Things you should probably have in your kitchen...

So for my first post, I figured I should note what you should probably have in your kitchen if I'm going to be making lots of recipes with those kinds of ingredients. I find that even when my fridge and pantry are pretty bare, I can almost always make some kind of meal with my "staples." And what's great is that those kinds of things are usually pretty cheap to always keep on stock. I try to buy everything store brand, but sometimes the brand name is just better so it's a personal choice. 

Pantry Fare:
-Tomato sauce and/or canned tomatoes (it's SO much cheaper than jarred spaghetti/marinara/pizza sauce and if you have a tomato base, you can jazz it up with whatever veggies you have on hand)
-Beans (any kinds you like, I buy black beans, pinto beans, and garbonzo/chick peas...mmmm)
-Pasta (whole wheat or fiber enriched, a couple of varieties like angel hair, penne, and rotini) 
-Rice (white and brown, sometimes you just need regular rice and brown has a bit of a bite)
-Cous cous (an alternative to rice, great with Mediterranean or Indian fare)
-Chicken stock/broth (canned, in a carton, or those Swanson concentrated packs are great, home-made is even better!)
-Peanut butter (duh- it's a breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner staple- my favorite is Jif Natural and it's worth the extra money)
-Flour (all-purpose and bread varieties, I've heard King Arthur brand is where it's at, I usually get the store brand)
-Baking powder and baking soda 
-Bread crumbs (plain or Italian, I just always get the latter)
-Corn meal (buy the big store brand container, it will last a while and there's so many things you can use it for- the same applies for the next two)
-Grits (southern girl pantry staple)
-Oatmeal (old-fashioned, so much healthier than those little individual packs and you can add whatever you like to it and it's so filling)
-Fat-free popcorn (butter or plain, add low fat toppings to your discretion)

Spice Cabinet:

-Extra virgin olive oil (even better if you put it in a Misto (thanks Steph!))

-Vegetable oil
-Hot sauce (Tobasco, Sriracha, Frank's, Cholula, store brand Extra Hot Hot Sauce- whatever you fancy- but you must have Sriracha (and yes I did have to look up the spelling))
-Honey (recent obsession- use as sweetener for anything and even better if you buy local to ward off allergies)
-Brown Sugar
-Real sugar (moderation, people)
-Cinnamon
-Garlic salt
-Cumin
-Curry
-Paprika
-Cayenne pepper
-Dried oregano (buy small and often for best taste)
-Some kind of vinegar (balsamic, apple cider, red wine- I usually just cycle through them)

Fridge Fare:

-Almond milk (unsweetened, plain- substitute for milk in anything- tastes great, and stays for a realllllly long time)

-Egg beaters (whites)
-Yeast (fast rise, in the little jar)
-Parmesan cheese (wedge is better so you can grate when needed and it keeps for quite some time, but sometimes you gotta get the green shaker...you know what I mean)
-Some kind of block cheese (one week it's mozzarella, the next its cheddar, just cycle through whatever you're feeling that week- you can slice, dice, or shred it however you need it)
-Mustard (plain or spicy, add honey and its honey mustard! genius.)
-Mayonnaise (again, moderation)
-Greek yogurt (plain, substitute some or all of mayo and it adds creamy tangy deliciousness) 
-Barbecue sauce (personal favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's, I don't use it often so I go for the brand name)
-Soy sauce (for your Asian food cravings)
-Asian Toasted Sesame Lite dressing (lite dressing is usually terrible, but this is really really good and I just happen to have it now (thanks Mom!) you can use it on a salad, on chicken, in pasta, go crazy!)
-Sugar free jam (whatever you like, cycle through flavors and try them all!)
-Lemon juice (you can't have fresh all the time)

Freezer Fare:

-Variety of frozen veggies (I like the mixes of onions and peppers, stir fry veggies, broccoli and cauliflower, corn, peas and carrots, zucchini and squash- no sauces, you can make your own! I find that it's so much cheaper to buy frozen than fresh and when you're cooking it you can barely tell- but of course you need fresh sometimes (see below))

-Chicken breasts or whole chicken (depending on what you make, buying the whole chicken is sometimes better, but when you're feeling lazy, chicken breasts are the way to go. I usually buy unfrozen and portion them out but I just got a big bag of frozen for cheap so I'll see how they turn out. I can go on and on but I'll stop here and explain later when necessary :)
-Morning Star Farms veggie burgers (for a quick meal)
-Skinny Cow ice cream treats or sugar free fruit popsicles (it's just good to have on hand for emergencies)

Note: I usually only have one or two meats at a time but I cycle through ground turkey, chicken or turkey sausage, and pork roast most often. If I plan to cook soon, I keep in the fridge, if not I throw it in the freezer. My motto is pretty much "when in doubt, throw it in the freezer!" I use that motto often.

Fresh Fare:

-Red onion (it's my personal choice, I guess you could have white or yellow...)
-Garlic (duh)
-Sweet potatoes
-Carrots (the baby ones stay good for a while and they're a great snack or addition to a meal)
-Lettuce (I alternate between romaine and spring mix)
-Bananas (going brown too quickly? separate them. too many polka dots for your taste? cut them up and thrown them in the freezer!)
-Bread (I cycle through one type of bread at a time, right now its whole wheat tortillas. Other kinds I get are -sandwich rounds, english muffins, or pita bread. I also bake a lot of bread in my bread maker (thanks Sam!) Again, if it's not going very fast, throw it in the freezer, especially home made bread because there's no preservatives)
-Tomatoes (on the vine, Roma, grape, cherry, heirloom, whatever is cheapest and in season)

Note: Whatever veggie is fresh and in season is usually cheap, and if you buy at a farmer's market you're doing good. It may be more expensive, but you can feel good about it because it's really tasty and you're supporting local farmers. Since I buy most of my veggies frozen I don't need a lot fresh. But I always have garlic and onions which can jazz up ANYTHING :)


So those are my staples, or at least what I would like to have on hand. I don't always have everything, but if I have a couple things from each category, I should be able to make something delicious. They may seem like random things, but the possibilities are endless really. If you plan one week at a time, you can make several different meals with one base meal. You'll see!