Pantry Essentials

 

Since we’ve started our low carb lifestyle, I’ve removed mostly all of the rice, flour, bread, noodle, etc. products from my pantry, but to make up for all that lost flavor and bulk, I’ve added some new items that have replaced all that just great. Some of these items I’ve never cooked with before!  My family has adjusted very nicely to having low-cost dishes flavored with various types of vinegars, spices  and such, and, instead of noodles and rice, white and red beans and chick peas. I guess it could be because they are so hungry, but they do seem to be enjoying the substitutions I’ve made. There are so many options out there for us to purchase, it can be hard to decide which are best. So I’ve compiled this list of what I keep on hand in my pantry to help you get started.

• Rice Vinegar: This is one of those items that I never had before in my life, and now I use it all the time. I wanted to talk about it all by itself so it doesn’t get lost in a sea of vinegars!  It’s one of my most versatile flavor helpers. My biggest surprise has been that I’ve been able to replace my mayonnaise laden macaroni salad(s) with this, along with other seasonings,  and beans  (instead of noodles), and all summer long we’ve been enjoying salads that are filling and refreshing!
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: One of the most essential of my essentials!! If you can’t find the Extra Virgin on sale (it is pricey), then just get the Olive Oil. You won’t use much of it. My jars usually last about 2 or 3 months.
• Vinegar: I have many different vinegars that I use on a regular basis for flavoring dishes and salads. I figured to save space I would just list them here in a group: White, Balsamic, Apple Cider, Red Wine. If you check the aisle in your grocery store, you’ll see all different kinds of flavored vinegar (I even have a Pomegranate one that is delicious!) , and they are priced very reasonably. (Most of them are only about $1 or $2 a bottle)
• Non Stick Spray: This is another great item to have on hand to keep the calories down. I use it practically every night, so I have to purchase it at the Dollar Store or it starts getting too expensive. (It’s usually $3 or $4 at my grocery, which is WAY too much!)
• Honey, Raisins, and Nuts: These items I keep to help make sauces (honey), add to salads (raisins, ground up nuts), and as an addition to steamed vegetables (raisins, mostly) I know there are alot of store bought honey based sauces out there, but I really like to be able to control how much honey (or fruit) is going into a dish to help lower our sugar consumption.
• Cornstarch: When I began cooking, I didn’t even know what the heck cornstarch was. Well, in case you don’t, it’s a thickener! I used to just use flour, but you can use alot less cornstarch to thicken sauces than you can flour, so it’s quicker and cheaper, and less sugar too!
• Bread Crumbs: I know what you’re thinking….Hey! Suzy! These are bread and aren’t low carb!! And that is true. However, we splurge every now and then and have a dish made with a breaded product. I usually only do this for vegetable based dishes (i.e. Baked Eggplant) and sometimes for fish (that’s to get my youngest son to eat it.) I would make my own, as that used to be the most cost effective way, but now I can get a decent sized can of them for only 99 cents, and that’s cheaper than a loaf of bread, so I just buy them premade.
• Bouillons: These are really handy to have on hand when you want to make a nice beef gravy (thickened with your cornstarch!) or a chicken stock based soup. They are very salty, though, so use sparingly! Don’t pay too much at the grocery, you can pick these up on your next trip to the Dollar Store!
• Canned Beans and Vegetables: Now I’m not much of a fan of canned goods, but they come in very handy when I am staring at a piece of meat and have no idea what kind of dinner I am going to whip up. You have to be careful with canned vegetables, because they are very salty and have become quite expensive. So if you can take advantage of Can-Can sales, or bulk purchases at a discount grocery, I would advise you to do that.  Watch out for Club purchases on these, the per can unit price is pretty high. I keep: Beans (there are so many available, you really can just pick which ones you like best. I’ve found you can substitute the ones you like for any bean recipe!), Peas, Carrots, Corn, and Green Beans. I always rinse mine before I add them to a dish or serve them, just to try to get rid of some of the salt. They come in really handy in the winter when fresh produce is sparse (and big bucks!).
• Canned Tomato Product: The only reason I keep several (about 4) big (29 oz) cans of these on hand is in case I run out of fresh tomatoes. I keep Puree, Whole Tomatoes, Flavored Diced Tomatoes, and Crushed Tomatoes. I use them for all different kinds of sauces and soups, as replacement for jarred sauces, which are filled with a TON of sugar. Of course, tomatoes themselves have sugar in them, but these canned alternatives save about 1/2 of the sugar from their jarred sisters.  Another item to make sure you don’t pay more than $1 a can for.
• Dry Beans: I usually break these out over the winter for soups, but I have a feeling this year I will be experimenting with them on main dishes as well, to fill in for our lost carbs. Even though they are alot more work to cook and serve than canned beans, you can save quite a bit of money using them, over their canned counterparts. And they freeze great too!!

Well, I guess that pretty much covers what I keep in my pantry. Of course, I still keep 5lbs of sugar, flour, and various other baking items, but I just wanted to go over what I usually use to make my low cost dinners. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have so far about our Well Stocked Pantry items. Next time I’ll be posting about Refrigerator essentials and Fresh Fruit and Vegetables that are reasonably priced and great to keep on hand!