When you start getting into making more home cooked meals, you’ll find it handy to make sure you always have a few items on hand. Items that you have to keep stocked up on no matter what you do or how much food you go through. These staple foods can easily round up to becoming your daily foods, because you have them regularly, or simply because they keep cropping up in different recipes. I thought it might be nice to tell you about 10 food items that I always keep stocked in my kitchen no matter what.
An average week of groceries looks something like this…
… but what I mainly shop for on a weekly basis is perishables. Fruit and veggies that is. Anything that I can’t keep longer than a few days up to a week is what I buy week in week out. But there are food items that you can store for a longer time, sometimes much longer and it’s always good to have some sort of stash of these handy. Here are mine.
1.) Almond milk
Since a few years, regular milk was not something I enjoyed. My taste buds changed and I went from a milk lover to someone who cannot stand the taste or the texture. Unless it was heated up in my morning porridge. But then I decided to try almond milk one more time. And surprise, surprise, I like it much better than regular milk. So yes, I always make sure to keep some almond milk in my fridge. I prefer organic as it is not a bland and watery as the supermarket kind. Plus it is super versatile too. Apart from porridge this will work for many other dishes in which you may want to substitute milk. So always good to have on hand.
2.) Coconut milk
This I truly keep a stock off. I changed brands since this picture was taken, but I always keep a few portions running still. I mainly use coconut milk for making smoothies. I love the texture and flavor it gives to a smoothie and combined with fruit and avocado, it’s some of the best and thick smoothies I’ve made in a long time. Almost like a real milk shake. Coconut milk is also handy for cooking of course. It is great in curries and soups for instance.
3.) Buckwheat grouts
I always keep a container of buckwheat grouts in my cupboards. It is great if you have food sensitivities and can be a great replacement for oats if those give you any problems. They make a great porridge, but also form a basis for many other dishes and ground up finer into flour, you have a great base for making pancakes as well.
4.) Oats
It took a while for me to become an oatmeal convert, but in the past year or so I’ve been loving my morning porridge. My carb of choice? Oats. It is quick, it is easy and it’s delicious. I also chuck these through my banana-egg pancakes to give them a bit more substance to them. Plus they are great turned into flapjacks, banana-oat cookies, as extra filling in a breakfast muffin… The options are endless.
5.) Lentils
Another food that took a while for me to get into are lentils. This versatile legume can be kept for a long time and makes a great basis (and filler) for soups, salads and many other uses. You can use them as stuffing when you’re stuffing veggies (I have yet to try that though) and they can be great as a meat replacement. I personally use them mostly in soup. I love a good broccoli lentil soup come winter time.
6.) Flax seeds
Flax seeds became a staple for me some years ago. I have a few table spoons every single day with breakfast. I always try to work in some flax seeds as it simply aids my digestive system. I whizz them through smoothies, add scoops to my morning porridge, add them to omelettes and whisk them through pancakes. I’ve even put these in some breakfast muffins. The taste and texture of these tiny seeds an easily be masked so most of the time you won’t even notice you’re having them.
7.) Rice cakes
Rice cakes is another one of those foods I only got into later in life. I try not to have them too much lately, but these are best used as an afternoon snack. I love them with a spread of peanut butter and banana slices on top. However, as part of a breakfast in a different take on eggs on toast, rice cakes work great as well. You can even sweeten them up with some jam or a bit of honey if you’re more into satisfying that sweet tooth.
8.) Crisp bread
When it comes to crisp bread I go through phases whether I’m having it and how I’m having it. I mostly have crisp bread as a quick lunch. My favorite way lately is to put some avocado and top that up with some boiled egg. However, many other condiments will work nicely as well. Cheese is one of my personal favorites, but a bit of cream cheese with some cucumber slices almost makes for a delicious little lunch.
9.) Peanut butter
Not pictured, but peanut butter is definitely a staple food for me. Again, it is super versatile. From indulgent peanut butter-chocolate smoothies to a simple spread or a quick snack: peanut butter is always satisfying to me. I love having it with apple slices, on rice cakes, with banana, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And if I need a quick snack and there is nothing else in the house, I love taking a tea spoon and eating it straight from the jar.
10.) Pasta
Finally, I have to keep some type of gluten or at least wheat free pasta in my cupboard. Lately I’ve been loving a buckwheat pasta, but I have tried kamut, spelt and gluten free types, each one of them successful. I mostly stick to penne or fusili, but nothing beats a good spaghetti bolognese any time of day, so I usually stock some spaghetti as well.
What 10 food items can you not live without?