What to stock my pantry with? - Page 2

[robugmum]

All of the above are good suggestions. Maybe its my Italian roots but I like to have a good supply of tinned fish available too. sardines, anchovies, salmon... - all are a good source of protein and omega-3's and can be tossed with pasta or served on toast to make a simple, nutritious and quick meal. I can my own tomatoes now but I used to always have good quality tinned whole tomatoes on hand as well. Italian groceries are a good place to check out for good quality items like this. You can often find jars (reusable & recyclable) of foods that would only be available in cans in regular grocery stores, like beans, tomatoes, anchovies etc.

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

I like the Muir Glen organic products. I found a bunch of coupons for their stuff on ebay and stocked up when they went on sale. Things like canned organic diced tomatoes.

I used to really like muir glen as well but then I found out their cans are lined with a plastic that contains BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes plus the length of the time in the can cause a lot of it to leach into the food. I still buy their products but I only get the ones in glass jars now.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by elus0814

I used to really like muir glen as well but then I found out their cans are lined with a plastic that contains BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes plus the length of the time in the can cause a lot of it to leach into the food. I still buy their products but I only get the ones in glass jars now.

I haven't seen any in glass jars where I live.

[gardenmommy]

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo

I'm not as ambitious as most MDC mamas; we will still eat packaged cereal, and the occasional frozen chicken nugget, but I'm shooting for cooking most of our meals from scratch. That's a HUGE step for me, so I'm going to focus on that for now. I don't bake, so am still buying whole wheat bread and stuff, but muffins are on my list of stuff to start making since my kids love them. I figure I can always add things to my repertoire as I go along

You know, it is totally a journey. You don't get there in one giant leap (usually), but a series of small steps over a period of time. Most people think I am really ambitious and do a lot, and compared to the SAD, I suppose I do. However, as a PP said, I go back and forth on what I make from scratch, and what are worthwhile compromises for me. My time and energy are valuable, and I just can't physically do everything perfectly TF or whole foods ALL the time. IMO, you have to pick and choose what is most important for your family, and start there. It sounds to me like you have already made a huge step in that direction. You may go back and forth between eating mostly homemade whole foods and more packaged, processed stuff. Don't worry about it. Just do the very best you can, and you will not regret it. As your cooking and baking skills improve, you will be able to increase what you make and decrease what you buy, until one day, you will look back on how far you've come with a real sense of accomplishment. You can do it!

[Violet2]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy

You know, it is totally a journey. You don't get there in one giant leap (usually), but a series of small steps over a period of time. Most people think I am really ambitious and do a lot, and compared to the SAD, I suppose I do. However, as a PP said, I go back and forth on what I make from scratch, and what are worthwhile compromises for me. My time and energy are valuable, and I just can't physically do everything perfectly TF or whole foods ALL the time. IMO, you have to pick and choose what is most important for your family, and start there. It sounds to me like you have already made a huge step in that direction. You may go back and forth between eating mostly homemade whole foods and more packaged, processed stuff. Don't worry about it. Just do the very best you can, and you will not regret it. As your cooking and baking skills improve, you will be able to increase what you make and decrease what you buy, until one day, you will look back on how far you've come with a real sense of accomplishment. You can do it!

This is great advice. This is totally an evolution that takes time and happens in small steps. Focus on the step in front of you, not the destination.

Muffins are a great idea--you can do super nutritious muffins at home for a fraction of what a bakery would charge you for fat and chemical laden junk food. Homemade bread may or may not work for you (it's not ideal for us, but then we are low carb and shouldn't be eating it anyways )

I am working on a mega post for the Food Costs Too Much blog about logistics. I recently took $3 of chicken breasts, put them in the slow cooker and got 3 different meals out of that.

Homemade is great, but doing it efficiently is even better.

[Adamsmama]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy

You know, it is totally a journey. You don't get there in one giant leap (usually), but a series of small steps over a period of time. Most people think I am really ambitious and do a lot, and compared to the SAD, I suppose I do. However, as a PP said, I go back and forth on what I make from scratch, and what are worthwhile compromises for me. My time and energy are valuable, and I just can't physically do everything perfectly TF or whole foods ALL the time. IMO, you have to pick and choose what is most important for your family, and start there. It sounds to me like you have already made a huge step in that direction. You may go back and forth between eating mostly homemade whole foods and more packaged, processed stuff. Don't worry about it. Just do the very best you can, and you will not regret it. As your cooking and baking skills improve, you will be able to increase what you make and decrease what you buy, until one day, you will look back on how far you've come with a real sense of accomplishment. You can do it!

I agree with this, too. I always keep stuff on hand to make bread products. I love to bake --especially muffins (but over the past year have learned to make homemade cakes/cupcakes) I also love to make pizza and bread. Pizza is so much cheaper and more nutritious if you make your own. I usually keep store brought bread on hand to help with kids lunches but love to make my own for special dinners or as a treat.

[mamatoablessing]

I agree with all of the lists above. A few things I didn't see mentioned which are staples in my pantry:

Soy sauce
Peanut Butter
Nuts
Stevia
Dried spices (cumin, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, curry, five spice and cinnamon are a few of my must haves)
Oatmeal
Canned Beans
Quinoa
Vinegar (rice and apple cider are my choices)

[Sol_y_Paz]

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo

I just spent almost 2 hours throwing away pre-packaged and processed junk. My pantry is just about empty now. And so is my freezer. I am finally commited to cooking good food for my family.
I'm heading to Costco tomorrow- and NOT buying the pre-pacakged and frozen ready to heat foods. But I need a lot of help to figure out what I should buy.

Anyone want to give suggestions?
!

Just wanted to say good for you!!
Don't discount Asian markets either Or farmers markets to stock up on things. We are planting a small garden this year.

[KayleeZoo]

Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and input We haven't eaten fast food once since I posted (a big deal for us ) and I currently have Ginger Beef and broccoli in the crock pot for dinner tonight

Keep the suggestions coming, I'm taking notes!