With back to school time coming up quicker than I’d like to admit, I have been really trying to get our pantry and freezer stocked up so that we are not rushing around wondering what we will eat and if we need to run to the store. We cook from scratch regularly and rely on a full pantry, fridge and freezer to keep us well fed and as healthy as possible. I don’t teach every day, but between running Tin Box, spending time in the classrooms at least 2-3 days a week and getting ready for holiday events life gets pretty hectic this time of year. Our pantry is a lifesaver during these busier times. A little preparation makes living simply and slowly a bit easier!

There are several key items we always keep on hand and in large supply. We keep food safe containers to buy in bulk and keep these items on hand at all times. These items are staples in cooking from scratch and used regularly in our home

• Flour
• Sugar
• Rice
• Egg Noodles
• Pasta (spaghetti, elbows, rotini, shells and ziti)
• Semolina Flour

Plan your Meals. I tend to stick to a schedule or theme of meals to make planning easier. Mondays are for Salads or “homey” meals. (Chicken dinners, Meatloaf, etc.) Taco Tuesdays are a must, with fish following on Wednesdays. Thursdays are usually a pasta night, with Friday being a leftover day. Saturdays are Pizza days and Sundays are family style dinners. We usually make a bigger dinner on Sundays like a roast or ham to spread out through lunches and snacks during the week. Planning our meals out for the month help me to stay on top of what we need to purchase and allow me to stock up on key items when they are on sale. This saves time and money throughout the month, but also my sanity. Taking thirty minutes to plan meals for a month is easier than trying to figure it out every single night. **Tip** Be Flexible! Planning is a plan, not a set in stone contract. Things happen and you may go out for dinner or have too many leftovers. That’s OK!

Stock up on must have, or frequently used items. When you cook from scratch there are some items that are just going to come up in recipes often. Even more frequently when you figure out the types of food you like to cook and start having a rotation of menus that you enjoy making. Here are some of the key items that we stock heavily in our pantry.

• Canned Veggies (Corn, Green Beans, Artichokes, Mushrooms)
• Canned Beans (Black beans, Garbanzo, Refried, Kidney Beans, etc)
• Tomatoes (Diced, Stewed, Whole/Peeled, Sauce, Paste, Etc.)
• Bread Crumbs, Yeast, Hot Sauces, Seasonings, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Red Peppers.

Make it if you can! Here are some items we make ourselves and can to stock up our pantry and know how it was made!

• Broths & Stocks (Chicken, Beef and Veggie)
• Soups (Chicken, Veggie and LOADS MORE!)
• Jams & Jellies
• Pickles
• Salsa

These are the key items that keep are pantry stocked and our meal prep SO much easier. We save loads of time and money by planning ahead and stocking up on items when they are sale, making items ourselves and really just thinking ahead.

A few times a year we live on just what we have in our pantry and freezers. This helps us to really use what we have before it goes bad/expires. When stocking items I stock from behind so that the item up front is always the oldest item. This helps to not lose items in our pantry and not waste the money we saved in the first place by letting things go bad.

We hope you enjoyed reading about how we stock our pantry! Have questions? Just ask! I’d love to hear what you think about stocking up. As always, thank you for reading and joining us on this journey!

Simply, Beth