Good evening and welcome to WFD! Tonight I wanted to dive into something I think the pandemic brought back into importance: Meal planning and pantry cooking!
Planning meals and shopping quickly took on an important (and sometimes risky) role as so many of us went into various forms of lockdowns. I found that over the course of the last couple of years we had settled into a very effective routine of pantry stocking and meal planning that turned out to be well-suited for the times. The topic had been teasing at the back of my mind frequently so I decided to write a post about it and try to give a walk-through of our process.
Starting with basic pantry supply on up through picking recipes and shopping. This is, of course, the way we do meal planning for our habits and preferences so I offer this as an example and suggestion only;)
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the pantry
Many years ago I happened to pick up a copy of Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals and found the basic premise to be perfect for how I tended to cook; always have certain things on hand at home and then you can easily stop by the store on the way home and grab few enough items that you can use the Express Lane, clever, huh? Honestly I don’t know that I cooked many of the recipes in the book but the back cover flap had a handy checklist of the basic pantry items used in the book and so I copied it with a few additions/subtractions for my cooking style and tastes. Now years later we have adapted that same list from other lists and things we tend to use. Additions are in italics and subtractions are stricken through for clarification below.
You can find a printable version of the original list here: Master Shopping List of Pantry Staples
Baking Goods and Spices:
- Ground Allspice
- Bay Leaves
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Coriander
- Ground Cumin
- Curry Paste or Powder
- Fennel Seeds
- Grill Seasoning
- Whole Nutmeg
- Dried Oregano
- Paprika, Smoked and Regular
- Poultry Seasoning
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Dried Thyme
- Coarse Salt
- Coarse Black Pepper or Peppercorns
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
Condiments:
- Hot Sauce
- Dijon Mustard
- Spicy Brown Mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Capers
- Roasted Red Peppers (jarred)
- Peanut Butter
- Mayonnaise
- Bread Crumbs, Italian and Panko
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable Oil
- Honey
Tamari
- Soy Sauce
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Tahini
- Vinegar: Red Wine, Balsamic, and a mild light one like cider, rice or white wine
Dairy and Deli:
- Milk
- Half-and-Half
- Butter
- Eggs
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- American cheese/Velveeta for mac & cheese*
- Sour Cream
- Bacon
Produce:
- Lemons
- Limes
- Flat Leaf Parsley
- Celery
- Carrots
- Idaho Potatoes
- Small Red, Baby Potatoes
- Yukon Gold or Small White Boiling Potatoes
- Spanish or Yellow Onions
- Shallots
- Garlic
Freezer Items:
- Frozen Peas
- Frozen Corn
- Frozen Puff Pastry
- Frozen Pie Crust
Canned Goods/Pantry:
We find 2 cans of each item is plenty for us and still fits in our little pantry.
- Chicken Stock (boxed)
- Beef Stock (boxed)
- Italian Tuna (in EVOO)
- Tuna in Water
- Canned Cream of Mushroom soup* (for tuna casserole, etc.)
Canned Clams
Canned Alaskan Salmon
Anchovy Filets
- Diced Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes
- Canned Tomato Paste
- Canned Tomato Sauce
- Chipotle Chilies in Adobo
- Canned Black Beans
- Canned Chickpeas
- Canned Cannellini Beans
- Dried chickpeas
- Dried navy/pinto beans
Other Groceries:
- Long-Cut Pastas (2 kinds i.e. fettucine and spaghetti)
- Short-Cut Pastas (same as the long 2 kinds i.e. elbow macaroni and ziti)
- Egg Noodles
- Couscous
- White Rice
- Loaf of bread
- Flour Tortillas
Courtesy of RachaelRay.com
The NY Times has a good article and suggestions here:
How to Stock a Modern Pantry
Ok, so that is our pantry. Now, we use a web app called Anylist to maintain lists, recipes, and the meal plan so we set up a list that is comprised of these pantry items and when we are doing our meal planning we often start by taking inventory of the pantry and reconciling what we have and what we need to restock.
So for example if I use one can of garbanzo beans for a recipe and have one left we will add a can to our grocery list to restock. Or in the course of a week I end up using up the last of the mayo I can go to the list and move it from the pantry list to our grocery list etc. There are many other apps that do similar stuff; we tried Paprika briefly and one other but this is the one that has worked best for how we need to use it. If you have a preferred one let us know in the comments!
Now for the fun part; meal planning!
planning your meals
Meal planning for us is a rather fluid plan in that we don’t plan for specific days unless there is a special occasion or holiday. Knowing that some nights we will eat leftovers and there are often nights where neither of us wants to cook that means I usually pick 3 dishes to make that week and Mark does 1 or 2 on the weekends depending on his level of ambition;)
I tend to browse lots of recipes from Pinterest as well as various blogs that I follow and so when I find a recipe I want to make I will import it into the Anylist app. Once in there I can add it to the meal plan calendar. Having the list of ingredients now in the app I can easily mark them off to be added to the Pantry list (if I have that on hand) or the Grocery List. I can also look at the pantry list to see what we have on hand that needs to be used up. The sales fliers for my local store are also good sources for ideas as I can see what is on sale and in season. Most large chains will have an online version that makes it easier when online shopping.
Once I have all of the dishes added I can double check the pantry vs grocery list and make sure I have everything needed on the grocery list. This is where doing inventory comes into play. If I know I need one can of chickpeas for a recipe and I have 2 on hand I don’t need to get more.
The last part of our meal planning prep is to add any staples we might have gone through like butter, milk, snacks, etc. to the grocery list. Then it’s off to the store or to the store’s website to check those items off the list as I shop.
Once the groceries are put away they get moved to the Pantry List in the app and we are all set for the week. As I make the recipe in the app I can then check off the ingredients and they are removed from the pantry list.
So that is our process and we typically do a 2 week plan and shop for all of it with the exception of fresh produce for the dishes in week 2. Then the next week the grocery order is mostly staples that we go through regularly such as tea, coffee etc. and the fresh produce for that week’s dishes.
You might have noticed I mentioned chickpeas a few times in this piece. Well it just so happens that I chose a dish with chickpeas for a side dish along side a sweet-spicy carrot soup for our meal plan this week! So of course I wouldn’t leave you without a recipe or two!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 4 teaspoons best-quality olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
- Salt
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large sauté pan heated over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until deep golden and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic and lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, cilantro, and lemon juice and continue to stir to develop the flavors, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
- Cool the salad, then transfer it to a container, cover, and refrigerate until chilled before serving, at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and lemon juice as desired.
The soup was inspired by a fellow kossack over in the Saturday Morning Garden Blog and since I had some carrots that needed to be used up I jumped at the chance to try this:
-from NY Times Cooking
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ medium onion, roughly chopped
- ¾ pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
- 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground tumeric, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander, to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- Juice from ½ lime
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cilantro, if you have it
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the butter until the foam subsides. Add the diced chopped onions, sprinkle with salt, stir to coat with butter. Add the chopped carrots along with the spices. Stir and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the stock; there should be enough to cover the vegetables. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the carrots are cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- If you have an immersion blender, purée the soup in the pot. If not, wait until the soup cools slightly, and purée in a food processor. Add enough coconut milk (and a little more stock or water if necessary) to bring the soup to the consistency you want. Adjust the seasoning (depending on the stock you use, you may need more or less salt), and lime juice to taste. Garnish and serve.
The chickpeas were a tad spicy so I might dial back the cayenne next time but the soup was wonderful! h/t to GCNY over at SMGB;)
I hope that helps to inspire you when you are planning your shopping and meals! I have found that by using this method I have actually tried a lot more recipes instead of thinking about it and never getting to it because I don’t have this or that ingredient on hand. There’s always the pantry ingredients on hand for our favorite stovetop mac & cheese* or a quick tuna casserole* if the mood strikes too thanks to our “Master List”.
Happy Saturday night all and tell us in the comments about meal planning, prep, etc. Or just let us know what you’re cooking/eating for dinner! Got questions or suggestions? Fire away! We are here to help!