, to a lot of different people. My opinion is that everything can be healthy in moderation. I prefer to avoid overly processed foods that include ingredients that I can’t pronounce. Cooking simply and from scratch is the easiest way to ensure your comfortable with all the ingredients you are eating. It's also not as difficult or time-consuming as it may seem. In fact, I would wager that the amount of time spent reading labels could be transferred over to "from scratch" cooking pretty seamlessly.

Staples are essential to having a healthy kitchen. You know what you and your family like. What grains do you prefer? What sauces go over the best? You are more likely to make a healthy food choice if the things you like are readily available. This also encourages better financial decisions. You are less likely to run out to the nearest to go restaurant when you want what you have on hand. Here is a list of my go-to staples:

Shelf Stable:

  • Oats

  • Rice (We have rice as a filler, but it is not our favorite, that's probably why we still have it.)

  • Quinoa

  • Couscous

  • Pasta (I rotate types depending on recipes)

  • Beans

  • Chia seeds

  • Dried Cranberries

  • Flour

  • Sugar

  • Granola (for me)

  • Fun cereal (for kids)

  • Cooking oil of choice (Olive and Coconut for us.)

  • Apple Cider Vinegar

  • Peanut butter

Fresh:

  • Bananas

  • Lemon

  • Onion

  • Spinach

  • Whatever fresh veggies are in season

  • Eggs (Unless your vegan of course)

  • Milk ( We use Dairy and Almond)

  • Butter (Dairy or vegan is excellent, and can often be substituted in recipes)

  • Cheddar cheese

  • Bread

  • Tortillas

Frozen:

  • Vegetables (Broccoli and Cauliflower always, plus an assortment)

  • Meat (We usually keep grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and tuna on hand. We purchase something different if we are craving something new.)

Spices and Baking:

  • Pepper

  • Salt

  • Garlic salt (Lawrys is the best)

  • Chicken bouillon (or sub veggie broth)

  • Beef bouillon

  • Baking Soda

  • Baking Powder

That's it! That is what is actually in my kitchen right now. I look at the weekly sales and add in fresh items each week so that cooking and planning isn't dull. I may add in other things when we want to try a new recipe. But that's my stock, It's affordable to replenish weekly, and I rarely run out of ideas! For example with this stock, and very few weekly add-ins, I am able to make:

Beef Stroganoff, Lemon Chicken and Couscous over spinach, Chili's, Enchiladas, Tacos, Wraps, Spaghetti, Regular Lasagna, Pumpkin Lasagna, Veggie Lasagna, Broccoli and quinoa casserole, Tuna casserole, Black beans with rice, Soups, a million types of salads, Eggs and toast, pancakes, peanut butter toast with bananas, french toast, oatmeal, milk and cereal, a myriad of cookies, the list goes on. When you cook seasonally, it never gets boring because God is rotating your ingredients for you! Thanks, mother nature! I also double up and freeze most of these recipes so that in a pinch we can still enjoy a home cooked meal.

 

Jennifer Myers