Here’s a sneak peak of what I’ll be sharing on Weekend Sunrise tomorrow morning {5:45 AM!} with all you early birds.
Everyone should have a Pantry Top Ten. Ten go to items that will help you quickly and easily prepare easy, affordable, and healthy meals. For every household it looks a bit different; however, here are 10 items I’m sure to stock up on at back to school time so that lunches, snacks, and even dinners are easy and we’re not led off budget by a trip through the drive thru.
- Peanut butter. Almost every day, the Eldest Princess takes PBJ in her lunch bag. I usually buy a larger jar or two depending on what has the best unit price. And that way, we have it on hand in case I get a case of the “I don’t want to follow the meal plan blues.”
- Apple Sauce. I usually purchase this in a large jar and use small re-usable containers to send it to school. It’s also a great staple to have as a side dish that takes absolutely no prep!
- Pasta. I almost always have a box of whole wheat pasta on hand. While the type of pasta (elbow, rotini, angel hair, etc.) may vary, pasta is a great staple that can be used in a number of dishes.
- Pasta Sauce. It kind of goes hand in hand with the above ingredient but I also thicken ours and use it as pizza sauce, occasionally top meats or sandwiches with it.
- Whole or Instant Brown Rice. Whether we’re having “Chinese Take-In” or literally Beans and Rice, rice is one of those staples that you can make “fit” with almost any meal. I like to spice it up with cilantro, salsa, cheese, or even the above mentioned pasta sauce to give it some flavor.
- Ziploc Bags. Everyone’s got their own semi-non-frugal thing and this one is mine. We still use these for PBJ and some side dishes depending on what we’re sending in the lunch boxes.
- A Couple of Extra Loaves of Bread. Keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them to make sure they don’t go stale or moldy. 100% Whole Wheat, no HFCS all the way.
- Beans. The most frugal food of them all, we usually go with dried black beans and soak/cook them in the crockpot.
- Chicken Broth. Either make your own or pick up the bigger container with the re-sealable top. Add it to soups, casseroles, pasta, or meats to keep them moist and stretch things further.
- Cheese. Everything is better with cheese! I buy block cheese and shred it myself to save a few pennies {plus it tastes better!}. Usually it has a long shelf life but you can even freeze cheese to make it last longer if you score an exceptional deal and want to stock up.
Bottom line, you need to evaluate what you use most often in your meals and what your family likes to make sure you’ve got what you need before the craziness of back to school schedules turn your world upside down. Look for items with a long shelf life that are filling and nutritious so convenience and fast foods don’t clog up your budget and your arteries.
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