How to Tuesday: Building a Pantry Stockpile (Part 1)

Having a well-stocked pantry can relieve so much stress in your life.  If you keep most of the ingredients on hand that your family uses most, you’ll always have something you can throw together. When you keep your pantry well stocked you’ll always have something to eat which lessens the need to eat out or order in.

Once you get your basic pantry started and can start a stockpile you will be prepared for that unexpected job loss, a time of less income or to be a blessing to someone in need. I cannot tell you the blessing it has been in my own life to know that I have food ready and waiting when we have gone through hard times.

So what entails a basic pantry? I’ve included a list of what we keep in our home. This list may or may not work for your household depending on preferences, food allergies, etc…

If you are a Trim Healthy Mama, you can see the 12 items that I always have on hand to ensure I can easily stay on plan.

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Here are a list of items I try to keep in my pantry at all times:

Baking Supplies:

• all-purpose flour
• bread flour
• whole wheat flour
• white sugar
• yeast
• baking powder
• baking soda
• brown sugar
• Truvia (Stevia sweetener)
• cornmeal
• cornstarch (or arrowroot)
• vanilla extract
• cocoa powder
• shortening
• cooking spray or purchase a Misto and never worry about running out of cooking spray again
• chocolate chips
• nuts (assorted varieties for snacking and baking)
• powdered sugar
• old fashioned oats

 

Seasonings/Oils:

• salt
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• cumin
• ground ginger
• seasoning salt
• paprika
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• Italian seasoning
• parsley flakes
• basil
• oregano
• soy sauce
• canola oil
• olive oil
• white vinegar
• apple cider vinegar
• red wine vinegar
• balsamic vinegar
• hot sauce
• chicken bouillon
• beef bouillon

 

Condiments:

• mayo
• ketchup
• mustard
• various salad dressings
• BBQ sauce
• jelly
• peanut butter

 

Canned:

• corn
• green beans
• tomato sauce
• crushed tomatoes
• diced tomatoes
• tomato paste
• tomatoes with jalapenos
• artichoke hearts
• pizza sauce
• kidney beans
• tuna
• spaghetti sauce
• tomato juice

 

Breakfast foods:

• various cereals
• quick-cooking oats

 

Dry Packaged Goods:

• various cuts of pasta
• stuffing mix
• dry Great Northern beans
• dry black beans
• dry pinto beans
• white rice
• brown rice
• quinoa
• tortillas

 

Snack Foods:

• various crackers
• popcorn (NOT microwave)
• pretzels
• tortilla chips

I know this list looks overwhelming, but truth be told you probably have quite a bit of it in your cabinets already. Next week we’ll talk about how to build up your pantry so you can have everything you need on hand while saving money in the process.

Part 2