Meal Planning Series

Part One

Having a meal plan is one of the best things you can do for your budget and time management. I have found that when I fly by the seat of my pants anxiety and stress are at an all time high. It really doesn’t take a lot of time to do. Before I go into meal planning though I'd like to talk about having a well stocked pantry. 

A well stocked pantry gives you endless possibilities when you need to ‘whip something up’. For myself, having a well stocked kitchen was never more important than when we had our first 'surprise’ snowstorm here in KY. Because I had the basics, not being able to go to the store for a few days was not a worry. Now let me state if you don’t have any or all of these things I suggest, don’t feel you need to stock up in one trip to the supermarket. Spread it out over a few shopping trips. Stock up when things are on sale. 

You may have a bigger pantry or a smaller one. But the principle still works for keeping it organized and stocked. In my last house my pantry was a third of the size so I used a $20 bookshelf from Walmart and stored cans and drinks on that in the closet under the stairs. Just do what works for you. This is just to give you some inspiration and ideas. (Also, I said bottled dressings but I meant sauces)  Here’s a video of my pantry to show how I organize it…

Baking:

Flour 

         self-rising

         all-purpose

         Cake 

         Coconut (great gluten free option)

         KY Kernels (Seasoned)

Sugar

         White

         Brown

         Powder

Milk

         Powdered

         Evaporated

         Condensed
         Coconut

Nuts

         Walnuts

         Almonds

         Pecans

         Sunflower

         Pepita/pumpkin Seeds

Oils
       Vegetable/Canola
        Olive
       Sesame

Dried Fruit

         Rasins       

         Craisns

        

Chocolate chips

Cocoa Powder

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Vanilla Extract

Corn syrup
Salt

Dried goods

         Quinoa

         Kasha

         Various Pastas

         Various Rice

Breakfast:

Oatmeal

         Instant

         Steel cut

         Rolled oats

Grits

         Instant

         Regular

Cereal (at least 2 options)

Maple syrup

Canned goods:

Variety of soups

         Cream of Chicken

         Cream of Mushroom

         Cream of Celery

         Any other soups you enjoy

Beans

         Black

         Kidney (Red and White)

         Pinto

         Navy

(You can also do any of these dry as well but keeping cans on hand help in a pinch.)

Other Essentials

Produce:

         Variety of Onions

         Shallot
         Fresh Garlic

         Sweet Potatoes

         Russet Potatoes

Vinegar:
        White
        Red
        Seasoned Rice

Worcestershire Sauce
Mustard
Ketchup
Pickles
Capers
Salsa
Bottled Sauces  (ie Tika Marsala, Marinara, etc)
   

Spices:

         Cumin, Curry, Paprika, Salt(Sea, Pink, Season), Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, Thyme, Sage, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (whole & ground), Garlic powder, Garlic Salt, Onion powder, Marjoram, Parsley

As far as the spices go these are the ones I know will cover most anything I want to cook. Although I prefer fresh herbs sometimes that is not an option or available.  

I hope you found this helpful and will inspire you to start preparing a week stocked pantry. The next part of meal planning will be the actual process I use to plan out the menu. I will have that blog post up next week and new recipe as well.

Make memories with your family and have a great weekend!  

Lar