How to have the right things in your
pantry and some GREAT shopping tips!
One of the interesting things that I’ve noticed during these difficult
times of COVID-19 is that there are a lot of people out there that are having a
difficult time not only having to adjust their shopping habits but they’re also
having to cook more for themselves than they might ordinarily do. This can be
intimidating…..and trying to decipher what they need to have on hand can be
more than confusing if not overwhelming .
I haven’t felt the need to ‘hoard’ at all since this all started. Why? Because I always have a well stocked pantry and freezer. I’ll bet you’re asking yourself “I bet this gal has a deep freezer” ….but I don’t. And a good portion of my freezer is used for food for my dog as he is a ‘raw’ diet dog. So how do I do it?
I was really lucky to have a mother that was not only a great cook, she also knew how to shop on a budget and I learned at a young age how to do the same so that when I was living on my own in my 20’s and beyond it was natural to me. Not everyone has that benefit or experience though and for those of you that are new to this – that’s ok. There’s no judgement here. I’m here to help! Follow these great tips and you’ll have a well-stocked pantry and freezer with an affordable grocery bill at the end of the week/month as you move forward. These are great tips that we should be practicing ALL the time… so when we’ve conquered COVID-19 you’ll have this skill that will benefit you for the rest you for life!
Your Pantry: What you want in there:
Having a good variety of canned goods, dry goods as well as frozen goods
is always good practice. These are affordable and often healthy foods that are
great options and ‘go to’ ingredients during all seasons (and all styles of food) that have an
exceptionally long shelf or frozen life. Canned goods ARE healthy as they are
often canned at the peak time of their ripeness which….is sadly better than
some of the things you’ll see in your local grocery store (even at the best of
times). Another benefit of canned goods are that they are a great way to continue
to be able to continue to use foods (such as tomatoes etc) when they are not in
season. Just because you can buy ‘fresh’ tomatoes during the winter months it
doesn’t mean that you should!! They are incredibly expensive food products that
have travelled 1000’s of km’s to get there and nutritionally lacking. These foods have a terrible carbon foot print and low nutritional value.
Why would you want that? Answer – you DON’T! Canned is definitely better! Dry
ingredients are important too! Things like flour, dried pasta, dried mushrooms,
nuts and seeds. So is a good selection of frozen meats/fish. You’ll need and
want these things more than you think and having them on hand at all times will
make all the difference.
MUST HAVE CANNED GOODS:
- BEANS - One of the BEST
canned foods to always keep in your pantry is BEANS. All varieties, all types,
sometimes mixed and sometimes not. It’s up to you. Beans are a GREAT source of
protein and are great in SO many recipes – just ask any vegetarian! They’ll
tell you! The variety of beans that you choose is up to you but as a rule of
thumb, I always keep at least 2x cans of Kidney Beans, Black
Beans and Chickpeas at a minimum. These beans are more versatile than
you think and you can use them in soups/salads/stews and oh so much more.
- TOMATOES - 🍅You can
use these for EVERYTHING! Fresh tomatoes are great (when in season) but even
when they ARE in season do you realize how many tomatoes you would actually
need to match how many tomatoes are in a standard 796ml can?? TWELVE! Even at
the peak of tomato season do you know how much it would cost to buy 12
tomatoes? A LOT! Canned tomatoes make sense in a lot of other ways depending on
the recipe that you are wanting to make. Making chili or pasta sauce with fresh
tomatoes? Heck no! Not only is that a lot of chopping but it also doesn’t make
financial sense! Canned tomatoes are incredibly versatile and you’ll use them
more than you think!
- COCONUT MILK AND
OTHER ASIAN CANNED GOODS – whether you’re a well versed
cook or just starting out, these are things you’ll want and need in order to
offer a variety of cooking styles and their required ingredients to your
pantry. Coconut Milk is compatible with both Asian and Indian
cooking. Canned bamboo shoots and canned water
chestnuts are another great thing to have on hand. They can be used in
a variety of salads as well as various forms of Asian cooking.
MUST HAVE DRY GOODS:
- FLOUR- even though you might
not be a big fan of baking (right now…) this is still a must. You need it to
make muffins, thicken sauces and coat fish/meats before frying. Flour is a more
commonly used ingredient than you might realize. Even if you’re not into baking
it doesn’t matter….and all these hours of staying at home with limited shopping
options might change your mind. Missing that Starbucks muffin and coffee to
begin your day? Start a few good habits now and you’ll benefit in the future
health-wise (*store bought muffins of ANY kind are full of sugar and cost WAY
more than they cost to make! Trust me!) If you continue to follow my
blog you’ll soon realize how EASY it is to make healthy muffins and other baked
goods – providing a great healthy grab and go snack that is better than
reaching for a bag of chips, a store bought baked good and provides a great
source of nutrients and a healthy way to start the day instead of cereal or
toast.
- DRIED FRUITS, NUTS AND SEEDS – these are
healthy snacks but also valuable ingredients when wanting to make a great
salad, a homemade granola, a great muffin, an interesting fish or meat recipe
and so much more. My must have’s are dried cranberries, dried apricots, pumpkin
seed, sunflower seed (shelled), almonds, walnuts and peanuts and/or brazil nuts
- PASTA – we should ALL have
a variety of pasta on hand at any given time. I always keep well stocked of at
least one variety of long pasta (such as linguine, spaghetti or fettucine) as
well as a variety of short pasta (such as fusilli, rotini and even smaller
pastas such as ‘Riso’ which I use for soups)
- DRIED MUSHROOMS – 🍄🍄🍄🍄 fresh
mushrooms can be expensive at the best of times. Dried mushrooms are a grat
alternative with no sacrifice in flavour. In fact, you can find a much larger
selection of dried mushrooms vs fresh at your local grocery store.
Cremini/button mushrooms just don’t cut it when all recipes are concerned.
Dried Shitake mushrooms are significantly cheaper than fresh…. Regardless of
what mushroom type you prefer, you don’t have to worry about any of them
shriveling up and going bad in your fridge if you buy them dried instead (your
fridge is NOT the best environment for fresh mushrooms to begin with (humid and
dry). Buy dry in bulk and safe money! All you need is a bowl of cold water and
some time and you’ll have mushrooms that are just as good as fresh.
RICE – whether it be white rice or brown
rice, basmati or jasimine…..just have it on hand. ALWAYS. That’s a basic I don’t
need to explain I’m sure.
MUST HAVE FROZEN GOODS:
It’s not economical nor smart to rely on buying meat and fish as you need it day to day. Having a well-stocked freezer is just as important as having a well-stocked pantry. Things I ALWAYS keep in my freezer are:
- Chicken (whole
or individually pieced)
- Ground beef
- Sausages
- Roasts (pork or beef)
- Shrimp and/or Fish
SHOPPING SMART TO FILL YOUR PANTRY:
This is probably the most intimidating part of creating a well-stocked
pantry of frozen, dried and canned goods. It’s true…. It is NOT affordable to
simply go out and buy all of the things on this list at one time so don’t try
to. Here are the tips and tricks that will save you $$$ and make life easier as
you move forward.
- Rule #1 – watch while
you shop! Get to know prices on some of the regular things that you buy (or
should be buying as per this list). When you see a cheaper price elsewhere or at
a later time, you’ll be able to recognize and take advantage of it).
- Rule #2 - Buy more when
things are on sale and STORE, PORTION and/or FREEZE it. Canned veg or beans are
on sale? Buy at least 4-5 for your pantry. Ground beef on sale? You don’t have
to decide what to do with that 2lbs of ground beef you just found on sale. Just
portion it… and FREEZE it! Make sense?
- Rule #3 - Buy
less (or not at all) when things are NOT on sale. Canned goods often
go on sale. So does meat and fish. Even though you might not NEED it right at
the moment, the key to financially responsible grocery shopping is often
thinking ahead and putting things in your pantry and/or your freezer for
another day. It doesn’t mean you can’t buy something you need at the moment
but… as you build your pantry you’ll find that you won’t need to buy these
things unless they are on sale (you’ll already have it from the last sale) and
that will benefit you in the long run.
- Rule #4 –Buy larger
portions/pieces of meat and fish and LEARN HOW to portion larger portions of
meats and fish that you buy that you don’t plan to use immediately so that you
can freeze them. It’s always more cost effective to buy something whole (like a
chicken) vs buying individual pieces. You’ll save a tonne of money this way!!
*Watch my blog and Instagram @sharonthechef for tips on how to do this!!
Coming soon!
AND THE FINAL KEY IS….. MENU PLAN SO THAT YOU CAN USE WHAT YOU HAVE AND
ONLY BUY WHAT YOU NEED!
- With a well-stocked
pantry you should really only be supplementing fresh produce as you need it and
refreshing your freezer as you use things and in turn, those foods go on sale
again so you can continue to re-stock.
- Menu plan! I’m not
asking you to plan the entire week (although that would be awesome!) but even
planning ahead a few days in advance makes a difference.
- Try and plan menus
that follow one another. For example: My Classic Caesar Salad recipe called for
two egg yolks… follow the next recipe for an Omelette to use the egg whites.
Make sense?
- Make a shopping list
and FOLLOW it!
- Buy only what you
need, not what you want (this is how we all waste money on food – it’s called
impulse buying and we are all guilty of it. Try to avoid it)
- Don’t shop when you
are hungry (you’ll buy more of the things you won’t use or need and will regret
it).
- - THINK AHEAD! If you have to
thaw something from the freezer you’ll need time! Don’t start thinking
about it 1hr before you want it! Think ahead! This is why Menu Planning is
great!
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