The Well Stocked Pantry

A well stocked pantry will allow you to get home at 7:30pm with no ideas of what to make for dinner, and have a deliciously nutritious meal on the table by 8:00pm.

Grains:
​Brown rice, Quinoa, Barley, Oats or any 

Beans:
​ Black beans, Kidney beans, Butter beans, Chick peas and any other of the huge variety - choose low sodium canned, or using dried beans is easy to learn and can cook quickly with a pressure cooker.  Dried lentils cook quickly and easily.

Other Canned/jarred items: 
​applesauce, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce (look for low sodium), and tomato paste.

Freezer:
​Frozen veggies - peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans.  Frozen fruit - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, and bananas

Comment ~ I buy these in season and freeze.  Also, store bought frozen veggies and fruits are economic and harvested at peak ripeness for flavor and nutritional value.  Serving size portions of chicken and fish can also be frozen in freezer baggies; freeze them in a single layer for easy use.

Fresh items that keep fairly long at room temperature:  
​White, yellow, red, fingerling and sweet potatoes, onions, whole garlic, butternut squash, apples, oranges, and lemons.  

Keep well in refrigerator:  
​Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, head of romaine lettuce, red/green cabbage, boc choy, collard greens, kale, and grapes.  

​Things to buy more often and that can be frozen for smoothies if they get over ripe before you get to use them:  
bananas, berries, peaches, and cantaloupe.

Comment:  
Buy fruits and veggies in season, buy local, check out your local CSA(Community Supported Agriculture)!

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Spices:  
​Cinnamon, Turmeric, Curry, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Ginger Powder, Oregano, Thyme, Dried Parsley, and Cardemon.

Check out our next blog on how Pharmacists, Doctors, and other healthcare professionals around the world are focusing on the nutrition we put into our bodies vs. treating with pharmaceuticals!