must have pantry items

DH and I were laying in bed last night talking and I made a comment that I feel like we never have food in the house. Yes, we have pasta, cans of tomatoes (for sauce), some frozen veggies, butter, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, but I just feel like I SHOULD have other things available.

so, whats in my pantry:
stuffing
potatoes
cans of peeled tomatoes
pasta
soup
peanut butter
rice pilaf
yellow rice
mac and cheese
brownie mix
pancake mix
coffee
tea
beef broth

veg. oil
EVOO
bread crumbs/panko
salt
pepper
garlic powder
garlic salt
oregano
basil
parsley
italian seasoning
sugar
flour


whats in the fridge:
milk
eggs
cheese
butter
margarine
soda
water
apple juice
cranberry juice
pickles (there's only one left )
beer
onions
garlic
bread
bagels
cream cheese
sour cream

whats in the freezer:
frozen veggies
frozen waffles
frozen sausage
Vodka
more vodka
even more vodka (yea, um.. we have like 5 different bottles )
texas toast
steak
ground beef



i know, really really really random post... but like.. i feel like when i get home and go to cook there's NOTHING to make, there's no inspiration and I end up just making pasta and sauce.

so girls, what do you have in your pantry? what am i missing?

Re: must have pantry items

I love this post!!!

I think it feels SO great when you find a recipe and you can actually prepare the meal without running out!

One item that I've found really handy to have is chicken stock / broth.

Also, I just picked up whole wheat flour.

Re: must have pantry items

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Posted by Byrne2Be

I love this post!!!

I think it feels SO great when you find a recipe and you can actually prepare the meal without running out!

One item that I've found really handy to have is chicken stock / broth.

Also, I just picked up whole wheat flour.

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oh.. thanks for the reminder. i have beef broth (i plan on making stroganoff this week) and flour.

Re: must have pantry items

The MUST HAVE that we use on almost EVERYTHING is Adobo!!!! I put it in sauce, pepper steak, chilli, eggs, pot roast, you name it!!!! Just adds a little something to everything.

Re: must have pantry items

I always like to have jarred sauce and pasta ready since its quick to make. I have a bunch of marinades for grilled chicken.

I like the quick frozen meals too (like the Gorton's Shrimp scampi...just got them on sale)

Re: must have pantry items

spinach! fresh AND frozen! you can find a way to incorporate spinach into anything! and its so yummy

Re: must have pantry items

Pesto... Classico makes a really good one, and I use it to season just about everything...

I also keep a variety of black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo's ... good on salads or to throw into some rice/cous cous for a quick meal w/protein

And various nuts (if they're not eaten right away, we keep them in the freezer).

Re: must have pantry items

we always have:

Pasta
jar sauce
tuna
peanut butter
an extra loaf of bread in the freezer
rice
Chicken broth
and a variety of soups

Re: must have pantry items

I also always have a supply of Uncle Ben's 90 second brown or wild rice. Helps in a pinch when you need a quick side dish.

Re: must have pantry items

things we keep stocked full-time:

lots of soup and chef boyardee stuff... DH loves this during the week.
HOT SAUCE.
lots of pickles.
crushed red pepper. i put this on like everything.
good olive oil
EMERGENCY GATORADE for accidental hangoverage.
peanut butter
tons of string cheese and laughing cow wedges
lots of light yogurt
oatmeal
cereal
pretzel rods
salsa (i put it in my scrambled eggs)
tea (hot tea)
crystal light mix
goldfish, ritz and saltine crackers.

Re: must have pantry items

chef boyardee stuff is on sale at stop and shop.. i told DH i wanted to buy ravioli for nights when i have dance and can't cook.. he told me no and threatened to 'report my actions to MIL'
tons of string cheese just had TWO for lunch... i love string cheese
oatmeal got it, rarely eat it
cereal same^

and i have snack stuff. like wheat thins, doritos, chips, dip, ritz, nuts, marshmallows, etc....

Re: must have pantry items

Pantry:
pasta
lipton soup
peanut butter
crackers
jello
ovaltine
rice (assorted varieties)
cereal
popcorn
bisquick
coffee
tea
beef broth & chicken broth
nestle chocolate chips
pillsbury box cake mix
flour
sugar
baking soda
baking powder
brown sugar
vanilla extract
peanut oil
olive oil
vinegar (balsamic, cider & wine)
soy sauce
bread crumbs (seasoned & unseasoned)
salt
pepper
every spice under the sun (seriously, DH has an entire shelf full of spices, including homemade spice rubs)
can of soy milk (emergency storage)
can of evaporated milk (emergency storage)

whats in the fridge:
milk
soy milk
eggs
cheese
butter
soda
water
orange juice
cranberry juice
pickles
beer
onions
garlic
bread
condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, jelly, worcestershire sauce)
carrots
bacon
lettuce
salad dressing
gatorade

whats in the freezer:
ice cream
frozen veggies
soup
bacon
raviolis
top tier of our wedding cake


We also do not have any meals in our house to cook at any point in time. We are in walking distance to our grocery store, vegtable store, fish market & butcher so its not necessary for us to always have food readily available. DH either goes shopping mid day or I stop at the butcher on my way home from work.

Re: must have pantry items

One of my favorite go to items are the steamfresh bags that you can microwave - you can either buy vegetables or rice versions and they make great easy side dishes to any meal. We make them with chili, chicken cutlets, anything!