{"id":786,"date":"2017-05-14T06:22:11","date_gmt":"2017-05-14T12:22:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-05-14T12:24:56","modified_gmt":"2017-05-14T18:24:56","slug":"planning-meals-the-top-5-foods-to-stock-in-your-pantry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/articles\/planning-meals-the-top-5-foods-to-stock-in-your-pantry\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Meals: The Top 5 Foods To Stock In Your Pantry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planning Meals with the food you have on hand<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Sometimes the meal ideas comes easily, sometimes it is a last-minute decision with hungry family underfoot. \u00a0Planning meals out may be the ideal, but let’s face it–not all of us are consistent because we just get busy. \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There is food to have on hand, though, that can make both menu planning and last minute meals much easier (and affordable)! \u00a0 Here are some things that I always keep on the pantry shelf, and a few meal ideas for each item:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Dried Grains & Legumes: \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Planning meals with dried grains and\/or legumes in the pantry becomes far easier;\u00a0 it is the most obvious winner on this list.\u00a0 Everyone understands the depth of flavor a handful of barley \u00a0can add to the soup or how brown rice, quinoa, or wheat serve as the beginnings to a gourmet from-scratch meal.\u00a0 Check out this delicious recipe calling for lentils<\/a>:
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Soup<\/a>
Soup Night: Your Food Storage pops with flavor in this recipe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"Chaya's<\/span> Homemade pasta <\/a>and dumplings<\/a> can be made in about a half hour\u2019s time starting with the raw wheat, so never overlook that option when the pantry seems otherwise bare.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Quinoa is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner<\/strong>\u2014depending how\u00a0 you choose to prepare it.\u00a0 Brown rice makes everything from a stir-fry (another last-minute meal) to the \u201cmeat\u201d in a stuffed vegetable.\u00a0 Just the other night I had forgotten to thaw meat for dinner; garbanzo beans made some very tasty falafels for a meatless meal.\u00a0 Sure, legumes also take some forethought since you will have to soak them first.\u00a0 A good pressure cooker can cover a multitude of sins, though!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Dehydrated Fruits:<\/strong> \u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Dehydrated<\/span>The flavors are intense and make great muffins, breads, and other baked goods in the dead-of-winter when your taste buds are hibernating.\u00a0 More than flavor, they allow you to maximize your food dollar<\/strong> by buying foods in season for year round use.\u00a0 You cannot underestimate their convenience, either!\u00a0 Late morning breakfast-on-the-go, a snack to keep in your bag for blood sugar emergencies, an oatmeal facelift\u2014the possibilities are endless.\u00a0 Drop some dehydrated cherries in your homemade trailmix, sprinkle dehydrated strawberries over\u00a0 your cereal, or\u00a0 make your own \u201csweet and sour\u201d candy by eating rhubarb or raspberries as they are!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>I often have people tell me (this happened yesterday, in fact) that the dehydrator is in storage, that they used to utilize it more frequently than now if they even use it at all. \u00a0This is by far the simplest food preservation method, and if you fall into this category, check out this Dehydrating Q & A <\/a>to refine your dehydrating results so that you will again see the end product as a great asset to your pantry.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Pickled (Fermented) Foods:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Pickled<\/span><\/a>Fermented Foods are easier to make at home than you might realize<\/strong>.<\/strong> \u00a0<\/a> You\u00a0<\/span>can skip the canner completely with a fermentation process that transforms them into a probiotic. \u00a0<\/span>They are a wonderful side dish for lunch and a casual match for get-together munchies. \u00a0 Most fermented foods (pickles, carrots, garlic, you name it!) bring color and flavor to your salad. \u00a0 They make a tasty side dish to round out the meal, too. They are the ultimate convenience food!\u00a0 Use pickled eggs, cucumbers, or carrots in\u00a0 your favorite egg salad, potato salad, or other cold salad recipes, saving you the prep time when you’re making it.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0(Read:<\/strong>\u00a0 Fermenting in Large vs. Small Batches <\/a>or Making Pickles with Fermentation<\/a> to get started).
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Canned Meats:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Have you ever flipped over the canned meat from the store and read the ingredients?\u00a0 You can create your own convenience foods for a fraction of the cost and twice the flavor\u2014and canning meats at home is much better for the environment and your health, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Wilson's<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A jar of canned ground beef <\/a>makes a pot of chili in 15 minutes, tacos in the time it takes to chop tomatoes, or a filling pot of spaghetti on those nights you didn\u2019t plan dinner.\u00a0 Canned chicken, fish, venison\u2014the list goes on.\u00a0 Yes, there is an initial afternoon of food processing, but since you can in bulk you are maximizing your time.\u00a0 2 hours translates into as many as 10 low-stress dinners! Even canned chicken noodle soup–without the noodles of course–<\/a>is a fantastic shelf staple.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 10 great meals t<\/a>hat are a snap because you have canned ground beef on your shelf!<\/p>\n

\"10<\/a>
10 Meals in 20 minutes (or less)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dinners In a Jar:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

I do not use these frequently but find them invaluable nonetheless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Dinners<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 I get over-busy, over-committed, and forgetfulness results.\u00a0<\/strong> Although my life revolves around food with Pantry Paratus (I am often found discussing food production, preservation, and preparation on the phone with a customer), I sometimes forget about ours.\u00a0 It is like sunscreen\u2014I\u2019m the best at remembering to slather it on my children\u2019s pasty whiteness but cannot seem to remember my own glow-in-the-dark self.\u00a0 And so, while I am discussing food with others or writing blogs about how to make salmon jerky<\/a>,\u00a0 I often experience those \u201cAck\u2014what\u2019s for dinner?!\u201d moments to which every other working mom in America succumbs.<\/p>\n

\"Planning<\/a>I overcompensate by work-ahead meal preparations.\u00a0<\/strong> The freezer is the best for this and is full of my calzones,<\/a>and other make-ahead meals. \u00a0 Having some jars of pea & lentil soup (using dried spices and ingredients) or any of the other meals saves us from eating poorly due to lack of planning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0And on that note, I gotta go get dinner cookin’–<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaya
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Planning Meals with the food you have on hand \u00a0Sometimes the meal ideas comes easily, sometimes it is a last-minute decision with hungry family underfoot. \u00a0Planning meals out may be the ideal, but let’s face it–not all of us are consistent because we just get busy. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[229,297],"tags":[370,703],"yst_prominent_words":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Planning-Meals.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fvks-cG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}