A Well Stocked Pantry

Hi, I'm Jessica, and I am addicted to grocery shopping!

It was brought to my attention by my dear friend Ruth, that not everyone has a ridiculously-stocked pantry and refrigerator like I do. I will be the first to admit that I have a grocery shopping problem, but it helps fuel my hobby to create in the kitchen. Ruth took this one step further and asked for me to put together a list of "must haves" for my pantry, fridge and freezer. How can I turn that kind of request down!!

It is important to mention that everyone has different tastes, diets and allergies, so don't feel like you have to go out and buy all of these items. This is simply a suggestion post and a list of things that I often cook with and like to have on hand.

Further evidence of my grocery shopping problem!

The pantry is easy because most things that live in the pantry have a longer shelf-life. I like to have a stocked pantry at all times, but I also have a large one, so have the space for it. If I had to reduce it down to the "basics", here is what I would include:

Pantry Staples:

• Oils: Cold pressed extra virgin organic olive oil, Extra virgin organic coconut oil, grapeseed oil
• Vinegars: aged balsamic, apple cider, rice
• Almond butter and/or peanut butter (I buy unsalted organic and keep in the fridge)
• Quinoa/Brown Rice/Couscous
• Box of linguine pasta
• Lentils (dry)
• Black beans (canned)
• Can of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes
• Sun-dried tomatoes, dry packed
• Can of lite coconut milk
• Vegetable broth and chicken broth, both low sodium
• Jar of roasted red peppers (even though I like to make my own)
• Hot sauce - Cholula is my fav!
• Whole coffee beans (always fair trade)

The unorganized baking section!!

Baking supplies:

• A variety of flours (all purpose, coconut, quinoa, almond, whole wheat, cake, spelt)
• A variety of sugars/sweeteners (liquid stevia, natural cane sugar, dark and light brown sugar, Turbinado or Raw sugar, agave, honey, molasses, confectioner's sugar)
• Cornstarch
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cocoa powder
• Raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
• Dried fruits (apricots, figs, unsweetened cranberries or cherries)
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Cornmeal
• Rolled oats (for granola)
• Vanilla extracts (with no alcohol)

Fridge Staples:

• Milk (1%) - for Ryan
• Almond milk - for me
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Organic butter (both salted and unsalted)
• Organic maple syrup
• Tamari or soy sauce
• Tomato paste
• Parmesan cheese (whole chunks - I always freshly grate and reserve the rinds for soups like my Vegetable Soup)
• Lettuce (romaine, spinach and/or arugula)
• Carrots
• Variety of vegetables (kale, broccoli, zucchini, etc)
• Mushrooms (usually portabello)
• Olives and pickles (for Bloody Mary's)
• Bacon or pancetta

Freezer Staples:

• Pinenuts, raw (keep in the freezer so they last longer)
• Coffee (keep a backup stash of ground coffee)
• Raw Brownies (ALWAYS)
• Frozen whole fruit (blueberries and mango and my favorites for smoothies)
• Frozen vegetables (edamame, corn, peas, brussels sprouts)
• Shrimp, chicken breasts or pork tenderloin (when I buy in bulk, they go in the freezer using my food saver)
• Vodka (hey, don't judge me!)

Produce/Aromatics:

• shallots and garlic (ALWAYS)
• potatoes (red or sweet)
• red onion
• lemon, LOTS of them for my morning cleanse drink
• bananas
• organic apples (Honeycrisp are the favorites in our house)
• avocado

My overflowing spice and coffee/tea cabinet. 

Herbs and Spices:

• Sea salt
• Whole peppercorns
• Dried herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage)
• Italian herb blend
• Garlic powder
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Curry powder
• Whole Nutmeg
• Ground Cinnamon
• Red pepper flakes
• Homemade chili rub

I will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the above items. Just post a comment below. What are some of the ingredients in your kitchen you can't live without?