With a well stocked kitchen, meal preparation is easy!

Throughout the year, I am constantly setting up my kitchen. We have our Dallas home, beach home, and vacation rental homes. With movement between these locations, regularly keeping a stocked kitchen with basic food items is required. For meal preparations, here is a summary of the items I maintain to keep a stocked kitchen:

Main dish or protein items:

Whole chickens
Boneless chicken breast
Chicken pieces
Pork roast and pork chops
Bag of extra large shrimp
Frozen non-breaded fish filets and frozen seasoned fish filets
Pizza dough and prepared pizza
Beef steaks, hamburger patties, and frozen ground beef

Side dish and meal preparation items:

Various rice items including brown, wild, basmati, and 90 second packages
Canned items including 14 oz. and 28 oz. tomatoes, soups, tomato sauce and paste, marinara sauce, pizza and pasta sauce, and canned vegetables.

Oils to include:

Olive
Grapeseed
Canola
Vegetable
Cooking spray

Vinegars to include:

Balsamic
Apple cider
Sherry vinegar
Red wine

Seasonings to include:

Taco and ranch seasoning packets
Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Old Bay
Tabasco
Sriracha
Flour
Sugar
Brown sugar
Salt and Kosher salt
Pepper
Panko bread crumbs
Paprika
Cumin
Garlic and onion powder/salt

Storage items to include:

Foil
Parchment paper
Plastic wraps
Storage bags (zip locks, Mrs. Green’s bags, etc.)

Snacks to include:

Walnuts
Almonds
Peanuts
Cashews

Cookware to include:

Well-seasoned cast iron skillet
Stainless steel cookware
Nonstick pans, especially omelet pans
Assortment of green pans, including a large roasting pan and skillets
Utensils used were included in a prior Prime article

Betty pays attention to the price of items and prefers to buy items on sale. This helps to stock the freezer. Also included are “fast foods” like items to be prepared from frozen directly to the oven. Nothing is worse than coming home late and realizing “There’s nothing in our home to eat” and having to resort to fast food, take out, or restaurant meals. You need to keep on hand items you can take quickly from the freezer to the oven, and then your table.

Common staples in my freezer are Omaha steak products and big box prepared frozen meals with limited processing. If your meal requires the food to be defrosted, keep in mind that most foods can be defrosted quickly in sealed plastic wrap or a zip lock placed in cold water.

To keep a stocked kitchen, it just requires some planning and preparation. Don’t waste your money. Keep an updated food inventory and take about 15 minutes a week to plan your meals. A small amount of time allotted to planning can make a difference in your home dining meals, pocketbook – and your health!