What’s In YOUR Pantry?

I have tried several of your recipes and they were a big hit with my family, so I hope you don’t mind if I ask a question about how you feed your family. I know that you don’t buy any processed foods, and I would like to feed my family a more natural diet too, but the bulk of what is in my pantry and freezer is processed food, and I don’t know how to cook without them. Would you mind telling me what you buy and what you keep on hand in your pantry and freezer? –Annie

Hi Annie! No, of course I don’t mind the questions, although my shopping list is probably quite a lot different than most people’s because we have to be so careful to avoid ingesting soy or any of its many derivatives. There are many, many items I can’t buy… things like chocolate chips, cake or cookie mixes (or any other type of mix), baked goods or any convenience type foods, but I try to make a from-scratch version of many of these items or come up with equally tasty alternatives. Anyway, here is a list of what I always keep on hand, starting with my pantry.

• Flour… I don’t buy by price here because I prefer King Arthur unbleached flour and feel the extra cost is worth it… however, by watching for sales I am usually able to buy King Arthur flour in 25-pound bags for substantial savings off the regular grocery store price. I also buy King Arthur whole wheat flour, but all of the stores here only carry the 5-pound bag. I try to have a couple of bags of each on hand and store the extras in the freezer.
• Yeast (see my previous post)
• Granulated sugar in whatever size is the best deal and whatever brand is the best price
• Brown sugar purchased when the prices are the lowest (around holidays) and kept in the freezer
• Confectioner’s sugar… I usually have only one or two boxes of this on hand because I don’t use it very often. We actually prefer cakes without icing.
• Molasses
• Baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, corn starch
• Cocoa… if you have access to Shaw’s Cocoa, you really should try it. I think it is one of the best cocoas “out there,” and it doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste of several of the major brands.
• Baking chocolate, because this is the only form of solid chocolate I can find locally that does not contain some form of soy. I use this for brownies and the occasional chocolate pudding. I want to experiment with making my own chocolate chips but haven’t done this yet.
• Pure vanilla extract… this is an extravagance but well worth it, because the ingredients in the imitation vanillas are questionable and probably contain soy. Same with other extracts… I do not buy them because of their proprietary formulas… I cannot be sure they do not contain soy.
• Spices… cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves.
• Herbs… large containers of basil, oregano, parsley, and Italian seasoning (all McCormick brand) that I buy for a fraction of the cost of smaller containers… sage (I grow my own and dry it), and a few smaller containers of herbs like bay leaves and coriander.
• Garlic powder (not garlic salt)… huge container, McCormick brand… again purchased at a fraction of the usual cost.
• Chili powder, red pepper flakes, and curry powder (same as above)
• Dry mustard
• Dried coconut
• Walnuts, peanuts, pecans, and almonds… purchased in large quantities when prices are lowest and frozen
• Raisins… I buy two or three of the 24-ounce size when they are on sale and keep all but one package in the freezer.
• Dried beans… kidney beans, pinto beans, Great Northern beans, soldier beans, chick peas (garbanzo beans), green and yellow split peas
• Lentils… I’ve got to work on this because I haven’t really given lentils a fair chance. I know they’re good for you, but we really don’t like them. If you have any favorite lentil recipes, please share!
• Rice… brown rice and white. I prefer the brown rice, but some dishes just taste better with white rice. We buy Uncle Ben’s rice in 12-pound bags and by shopping around we are able to find substantial savings.
• Pasta… I buy this when it is on sale, usually for around 33 cents per pound. I like the convenience of having pasta in the boxes and find that the brand name pastas (on special) are actually less expensive than the bulk pasta in the health food stores. I also buy Barilla’s whole wheat and whole grain pastas, and I’m trying to convince my husband that he doesn’t prefer the other types. The best price I have found for the whole wheat pasta has been 75 cents per pound, and I buy multiple boxes. I try to keep on hand a variety of pasta shapes. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m convinced that the different shapes taste different… and that, for example, the same pasta dish made with elbows doesn’t taste the same as when it is made with spirals. So I go for some variety when the sale price is there, and I buy lasagna, spaghetti, elbows, twists, spirals, rotini, etc… also egg noodles, although I also make my own.
• Potatoes… I watch sales and buy fifty pounds at a time, or the equivalent in smaller bags if the price is better.
• Onions… again, twenty or so pounds whenever they are on sale.
• Canned crushed tomatoes with basil in the 28-ounce size… the brand we like best is Tottorusso and the usual price for these is anywhere from $1.49 and up per can. By watching for the periodic sales of this brand of tomatoes, we are able to buy them without ever paying more than 60 cents per can. (Sometimes 50 cents!) The last time they were on sale, we bought sixty cans, and now we’re looking for another sale. Hopefully I can get back to canning and freezing more of our own tomatoes again… my back problems for the past few years have severely limited the size of our garden.
• Olive oil… it’s the only oil we use, again because of the soy issue, but also because it is a healthy oil. Capatriti is one brand that is often on special in the stores here, and we can get the extra virgin olive oil in the 3-liter metal cans for $10 to $12 LESS than the usual price. When we find it for this price, we buy several.
• Canned mushrooms in the 8-ounce size (without additives and not imported)… I try to keep six or eight of these on hand at all times. I wish I could buy them unsalted, but I do rinse them well before I use them.
• Canned salmon, Bumblebee brand… I buy it when it is on sale for $1.29 and buy about ten cans at a time. We like salmon mixed with mayonnaise (made from scratch) and chopped celery for sandwiches, and sometimes I make a salmon loaf. The amount of salt bothers me, but this is not something we eat very often.
• Cranberry sauce and black olives, both purchased in quantity and at greatly reduced prices at this time of year. (Same salt issue with the olives… they’re probably the most processed food I buy.)
• Oatmeal… we buy the largest labeled containers possible and buy about four when we find a good price. I’m working on the idea of buying oatmeal in the 25 or 50-pound bags, but I want to be sure where it comes from, and I haven’t been able to get that information yet.
• Corn meal for making stuffing, polenta, and hot cereal… this time of year it is usually less expensive so I stock up.
• Coffee, tea, and Postum… my husband has a cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea at night. He is trying to convince me that I enjoy a cup of Postum in the morning.
• Peanut butter… more expensive for us because of the soy issue again and the small jars it is available in. The one brand I have found without soy is Teddy’s natural, which contains only ground peanuts and salt… or in the type I prefer, only ground peanuts and no salt! Whenever I find a lower price, I buy several jars.
• Jellies, jams… I buy three jars each of strawberry, grape, and marmalade jam, either store or national brand depending on ingredients and price. I look for a good price and an ingredient list containing only fruit, pectin, and sugar (or no sugar)… although the sugar content does not concern me because my family eats jam very sparingly (and me, not at all because I do not like sweets).

Basically what I’m trying to avoid in the foods I buy are:

• Soy or any of its derivatives, like lecithin or monosodium glutamate (also most “natural flavors” because that is usually just another name for soy derivatives)
• Preservatives
• Colorants
• Artificial flavors
• Artificial sweeteners
• Trans fats
• Excess salt and sugar… for example, french fries don’t need to contain sugar!
• Food made or originating in China and several other countries where I don’t trust the food standards

I don’t worry about serving the occasional cake or cookie that is made with white sugar and white flour, because I feel that the rest of our diet is so healthy. Also, my husband isn’t into health-type foods and especially LOVES pies, cakes, cookies, etc. My solution is to occasionally make these types of treats from scratch using the most natural ingredients I can.

Because this is getting very long, I will save the inventory of my freezers and refrigerator for another time. If all of this was confusing, my basic strategy is to first compare prices and know which store has the best price, and then whenever I go shopping (which is as infrequently as possible) to always be on the look-out for an even better price. I buy in bulk when I find a deal, so I never need to pay the higher “regular” prices. This simple strategy means some really, really big savings over time.

Things I didn’t think of when I wrote this article.

Written by Shirley | Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Frugality & Nutrition series, Organization Series

Related posts:

• Comparison Shopping Makes Sense
• Pantry Inventory — Things I Forgot
• Saving Money On Yeast
• Frugality & Nutrition Series
• Store Brands Or National Brands?
• My Thoughts On Grocery Shopping And Frugality
• Shelf Life of the Staples in Your Pantry
• Equivalent Measurements For Beans & Nuts