Happy New Year my friends! A few weeks ago, I asked for reader requests to kick off 2011! Well, it’s here now and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off then to go back to the basics.
When my lovely cousin asked me to do an article about pantry staples, I immediately started writing it in my head. I think it’s important for anyone, no matter what your living situation, to have most of these staples on hand. People often ask me how I have enough time to cook at home so often instead of going out. The answer is a well-stocked pantry. I usually have over half the ingredients a dish requires at home already and I try to use my grocery store trips to get fresh foods and replenish these staples when they run out.
Having a well-stocked pantry also allows you to whip up an easy meal in a hurry if you have no other ideas. I was going to wait until after I go to the grocery store tomorrow, but then I thought wait! if this is about pantry staples…then I should have all this stuff on hand even though I haven’t cooked in my own kitchen in almost 2 weeks!
I vividly remember the first time I really stocked my pantry. I guess I must have done it somewhat during my senior year of college when I lived in an apartment…but I was living with 3 other girls and let’s be honest, I was in college and I didn’t really eat that well. A couple months after we graduated, the hubby and I moved into our first apartment. During the move, I was horribly sick with a high fever and was having an allergic reaction to the medicine the doctor gave me. The whole thing was quite miserable…HOWEVER, not even all of that yuck could detract from my excitement for going to the grocery store the first time. Armed with a list similar to the one I’m about to give you, we headed to Wal-Mart and loaded up. By the time we were done, our cart was practically overflowing and the check-out lady was looking at us as if we were slightly crazy. I quickly explained that we were building a pantry so she would quit judging us!
If the thought of building a pantry from scratch seems daunting, take comfort in the fact that many of you reading this are not going to be starting at the very beginning. You probably already have a lot of these things on hand and after reading the list, you can just fill in the gaps. If you are starting from the beginning, yes it is expensive, yes it takes a while, and yes- it’s almost impossible to find enough cupboard space to store everything….but it’s worth it! If you want to eat healthy, stocking your pantry with healthy foods and time-savers is a great way to get started.
So here we go! I’ve organized this list the way my kitchen is organized because it was the easiest way for me to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. I have a cupboard right by my stove, a little area of the counter and a drawer where I store a lot of my spices and condiments. It looks like this:
Then I have a walk-in pantry where I store the rest of the stuff.
And finally, I added a little list of some of my fridge and freezer staples.
Here’s the list! I debated for a while about whether to write little asides about each thing..I feel like some of you will only want the list, while others want to glean as much info as possible…so the list is big and bold, but my thoughts are also included 🙂 I didn’t want to bore you with pictures of every single thing, but I tried to give you the general idea…don’t judge me by my messy cupboards!
So there you go, my friends. Hope this helps get your New Year off to a great (and organized) start!!
I’ll leave you with this image that the hubby noticed in his beer while we were eating dinner today…do you see the bird on the branch?
So tell me…what’s on your pantry staple list that I forgot to mention?!
–Lindsay–
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Sarah @ The Strength of Faith says
Aww, I LOVE this post! I've been living on my own for almost four years and I'm pretty sure I still don't have all of the staples, ha! I'm going to bookmark this and refer back to it …
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
awesome!! glad it was helpful 🙂
Lindsey says
This is excellent, and I enjoyed seeing what brands you use too! I like trying new ones, so I've added a few to my list. Also, I LOVE how organized you are!
Alycia [Fit n Fresh] says
What an awesome post! Loving all the staples! I find that it's hard to keep some certain staples in my house (chocolate chips? maybe?) than others lol
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
Thanks Lindsey! I try to stay organized…doesn't always work out but I have lots of lists!!
Alycia…I definitely know what you mean about the chocolate chips! Those definitely seem to need replenished more often then other staples!
Kristine says
LOVE this! thanks linds!!
Amy at TheSceneFromMe says
Wow, I love this post and all the information you provide in it!
I have many of those same items in my pantry.
Hooray for walk-in pantries too. If you saw mine, you'd think this was a house full of teenagers or something. I think we could live off what we've got for several months without having to go to the store!
carrie teynor says
You are so organized. I was relieved that I have over half the items in my pantry that you listed as staples.
Carrie V. says
I think keeping a proper pantry is a lost art in today’s age of chock full, 24 hour grocery stores and drive thru fast food. At Everyday Providence, we encourage readers to plan ahead for the times those conveniences are not available. Your post is a spectacular example of how to start and stock a pantry. The pictures are invaluable. And your personal suggestions and perspective make this post a perfect resource for anyone who want to get a pantry started or to add a new dimension to one they have already started. I’ll be sharing this link on my blog next week at http://www.everydayprovidenceblog.blogspot.com/
Lindsay says
awesome! so glad you like it!
Tiffany says
Love this post. My boyfriend and I are about to move into our first apartment and I’ve printed this off to start our whole kitchen from nothing. Thank you for the organization. I love lists so this is absolutely perfect, right down to the chocolate chips!