Pantry Staples

Pantry Staples are essential when trying to feed yourself or others on a tight budget. Get your pantry right and the rest will follow!

A well stocked pantry makes all the difference in the world. I always, always look at my pantry first then plan my meals. Grocery lists are based on what I need to complete my dishes. Its pantry first, then what kind of veggies and herbs I can incorporate, then lastly meat or seafood…if I feel like it 😉

Pantry Staples are items in your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. I know that everyone’s pantry is subjective but there are things that we all have in common and for the things we don’t, its ok there are literally substitutions for everything.

These are my pantry staples…the things I need in order to make Siriusly good food 😉

cupboard pantry
cupboard pantry
Cupboards:
  • Beans – at least 2-3 types, mostly canned because I like fast meals, sometimes dry when I have the time.
  • Crushed/Diced Tomatoes – definitely a must. You can make so many meals from a can of tomatoes.. soups, stews, sauces.. a lot!
  • Tomato Paste – used as a thickener and to give dishes depth of flavor
  • Pasta – all types! I love pasta, always delicious and weekday dinners best friend.
  • Ramen – We are obsessed with ramen, but I don’t exactly want to make my own so I buy a lot packets.. some with the salty lil packets and some without… all freaking good
  • Tuna fish – great for salads and sandwiches, basically super quick meals
  • Grains – oatmeal, farro and Rice, several types… Jasmine, basmati, brown, long grain white
  • Starches – Potatoes and plantains.. green plantains, not a fan of the sweet ones.
  • Fresh Onions and Garlic – flavor building blocks, a definite must
  • Baking stuff- AP flour, gluten free flour, baking soda and baking powder, Guittard’s unsweetened red cocoa powder, regular unsweetened cocoa powder, chocolate chips and nuts
  • Sweeteners – white and brown sugar, honey, agave, corn syrup
  • Canned milk – evaporated, condensed and coconut( coconut not pictured)…great for desserts especially no churn ice cream 🙂
  • Nut Butters – tahini, peanut and almond butter. This is actually a new pantry item. My youngest is allergic to peanuts and sesame, so of course these items were banned when she was little. She’s an adult now and I’m slightly less paranoid lol plus I’m great at not cross contaminating 😉
  • Oils – extra virgin olive oil, veg or corn oil, toasted sesame oil and oil spray
  • Vinegars – Distilled white, white wine, red wine, apple cider, balsamic (white or dark, sometimes both) and rice wine vinegar
  • Spices – I’m a little bit of a spice whore and have a lot but my mains are cumin and coriander (preferably whole, sometimes ground),garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, whole peppercorns, chili powder, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, crushed red pepper powder, herbs de Provence, Dominican oregano, cinnamon (ground and whole), sazon accent, and vanilla extracts. Im also a fan of spice blends. Blends make meals easy.
cupboard pantry
Refrigerator:
  • Mustards – dijon, coarse and smooth, spicy brown
  • Ketchup
  • Butter – unsalted
  • Worcestershire sauce – for depth of flavor and salt
  • Soy sauce – a must for asian dishes
  • Chili Garlic Sauce
  • Hoisin – its kinda like an asian bbq sauce
  • Oyster sauce– great sub for hoisin and has no sesame unlike hoisin
  • Fish Sauce – another asian fave, used for depth of flavor and salt
  • Olives
  • Capers
  • Eggs – great for all meals and for cookie dough 🙂
Freezer:
  • Bread – Baguettes and sliced bread. we eat a lot of bread, putting it in the freezer extends the shelf life
  • Frozen Fruit – mostly berries
  • Fresh Ginger – I buy it fresh, put it in a ziplock freezer and straight in the freezer.. it lasts forever, well not forever, a really long time though
  • Meatless Alternatives – My oldest doesn’t eat meat and us meat eaters like them too
  • Frozen Fish/Seafood – mostly mahi-mahi, salmon and/or shrimp, perfect for when I can’t make it to the fish market
  • Whole Chicken – I always buy whole chickens, it’s cheaper to just break it down yourself.
cupboard pantry

Sorry no pics of my fridge or freezer, you wouldn’t be able to see the condiments anyway, the shelf is in the way anddddd to be completely honest, it needs some major reorganizing lol 😉

As you can see most of my pantry staples is made up of Trader Joes items. Its the best bang for my buck. Their items are good, trustworthy and best of all cheap as hell. I’m also a huge fan of Aldi’s. When I can’t get to those two stores I shop around.. sales are my best friend.

I hope this helps you with your pantry, but like I said above. Pantries are subjective…personal to who you are, as long as you keep yours stocked, you will always have a good meal on your table and extra bucks in your pocket. Well the second half of that statement is a maybe but at least the part about good meals will always be true 😉

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