With rising prices, bad weather, unstable job environments, one of the best things we as women (or men) in charge of our homes can do, is work on our food storage to ensure our family will continue to eat well no matter what the circumstance is. It doesn't take a lot to organize your pantry and make a little room for extras, and with the help of coupons and sales, can be done very cheaply. Every Friday, I'd like to encourage you to join in with me to do one or two little things to add to or work with your food storage.
This week, I'm sharing with you a basic list of shelf stable items (well, shelf stable before opened on some items) to have in your food storage. Of course, your list may vary due to food allergies or personal preferences, but it's a good list to start off from. When working from this list, remember to watch your expiration dates as you are buying things, and remember to rotate new items purchased with the old. And remember, only buy foods your family will eat, otherwise it's a waste!
Dried Goods & Baking Needs:
Flour
Cornmeal
Granulated sugar
Confectioner sugar
Brown sugar
Honey
Baking soda
Baking powder
Yeast
Cornstarch
Unsweetened cocoa
Baking chocolate morsels
Raisins and other dried fruits
Shortening such as Crisco
Cooking Spray (like Pam)
Oatmeal
Instant Potatoes
Cereal
Crackers
Dried breadcrumbs
Dry Milk (for cooking)
Pasta
Rice *Brown, white, jasmine, etc
Barley
Dried beans *Kidney, Lentil, Split peas, etc
Olive Oil (or Coconut, etc)
Vegetable Oil
Vinegar
Iodized Salt
Pure vanilla
Almond &/or Orange flavoring
Cheat mixes *such corn muffin, pancakes, puddings, Jell-o etc though they can be easily made from items above, we all enjoy "cheating and quick meals some times
Canned Items & Condiments:
Whole & diced tomatoes
Tomato paste & puree
Tomato sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Chicken or beef broth
Condensed cream of mushroom & chicken soups
Canned soups
Canned fruits
Pie fillings
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Mustards & ketchup
Salad Dressings
Tuna and/or Salmon
Canned Chicken
Green beans
Peas
Asparagus
Kidney, chick,etc beans
Creamed & Whole Kernel corn
canned Spinach and/or other veggies like carrots
Evaporated milk
Peanut butter
Jams & Jellies
Pickles & Olives
Salsa
Mayonnaise &/or Miracle Whip
BBQ Sauce
Pancake or Maple syrup
Bouillon cubes
Hot sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese
Nuts such as peanuts, almonds
canned Mushrooms
Dried Herbs & Seasonings:
Taco seasonings
Parsley
Ground Cumin
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Bay Leaves (keep these in dry goods to keep out pests!)
Garlic Powder
Salts & Peppers
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Curry
Montreal Steak Seasonings
Paprika
Onion Soup Mix
Don't forget to add in items such as snacks, Popcorn, granola bars, etc!
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5 comments:
This is great- I've been planning to do a series on my pantry and grocery shopping habits/budgeting on my blog so I love to see what other people do to help inspire me. Right now I'm at stage 1- just stockpiling my receipts so I can look back over the month to see what sort of money we spend and where we shop out of convenience that winds up costing us- your list is actually really helpful to me in creating my own. Thanks!
Love to see someone else who uses dry milk for cooking. Yet, just a clue, in the community in which I live it's not very popular. I also really watch the expiration date on the dry milk at the store, because more than once and at more than one store I've found dry milk on the shelf beyond it's expiration date. Also there are only two dry milk brands I really like the taste of if you have to use it in a pinch on cereal, and they are Carnation, and the Safeway's Brand Lucerne. Yet, to each his or her own and other brands might taste good to others.
I think the dry milk rehydrated tastes good in instant puddings too.
I started doing a little more stockpiling in January and hope to do a little more this weekend if the budget allows.
This is so helpful! I stock pile but never really had a list to go off of, thanks!
I make my own yogurt from dry milk, and thus it is fat free. Tastes fine, especially once you've added fruit flavoring (jam which I usually make in my bread maker). I found it so much easier to keep the dry milk on hand than have to buy gallons and gallons of fresh milk. Now that son is out of the house, I don't buy fresh at all (DH and I eat oatmeal, without milk, for breakfast). Weekends I mix up a little milk for cold cereal as a change of pace. Great stuff. Absolutely a staple for me. Great way to boost nutritional value of food when you mix it in.
Good list and good suggestion about snacks. As special treats they can be a real morale booster.
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