What does a well-stocked pantry look like for a home prioritizing nourishing meals?

As fall arrives, it's a great opportunity to prepare a well-stocked pantry going into winter. A well-stocked pantry not only ensures you have the right ingredients you need for your favorite healthy meals using real food, but also gives you a sense of control and empowerment over your meal planning taking less time. 

The first step is to look at the goals you have for your family. You'll want to answer these five questions:

  1. What ingredients will you avoid in your home?
  2. What foods take priority in your inventory that you want to integrate on a weekly basis? 
  3. How much food inventory are you willing to manage and rotate? 
  4. What is your family size, and how many meals do you eat at home daily? 
  5. What do you need to pick up every week?

What ingredients will you avoid in your home? 

Here are some suggestions to consider when looking at a well-nourished pantry that eliminates harmful ingredients. Our family likes to avoid or limit the following:
  1. GMO's 
  2. Ingredient names we cannot pronounce
  3. Seed oils
  4. Processed Foods
You may be a family that has other nutritional needs that need to be considered, such as avoiding gluten or dairy products. Having your ingredients narrowed down makes it very easy to know if a product will come into your home. When you know which ingredients you want to avoid, you will find it helps to cut back on unnecessary purchases that do not meet your family's health needs, which helps your budget as well. 


What foods take priority in your inventory that you want to integrate on a weekly basis? 

Here are some suggestions of basic ingredients to get you started on your own personal pantry items list. We choose these food items based on our dietary needs and preferences, ensuring we always have the ingredients for our favorite meals. Our goal is to buy the best quality available to us such as organic or non GMO products for items we do not try to grow ourselves. We try to purchase as many of our grocery list items from local sustainable farms using regenerative practices. Azure standard is our second favorite option and lastly we will pick up items at our local grocery store or online stores such as Thrive Market or Misfits. 

Meats:
Beef (ground+ burger patties)
Various cuts that come when you purchase a portion of a cow from a local farmer (Steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket)
Beef bacon
Chicken (whole chickens, thighs)
Venison Sausage
Bison Sausage
Beef polish sausage
Beef Summer Sausage

Healthy Fats
Coconut Oil
Avocado Oil 
Nut butters
Raw Butter
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Sesame Oil
Any other types of oils your family would enjoy

Whole Grains + Gluten free Flours 
Hard White Wheat berries
Spelt Wheat berries
Hard Red What berries
Rye Wheat Berries
Soft White Wheat Berries
Oats
Dry Pasta (Whole Wheat pasta, Gluten Free Pasta,  Sourdough Pasta)
Almond flour
Cassava flour
Coconut flour
All purpose flour
Whole Wheat flour
Rice (white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice)

Dry Beans
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Pinto Beans 

Nuts + Seeds
Pecans
Almonds
Walnuts
Pine Nuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower seeds
Chia Seeds
Hemp Hearts

Canned Food
Green beans
Corn
Cream soups (chicken, mushroom, celery)
Coconut milk
Fruits
Crushed Tomatoes 
Applesauce 
Tomato Paste

Fresh Produce
Potatoes
Apples
Bananas 
Seasonal fresh fruits
Salad

Sweeteners
Coconut sugar
Raw cane sugar
Maple sugar
Brown Sugar
Honey
Maple Syrup
Dried Fruits

Dairy
Milk
Cheddar Cheese
Parmesean Cheese
Cream cheese
Sour Cream
Yogurt
Butter

Sauces, Condiments
Mayo
Ketchup
Buffalo Sauce
Mustard
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Coconut Aminos which is a great healthy substitute for soy sauce

Dried Herbs + Spices
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley
Dill
Dried onion
Paprika
Chili powder
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice

Homemade Staples
Beef Bone Broth
Chicken Bone Broth
Sourdough starter 
Water Kefir
Granola
Tomato Sauce
Yogurt
Sourdough Bread
Salad Dressings


How much food inventory are you willing to manage? How much is enough food? 

Your well-stocked kitchen will depend on your storage capacity, how much extra money you want to set aside to build your bulk storage, and how much time you want to put into rotating your pantry items. Our family always keeps 3-6 months of nonperishable food on hand for a few reasons. It saves us money in the long run when I am able to stock up on items when I find the best price. It is also convenient, especially for winter use when I don't want to get out to the store. It's also a great option us set up well for any unexpected hard times ahead. 

Some things that store well long term, we have up to a year's worth or more. I have been doing this for years, and it has served us well. One of the best ways to avoid the biggest challenges of food waste is to avoid purchasing products your family will not eat. That is why it is important for you to look at my list as a starting place for you to make your own list. You will also want to ensure a dry area and a dark place to store your products. My husband created hand-made shelves in our unfinished basement for our extra food storage, which works well for our family. You can take a look at this video to get tips on how to store products successfully. We have successfully stored grains for a few years now. By following specific guidelines, you can have a very long shelf life for these items that will provide nutritious meals. 

What is your family size, and how many meals will you eat each day? 

I plan to make breakfast and dinner every day. Lunches can be leftovers or grab-and-go sandwiches. I like to use a simple template for easy meals through the busy week that are delicious and nourishing. This will help you to estimate how much food your family will need in a month and then multiply by 3 -6, depending on how many months' worth of food you want to have on hand. This straightforward process will take some trial and error for each family.


A simple template for our family looks like this for dinner planning:

Monday - whole chicken dinner 
Tuesday - pasta (will include chicken or beef)
Wednesday - roast (x2)
Thursday - ground beef meal (3lbs)
Friday - Ranch chicken thighs (3 packages of thighs) 

A list of pantry staples for dinners alone, I would need to make sure I had 4-5 whole chickens, 4 pounds of pasta, 8 roasts, 12-15 lbs of ground beef, and 12 packages of chicken thighs. I would want to make sure my freezers and pantry were stocked with these items.  Some other essential items would be cheese, homemade sauce we enjoy for pasta meals, and different varieties salad dressing ingredients to whip up quick. Having a good supply allows for flexibility in meal planning and less trips to the grocery store. 

Then, you would look at your breakfasts, lunches, and any extra food preparation you do in a week or month. Will you fill your freezer with muffins, pancakes, or cookies? It's all a game of math and problem solving. Once your plan is implemented, you can reach your desired inventory level. 

What are some of your family's favorite healthy recipes? Make a list to start brainstorming your hat your kitchen pantry would look like. Don't forget to include recipes for special occasions. Key items for your family will differ from my family based on what your priorities and favorites are. 


What fresh ingredients and fresh foods do you need to pick up every week? 

Do you have a standard grocery shopping list for fresh fruit and fresh vegetables? It would be a good idea to set this up to allow you to put little thought into keeping your fully stocked pantry ready for home-cooked meals with delicious food. 

Some things to consider:
Dairy products
Fresh Fruits
Fresh Vegetables
Eggs
Fresh Herbs

Healthy eating is a top priority in our well nourished home. A well stocked pantry allows for quick meals, good food and easy cooking. 
Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you found encouragement for building a peaceful home. If you know another mom who might benefit from what you've learned here today, be sure to share this post with her!

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