Kitchen+Staples

WHAT STAPLE ITEMS DO I NEED TO KEEP IN MY KITCHEN?  Each time you prepare a meal at home, it is less expensive than eating out. When you have staple foods on hand, it is much easier to prepare a meal at home. You will also discover how much tastier home-prepared food is, and how much HEALTHIER it is because you prepared it. To enjoy healthy cooking, you will need to have basic staples in your kitchen. The following is a general guide:

BAKING ESSENTIALS Active dry yeast Apple sauce (unsweetened) - make sure there is no extra sugar, such as high fructose. Baking chocolate Baking powder Baking soda Brown sugar Chocolate chips Cocoa powder Confectioner’s sugar Corn meal Corn starch Evaporated milk (low fat or fat free) Flour – Keep both white and wheat on hand. You can substitute at least a portion of the white with wheat to make a healthier version. Graham crackers (low fat) - keep on hand both for a good snack and to make crumb crusts. Honey Jell-O pudding and gelatin (variety of flavors) Oats Molasses Sweetened condensed milk (low-fat) Sugar - white, splenda, or any artificial sweetener for baking. Vanilla extract - also lemon, almond, orange

 HERBS AND SPICES Allspice Basil Bay leaves Black Pepper Cayenne pepper Celery salt Chili powder Cinnamon Cumin Garlic powder Ginger Mustard Nutmeg Onion powder Oregano Paprika Parsley Rosemary Sage Salt - regular, kosher, sea salt or salt-free Tarragon Thyme

GRAINS Breads (wheat or whole grain) Cereal (whole grain) Pasta (whole grain or wheat) Rice (brown) Tortillas (wheat or whole grain)

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Apples Bananas Carrots Celery Cucumbers Fruit dried - cranberries, raisins Garlic Grapes Lettuce - romaine and/or greens Lemons/limes Onions Oranges Peppers Potatoes Spinach Seasonal fresh fruit Sweet potatoes Tomatoes Vegetables frozen – corn, green beans, mixed, peas, spinach

MEATS AND SEAFOOD

Bacon (turkey) Beef ground (extra lean) Chicken breast Deli lean (low fat, such as turkey, chicken, ham) Salmon fillets (freezer) Shrimp (freezer) Tuna canned (in water) Turkey ground (extra lean)

DAIRY Butter Cheese (low fat or 2%) Cottage cheese (low fat) Cream cheese (light) Eggs Hummus Milk (skim) Sour cream (light or fat free) Yogurt (light)

OILS, STOCKS, AND CONDIMENTS

Barbecue sauce Cooking spray - canola, olive oil Fruit preserves (reduced sugar) - stay away from high fructose Ketchup Lemon juice Mayonnaise (low fat) Mustard - regular, Dijon Oils - canola, extra virgin olive oil Pancake syrup (light) Peanut butter (natural) Salad dressing (low fat) Salsa Soy sauce (low salt) Steak sauce Stocks – beef, chicken, vegetable (natural, reduced sodium, 100% fat free, no msg) Tomato diced, paste and sauce canned (no salt, low salt) Vinegar - red, wine, balsamic Wine - red and white Worcestershire sauce

MISC. PANTRY ITEMS Beans canned – kidney, black, garbanzo, white Bread crumbs Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts (can be stored in the freezer for freshness) Pretzels (low fat or fat free) Soups (low fat, fat free, low sodium) Soups (dry) – onion, vegetable Tortilla chips (baked)

**Check out this website for ingredients to stay away from. Remember to always check labels.** [|www.heavenlyfoddermeals.com/GROCERY%20STORE%20LIST.pdf] 