I have wanted to share this list for along time because I believe a well stocked pantry is VERY important to minimize the overwhelm of cooking meals at home. When I say well stocked I don’t mean that you need to have everything under the sun in there either. I simply mean that you have the basic building blocks to create a really great meal at any time. These are the items that can usually be found in my cupboards. What does your pantry look like? Comment below and let me know!

Jasmine or Basmati Rice: These are my favorite two and I always have them on hand because they are a great staple gluten-free item.
Brown Rice: I am not a huge fan of brown rice, but I do like it Chicken Tikka Masala because it’s texture holds up nicely to the sauce, so I keep a little of this on hand.
Almond Flour: I make my own almond flour from the process of making my own almond milk. If you want to see how I do that, CLICK HERE!
Oat Flour: This is another common gluten-free flour that you find in a lot of recipes, so I like to keep it on hand.
Oats: I always have either GF regular oats or quick cooking steel cut oats on hand because I eat oatmeal so often for breakfast. It will always be my go-to breakfast because I love it so much.
Diced Tomatoes: These can be used in so many different styles of cuisines so I always keep them on hand. They are perfect for a super quick tomato sauce too.
Tomato Paste: I love keeping tubes of tomato paste on hand (usually from Trader Joe’s) because they can add an extra dimension of flavor to so many meals. I also need it for homemade tomato sauce, so….duh!
Tubes of Ginger Paste: I love the Trader Joe’s tubes of minced ginger because then you don’t have a knob of ginger going bad in your fridge when you only need a tiny piece for a recipe. I love to season soups, bowls, chicken, etc, with a ginger/garlic combo.
Broths (Veg and Chicken): I loooove to make soups, so these are an obvious must have. I only use chicken and veggie broth in my home so that’s all I stock. I always buy low sodium broths so I can control the salt level.
Great Northern Beans: These are one of my favorite soup beans.
Black Beans: A necessary for any Chipotle inspired burrito bowl or mexican inspired dish.
Kidney Beans: I love how big kidney beans are so they really bulk up a meal.
Nori Sheets: Great for sushi bowls and for making homemade miso soup.
Almond Butter/Peanut Butter: I like to freshly grind mine at my grocery store and choose whatever I’m in the mood for.
Coconut Sugar: I use coconut sugar in place of regular granulated or brown sugar whenever I can. I use it as my sweetener for my oatmeal too.
Chia Seeds: I put chia seeds in my smoothies and in my oatmeal.
Flax Seeds: I put flax in every smoothie I make (technically I store these in the fridge).
Hemp Seeds: These also go in my oatmeal.
Chocolate Chips: I keep them for obvious reasons, but I love to snack on 5-10 when I have a sweet tooth at night.
Arrowroot Powder: I use this in place of cornstarch as a thickening agent, but it’s also found in a lot of GF recipes.
Almonds: I make my own almond milk so I always have a big Costco bag of these on hand.
Salsa Verde (specifically from Trader Joe’s): I love to keep salsa on hand for an easy snack, but I also love pouring a jar over chicken breasts in the crockpot for an easy dinner.
Tomato Sauce (canned): I only keep the little cans of this on hand for when I make Chicken Tikka Masala.
Dry Red Wine: This is my preference when it comes to drinking wine, but I also like to have it on hand to add to the base of my tomato sauces. It adds such a richness to your tomato sauce.
Rice Paper Sheets: These are a quick easy dinner or lunch if you have lots of veggies on hand to use up. You can simply wet them and make spring rolls in no time at all.
Konjac Noodles: These are a new favorite of mine. They are almost calorie-less, gluten-free and I really like the texture. They are not as sticky as a rice noodle and have a little bit more of a bite, so I prefer them to rice noodles.
Red Lentil/ Other Gluten Free Pastas: Pasta will always be my go-to easiest meal to make for dinner, so I like to keep some good GF options on hand. I love red lentil pasta the most, but chickpea is also tasty!
Lentils: These are an easy way to bulk up a soup, so I love having a big jar of them to throw in vegetarian soup.
Polenta: Another GF alternative to eating a wheat product with your meal. The Italian in me wishes I could easy cheesy polenta every night.

If you made it to the end of this, GREAT JOB! I hope you enjoyed getting a peak into my pantry. What are your staples? If it’s not on my list, tell me what it is!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Start with one-pot recipes.

I often find that the kitchen can be very overwhelming for people and for most of us, the worst part about cooking is all the huge mess we can make. Also the thought of having to manage multiple burners or things in the oven can be stressful. To that I say, start with one-pot meals. Whether it’s an entire cookbook you purchase on one-pot meals, or you search it on Pinterest, getting your feet wet with simple recipes will help you see that you CAN do it. Then once you feel comfortable, you can dive into dishes with a little more complexity and learn new skills.

Clean as you go.

To go off of the last topic, the mess created from cooking a meal can deter you from starting in the first place. So often we create this huge mess and at the end think, '“well that wasn’t worth it'…” and never make the recipe again. Be strict with yourself and anytime you have 3 minutes or so, wash a dish or two that you are no longer using. This way, when the meal is done, all you have to clean is the dishware you ate on and maybe a pot or serving bowl. If you deal with anxiety you may also find cooking less challenging if the environment you are doing it in is tidy and calm.

Start small.

Sometimes when we make goals we are all or nothing. We go all out and eventually get burnt out, so I suggest instead of saying, “I’m going to cook dinner every night this week and no take out'“, challenge yourself to cooking just one or two nights during the week instead. Once you create that habit, you can increase the amount of cooking you do, little by little.

Start by learning how to make your favorite foods.

If learning how to make your favorite foods at home isn’t a source of inspiration, then I don’t know what is! I think we often think that we have to learn how to cook only healthy meals, but if you’re just getting started in the kitchen, learning how to make your favorite foods will help you become confident and really enjoy the experience. I often challenge myself to try tons of recipes for that one meal until I find my favorite.

Invite people over to eat.

Sometimes if we live alone or with our significant other, it can seem like a lot of work to cook for a small amount of people. Invite some friends over and give meaning to the meal you are preparing. Cooking for the people I love is my favorite thing to do and you might find that you really enjoy it too! Maybe vow to yourself that you want to start hosting small dinners for friend’s birthdays or even just because it’s Friday and you made it through another week! Whatever the occasion, sharing the fruits of your labor can be a great source of inspiration for getting in the kitchen to do the work.

If you’re curious what cookbooks I love, click this link and you can see all of my posts relating to cookbooks I have and why I love them (including my Cookbook Gift Guide from December)!

Remember, cooking is a fun way to express your creativity. If you mess up, you can always try again tomorrow!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea