Pantry Cooking
amy March 20th, 2007
The blog Sweetnicks - Food and Life had a great article about keeping your pantry well stocked with staples that allow you to have meals on hand. The ability to prepare simple, healthy meals can be a key tool for weight loss. It is much easier to say “no” to the drive-through when you know you can go home and make a delicious, no-fuss “pantry” meal.
Here are Cate’s tips for keeping a well-stocked kitchen:
1. Put together a list of pantry essentials and make sure to keep them stocked at all times. See below for list examples, and custoimize it so it suits your own likes, dislikes, and dietary restrictions. It’s a starting point, but a good one.
2. As soon as you use something up, put it on your grocery list right away so you won’t be caught without it.
3. If there are favorite recipes that are heavy in your rotation, when you buy the ingredients, buy multiples; that way you’ll always have what you need on hand to make it a few times. If a tried-and-true recipe calls for a can of diced tomatoes, for example, when I buy it, I’ll buy three or four; that way, I’m always ready.
4. If an ingredient is on sale, stock up and take advantage of the low pricing. Don’t just buy one. Skim your local grocery store circulars weekly and stock up on pantry essentials when they go on sale. Typically, you can buy 2 or more of the item at the sale price; take advantage of that.
She also gives a comprehensive list of Rachel Ray’s “Go-to Basics You Should Keep On Hand.”
I love this article because it is an excellent explanation of practices I have been following for a long time. I could have written these tips myself (in fact I wish I would have thought of it first!) I would make a list here of all of the items I try to keep stocked but it would be quite lengthy. Instead, I’ll share a couple of my own “pantry” recipes that I go to when I need a quick and healthy meal.
Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. In a small bowl, mix both mustards and honey. (Microwave for a few seconds if necessary to melt the honey for easier mixing.) Brush the honey mustard mixture over the chicken breasts. Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix OR dry italian dressing mix
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Wash potatoes and cut into 1 inch dice. Place potatoes in baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with dressing mix. Stir until the potatoes are coated with oil and seasoning. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper.
