One of my favourite things to do is to shop at home for my groceries.

No, I don’t mean online shopping. I mean gathering ingredients you already have on your pantry shelves to make a delicious meal.

I’m sure you’re a little confused, but go with me on this: Having items in your pantry that you can easily create a meal to cover a time when you couldn’t get to the store, or if you’re having unexpected guests.

We’ve all been there! Ever come home from a trip and the fridge is empty? Ever run out ideas and meal plans the day before doing the weekly shop?

Now, you might just order in or run out for take-away, but I say stocking some simple staples will help you stay out of these sticky situations and stay on budget. (Not to mention, keep on clean eating!)

Stock Up on Staples

When I’m talking about stocking up on staples, I mean more than flour and olive oil.

Here are my favourite staples to keep around (and some great ways to use them):

• Beans: Black, white, kidney, or chickpeas – whatever your favourite is!! You can add any one of these beans to a sauce or salad to give you fibre, protein and vitamins when you don’t have fresh produce available. Check out the 5 minute Black olive salsa or 3 Bean salad!
• Olives: Any kind you enjoy. These are perfect for a quick snack as Tapenade.
• Coconut milk: Delicious and super good for you. Perfect for your one pot meals or making a rich pudding!
• Canned tomatoes: Keeping diced tomatoes around is a great idea for all kinds of meals, but crushed and whole canned tomatoes are also good to have on hand. These are great for salsa, soup, BBQ sauces
• Spices and seasonings: This one is obvious, so I leave it to last. Spices in your cupboard is something we all have, but keeping a good stock of lots of different types makes sure you have what you need when you need it. They make great idea creators, too! For example I keep a basket full of Epicure’s meal solutions on hand to give me ideas for the ingredients I have! One of my favourites is Butter Chicken since all you need is a can of beans, coconut milk and some frozen veggies!! Dinner would be ready in less than 10 minutes!

This is just the short list! Keeping your pantry top of mind when you’re meal planning is a huge help, especially when you’re getting started meal planning and prepping.