Ever so often, I put one of those question boxes on Instagram, asking moms what they want me to talk about more. Without fail, I always get asked to share what my food staples are, along with easy and healthy recipes.
While I’m far from a master chef, I do have some grocery shopping and cooking hacks that I follow every week, to make cooking easy and healthy.
If you don’t read anything else I write in this post, I want you to read this:
Healthy eating does not need to be complicated or expensive.
You don’t need to live on a Whole Foods budget to eat clean! You can whip up a healthy meal in minutes while staying within your normal grocery budget, with a few easy food swaps. And I’m about to teach you how by sharing 18 budget-friendly food staples you need to have.
Now before I give you the rundown, I want you to know, this is not just some random list that I put together of non-perishable food staples you need to have on hand.
No, no no.
These 18 food staples are what you will find in my Instacart shopping cart every single week. They are incredibly interchangeable and will help you make some really tasty quick, and easy variations. Which is why they are a must.
REFRIGERATOR FOOD STAPLES
Kale (or any leafy green you prefer)
It’s important to add some sort of leafy green to your diet every day. I prefer kale, but you do what you like best. Having a leafy green in your refrigerator makes it easy to throw a salad together quickly. I also like to add some greens to a smoothie or a breakfast casserole. There are so many ways you can add greens to your diet. These are just a few ideas to get you thinking.
Eggs
We eat a lot of eggs in our house because they’re a great source of protein, especially in the morning. We usually have some variation of eggs in the morning whether it just be plain ole’ scrambled eggs or a breakfast bowl. I also like to cook up some hard-boiled eggs in my Instapot to have on hand for salads and a quick breakfast option.
Cheese
You should always have a couple of different variations of cheese in your refrigerator. I prefer to have some sort of shaved cheddar cheese that I’ll add to scrambled eggs, a breakfast casserole, or dinner. I also like to have goat cheese or feta cheese that can be added to salads or a sandwich wrap. We probably eat way too much cheese in our house, honestly! But we’re just big cheese lovers.
Lemons
If you aren’t a fan of lemons already, you need to jump on this bandwagon. They offer such great flavor and there are so many great uses for them. I like to add lemons to a homemade salad dressing. I also really love to saute shrimp with lemons or add them to roasted chicken or fish. A little dash of lemon adds really great flavor to so many things!
Avocado
There are so many different ways you can use avocados. You can add them to a breakfast bowl in the morning or a lunch salad. They also work great in smoothies, with a frozen banana, milk, and kale. Avocados are so versatile and can be added to so many different meals. Just get creative and see how you prefer to use them.
Tomatoes
Just like avocado’s, tomatoes can be added to so many things! Add them to your breakfast bowl or lunch salad. If I’m cooking some fish in the oven, I’ll top the fish with some roasted tomatoes for extra flavor. You can easily whip up some guacamole when you have avocado and tomato in your refrigerator.
Are you starting to see, there are so many things you can mix together to add some really great flavor to your meals? Let’s keep going.
Red and Yellow Peppers
For breakfast, I like to saute peppers and onions and then cook a couple of eggs on top. This is a great way to get some vegetables in your diet first thing in the morning. Red and yellow peppers are also a great staple for any bowl or salad you make.
Cilantro
I’m a huge fan of cilantro because it can be added to so many things! My favorite combination is kale and cilantro for a salad. So good. Remember, there are no rules when it comes to cooking. Throw a little cilantro into something you make, and see if you like it. You may just surprise yourself.
Fruits
This one is obvious, but I still wanted to include it just so you don’t forget. Always stock your refrigerator with fresh fruits. Preferably those that are in season, because they’ll be less expensive. And be sure to choose fruits that your family will actually eat. If they don’t ever eat pineapple, stop buying pineapple! The staples I buy every week are: grapes, blueberries, oranges, apples, and strawberries (when in season).
Onions
If you’re not an onion person, you can skip over this one, but I personally need onions in my life because they just add so much flavor. Like I shared above, I like to saute them for an egg bowl in the morning. I also always add them to my salads. If I roast vegetables in the oven, I always add some onions to the vegetables because they add a lot of extra flavor to the other veggies.
PANTRY ITEMS
Olive Oil
You should never be without olive oil in your pantry. I always use olive oil instead of butter when I am sauteing something on the stovetop. I roast my veggies with a hearty dose of olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s also really easy to make your own homemade salad dressing when you have an olive oil base. More often than not, when I’m making a lunch salad, I’ll just add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette and I’m good to go!
Vinaigrettes
I love all kinds of vinaigrettes, but I always make sure I have balsamic and red wine in my pantry. These vinaigrettes are so versatile. You can add them to a salad dressing, meats, roasted veggies. Again, get creative with this.
Seasonings
Having a couple of good seasoning staples in your pantry will serve you well. Two of my favorites are Everything But the Bagel and Chile Lime, both from Trader Joes. Seasonings add so much flavor to your meals, whether it’s cooking burgers on the grill or roasted chicken, add all the seasoning!
Chicken Broth
One of my favorite quick recipes is adding chicken broth and lemon to chicken breast and cooking it in the oven with some red potatoes. So good! Having some chicken broth on hand also makes it easy to throw a soup together on the fly on a cold, rainy day.
Quinoa
If you never cook with quinoa, it can seem like one of those boring foods that you aren’t really sure what to do with. But once you learn all the ways you can use quinoa, you understand why you need it. Quinoa is great to use in any type of bowl. It serves as a great base and is really delicious when you combine it with so many of the foods I have shared with you (lemons, olive oil, vinaigrettes, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions).
FROZEN ITEMS
Chicken
You should always have chicken in your freezer because there are so many ways you can use it. When I food prep, I often cook and shred up some chicken in my Instapot to have on hand for the week. It’s a great protein to add to a salad or wrap. When you’ve run out of food, remember, you can always shred up some chicken and use it in some way.
Vegetables
This is another obvious one, just like fruits. But I want to make sure you know, vegetables are a must! You don’t always have to buy fresh vegetables. I like to buy a mix of both fresh and frozen vegetables. If I’m roasting vegetables, I prefer to use frozen because I find that they cook up just as good as fresh vegetables and they are a little cheaper. Be sure to buy vegetables your family will eat. And wash and cut them up before adding them to your refrigerator.
Here’s what I want you to take away from this post. Stop letting healthy eating intimidate you! There are so many ways you can combine different foods, to make them tasty AND nutritious. Just start with these food staples, and then mix a little of this and a little of this to see what you like.
This week, add some of these items to your grocery list and then start trying different variations.
The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become and you’ll start to see just how easy and simple healthy eating can be.
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