minimalist pantry

My preference is not to eat out a ton – it’s expensive and mostly unhealthy. On average, I would guess I eat out once per week. The good news is when I do eat out or order in, the portion sizes are massive so it’s usually multiple meals for me. I’m not a great chef, don’t care to spend hours prepping, don’t like waste, and I’m cooking for one at home…so I thought I would share some of my “rules” and give you a peak inside my pantry.

I have a list of my rotation of meals on my iPhone. I’m pretty routine, so this is what works for me. Sometimes I’ll cook with friends and learn some new tricks and recipes and add them in. I am an adventurous eater, just not an adventurous solo cook! Having disclosed that, here are are some guidelines I tend to live by to keep my kitchen minimal:

• If a recipe requires me to buy more than a couple items, I tend to scroll on by. Or if they seem minor, just eliminate that ingredient.
• If I do buy ingredients, they need to be something I will use regularly going forward or use up in that recipe or over the next few days. I try to avoid food waste as much as possible.
• If the recipe makes multiple servings, they need to warm up well for leftovers throughout the week or freeze nicely.
• I try to substitute for ingredients that have a longer shelf life. For example, instead of fresh lemons, I just keep a bottle of lemon juice on hand. You can do the same thing with jarred garlic, ginger, etc. The nice thing about cooking is being able to adapt and adjust as needed…that’s probably why I quit baking years ago!

So, other than lemon juice, what are my staple items? Things like butter, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, Worcestershire, cumin, onion powder, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne, cinnamon, panko, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, peanuts, capers, Italian dressing, peanut butter, granola, honey, brown sugar, rice, pasta, and flax. Oh, I found a recipe for fajita seasoning (fajitas are in my regular rotation) and it made quite a bit, so I have my own homemade seasoning too. I am also a big fan of protein, so here is what I keep on hand in that category: Angus beef (frozen, from my family’s farm), frozen shrimp, eggs, and I usually have a cut up rotisserie chicken in the fridge. I am not a big pork eater, despite growing up on a hog farm! I tend to go in and out of fish consumption. Unfortunately I have a sweet tooth, so some not-so-healthy staples include Dove chocolates, frozen M&Ms, fun size Snickers, and perhaps an ice cream product in warmer months! 

Knowing what my staples are and keeping them stocked makes it easy to browse the produce aisle weekly and buy whatever is in season, on sale, or looks good! What are your staples?