How To Stock Your Pantry Like a Grown-up
The typical millennial and fully-formed adult pantry are two very different places. The millennial pantry is thoughtless and sparse, resembling an arbitrary assortment of ingredients that a recipe once required you to buy, a recipe you never made again. If existent at all, the millennial pantry usually is just that. It’s there, taking up space and not offering much use.
The functioning adult pantry is deliberate, containing a thoughtful inventory of meal building blocks. It includes the foundational ingredients of many recipes and allows for last-minute meals, and a wider variety of possible recipes with just a few errant ingredients on hand. The adult pantry has intent, allowing for spontaneity and freedom from the takeout menu.
Why a Stocked Pantry Matters
2) Saves money | Reduces food waste
3) Saves time
Pantry Ingredients:
Brown rice (to serve over)
Red lentils
Canned diced tomatoes
Canned coconut milk
Frozen garlic cube or fresh
Curry powder
Chicken or Vegetable bouillon cube
Frozen spinach
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
*or fresh spinach
Pantry Ingredients:
Frozen corn tortillas -heated in a skillet brushed with canola oil /or/ brown rice, white rice, quinoa if bowl-ing
Refried or Canned Black or Pinto Beans. Refried better for tacos. Canned better for bowls.
Canned corn
Cooked sweet potatoes
Jarred Salsa
Eggs -breakfast tacos-
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
(optional. pick and choose)
Avocado
Cheese/ Sour Cream
Pantry Ingredients:
Cooked 10-min farro/ quinoa/ brown Rice/ barley
Canned Chickpeas
Canned Kidney Beans
1/2 Diced Onion
Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper
Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Honey
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
(optional. pick and choose)
Chopped Herb (parsley, basil, cilantro)
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Chopped Cucumber
Pantry Ingredients:
Cooked Brown Rice (to serve)
1 package firm tofu
Frozen snap peas
Frozen crushed garlic and ginger cubes
Soy sauce
Brown Sugar
Sesame oil
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
2 bell peppers or any random vegetables you have
Pantry Ingredients:
Dashi Powder
Miso paste
1 package soft or medium tofu
Diced sweet potato or kabocha squash
Frozen spinach*
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
*Or fresh spinach, bok choy, kale, swiss chard, etc.
mushrooms
Pantry Ingredients:
Cooked Brown rice or leftover cold white rice
Frozen peas /or/ peas + carrot medley
Frozen crushed garlic or fresh
Egg
Soy sauce
Canola oil
Sesame oil
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
scallions
any random vegetables you have
Pantry Ingredients:
Brown rice or soba noodles (to serve over)
Frozen garlic cube or fresh
Jarred roasted red bell pepper*
Onion
Red or green curry paste
1 block firm tofu
Canned coconut milk
+chicken or vegetable stock to make into soup
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
(optional. pick and choose)
*or fresh bell pepper
mushroom
cilantro
Pantry Ingredients:
Canned Black Beans
Chicken / vegetable stock or bouillon cubes
Onion
Cumin
Vegetable Oil
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
Green bell pepper
Cilantro
Avocado (to serve)
Pantry Ingredients:
Canned white beans
Garlic Clove
Olive oil
Frozen sourdough (toasted)
Sunny side up egg- very optional
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
(optional. pick and choose)
Avocado
Pantry Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
Any oil
Frozen garlic cube or fresh clove
Jarred Roasted Red Bell Pepper
Nutritional Yeast
Frozen sourdough, toasted /or/ pita for a pocket
Non-Pantry Add-Ins:
(optional. pick and choose)
Avocado
FLEXITARIAN PANTRY
cupboard
staples
Canned Beans
-refried+black+great northern+chickpeas
Dry Grains and Beans
-rice+quinoa+quick farro+couscous+lentils
Oatmeal
-rolled + steel-cut
Pasta
-long pasta + short pasta + soba noodles
oil & vinegar
Olive Oil
Neutral oil
-grapeseed/ avocado/vegetable
Sesame oil
Vinegar
-red wine + balsamic
baking
Flour
-all purpose + white whole wheat
Sugar
-brown + white
Baking Soda + Baking Powder
Vanilla extract (save $ and use imitation)
Honey/maple syrup
cooking
Canned Tomatoes
-14oz + 28oz | crushed or whole
Canned Sweet corn
Chicken / Vegetable stock or bouillon cubes
Jarred Fire-roasted Peppers
Canned coconut milk
Nutritional yeast
Soy sauce
Sake
eating/drinking
Canned Soup
Jarred Salsa
Jarred Marinara Sauce
Shelf Stable Plant Milk
refrigerator
freezer
vegetables
VEGETARIAN PANTRY
cupboard
staples
Canned Beans
-refried+black+great northern+chickpeas
Dry Grains and Beans
-rice+quinoa+quick farro+couscous+lentils
Oatmeal
-rolled + steel-cut
Pasta
-long pasta + short pasta + soba noodles
oil & vinegar
Olive Oil
Neutral oil
-grapeseed/ avocado/vegetable
Sesame oil
Vinegar
-red wine + balsamic
baking
Flour
-all purpose + white whole wheat
Sugar
-brown + white
Baking Soda + Baking Powder
Vanilla extract (save $ and use imitation)
Honey/maple syrup
cooking
Canned Tomatoes
-14oz + 28oz | crushed or whole
Canned Sweet corn
Vegetable stock/bouillon cubes
Canned coconut milk
Jarred Fire-roasted Peppers
Nutritional yeast
Soy sauce
Sake
eating
Canned Soup
Jarred Salsa
Jarred Marinara Sauce
Shelf Stable Plant Milk
refrigerator
freezer
vegetables
VEGAN PANTRY
cupboard
staples
Canned Beans
-refried+black+great northern+chickpeas
Dry Grains and Beans
-rice+quinoa+quick farro+couscous+lentils
Oatmeal
-rolled + steel-cut
Pasta
-long pasta + short pasta + soba noodles
oil & vinegar
Olive Oil
Neutral oil
-grapeseed/ avocado/vegetable
Sesame oil
Vinegar
-red wine + balsamic
baking
Flour
-all purpose + white whole wheat
Sugar
-brown + white
Baking Soda + Baking Powder
Vanilla extract (save $ and use imitation)
Honey/maple syrup
cooking
Canned Tomatoes
-14oz + 28oz | crushed or whole
Canned Sweet corn
Vegetable stock or bouillon cubes
Canned coconut milk
Jarred Fire-roasted Peppers
Nutritional yeast
Soy sauce
Sake
eating
Canned Soup
Jarred Salsa
Jarred Marinara Sauce
Shelf Stable Plant Milk
refrigerator
Vegan Butter
