Pantry and Freezer Staples and how I use them!
There are a few things that I always keep on hand around here! These are items that I’ve found have been go-to’s for me when I need something quick or only have a couple ingredients on hand to make something. A lot of these are things that last for a while too and can be very versatile with different meals— which is why I love them. Keep in mind that a lot of times you can find purposes for using products in various ways throughout the week so that nothing goes to waste. For example, if you make a big batch of tuna, switch it up each time you use it! Or the pasta that you make you can split up and use some for a red sauce and some with pesto. So many different ways to still fix similar things but not get yourself in a rut with eating the same thing.
Below is a list of my pantry, freezer and fridge staples. These things are what I like to have on hand.
Pantry staples
- Pasta (whole grain, chickpea, lentil)
- Canned tuna
- Canned black beans/chickpeas
- Coconut milk/ Coconut Cream
- Almond Flour
- Bread Crumbs
- Protein Bars (Rxbar or Lara)
- Brown Rice
- Crackers/ Crispbreads
- Nut butter
- Nuts
- Rolled Oats
- Broth (chicken, beef, veggie)
- Freezer staples
- Frozen berries/fruit
- Bread/English muffins/bagels
- Pizza or pizza crust (love keeping Naan in the freezer!)
- Frozen chicken or veggie burgers
- Cauliflower rice
- Meats (chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, salmon)
- Bagged frozen veggies
- Daily Harvest smoothies (taylor25 gets you $25 off your first order!)
Fridge staples
- Avocado oil Mayo
- Dijon Mustard
- Dressings
- Almond Milk
- Yogurt
- Eggs
- Whole grain wraps/ Tortillas
- Pasta Sauce
- Chicken sausage
How to use some of these staples!
- Tuna salad: one of my go-to’s for an easy lunch. To keep this super simple, you can just mix a can of tuna with a little avocado oil mayo and dijon mustard for an easy salad. I like to use this to top on greens, sweet potato toast or use alongside some crackers. If you have the ingredients to make my Mediterranean Tuna Salad, use that for a little more flavor!
- Oatmeal or overnight oats: love these for breakfast. Having rolled oats in the pantry is key for making these bowls. All you need alongside these are some nut milk and banana. Then I also love a little maple syrup and cinnamon!
- Pasta bowls: when all else fails, pasta to the rescue! one of the best easy meals to throw together. I love using a pasta and tossing it with some sautéed broccoli and chicken sausage and either a red sauce or pesto! If you have the ingredients to make your own sauce, I have a few on here that I love! Try the red pepper sauce, spinach basil hemp seed sauce, or the creamy cashew cilantro sauce. These are great to prep and use not only mixed in with pasta but with a veggie bowl, or sheet pan similar to my sheet pan meal on the blog!
- Quesadillas/Wraps: oh the possibilities with a tortilla or wrap! One of my favorite things to have and you can keep them in the freezer if you don’t think you’ll be able to go through them all. These are good for breakfast, lunch and dinner options. You can throw together a breakfast quesadilla with some eggs and avocado on hand, a turkey or tuna wrap for lunch or veggie quesadilla for dinner with some frozen veggies.
- Frozen berries: These are a great option to use as your fruit intake while not sacrificing the limiting time that fresh fruit has. You can heat up frozen berries to put on a yogurt bowl, oatmeal or top on toast. Frozen berries are a great option when throwing together smoothies too.
- Canned black beans/chickpeas: a great source of protein that you can keep in your pantry! These are great to use to make taco bowls, put in a quesadilla or mix into pasta to make a pasta salad.
- Almond flour: use this to make banana pancakes or use as a gluten-free breading for chicken nuggets. Or use it to bake up a banana bread or your favorite cookie. This is something that I always keep on hand and can be used in so many different ways!
- Canned beans: there are a bunch of great soup recipes using canned beans. Two that I love are my white chicken chili and chicken tortilla soup!
- Bagged frozen veggies: great for using in one pan sautéed meals or heat up to use in a bowl, salad or wrap!
- Cauliflower rice: this is great to use for smoothies or throw together a simple stir fry with!
