I buy canned stuff.

In my pantry, I always have:

• jarred spaghetti sauce
• a variety of soup (mostly Campbell's), including cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom, chicken noodle, vegetable, and a few others
• green beans
• green peas
• baked beans
• corn
• baking stuff--I super to bake--including but not limited to flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, vegetable oil, Crisco, salt
• boxes of cake mix, brownie mix, and muffin mix
• tubs of frosting
• a few boxes of cereal--we only like the sugary kind
• oatmeal (in individual serving packets)
• boxed mac & cheese
• pasta in various forms
• tomato sauce--I usually buy the kind that says "Meatloaf" on it
• nonstick cooking spray
• peanut butter
• rice

I just got up and looked in the pantry. Aside from a few "special" (like boxes of pudding) and non-food items (like drinking straws), that's pretty much it.

If you're just talking food that we have on hand, I tend to buy up those frozen bagged vegetables when they're on sale. "Steamables" is one of the brands. I always keep broccoli (my fave), peppers & onions mix, chopped onions, and sometimes corn in the freezer.

I like to keep those Tyson frozen grilled chicken bags too. Some strips, some diced, and some whole breasts. I have terrible trouble with overcooking chicken breasts so these are much easier for me to use.

I also keep frozen potatoes stocked in the freezer. Steak fries and hashbrowns--I prefer diced to shredded.

Although I prefer fresh fruit to the kind in the little cups, I always have the little cups. Mandarin oranges, diced peaches, and cherry mixed fruit are my kids' favorites. I put them in their lunch boxes.

I always have eggs, cheese, milk, butter (both tub and stick), hot dogs and lunchmeat in the refrigerator.

I used to always have canned biscuits, crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls in the fridge but then I got more skilled at making my own rolls so now those are just an occasional treat.

When we come into large sums of money, I go to a local meat market and buy pork chops, steaks, ribs and roasts to stock the freezer in the garage.

 ETA: We usually have grapes, bananas, and whatever fruit is in season at the time. Also I will buy canned carrots but I much prefer buying fresh whole carrots and cooking them myself. We always have potatoes too--for baking and mashing.

Lizzy wrote:

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Thanks Melissa and Robin!

Melissa - do you shop at Trader Joes for everything or only some stuff? (I've never been there and would probably get lost ;)

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 Do you have a trader joe? no, I do not shop there for everything. I do not buy my fruit and veggies there.  Why would you get lost? 

I get stuff like granola bars, frozen waffles, etc. They have no corn syrup or any of the perservative junk in most their stuff compared to say Eggo waffles. If you look and you see 50 ingredients - it is no good. 

I try to not buy canned and processed foods. Like for the girls if I do sphagethtti o's, I buy trader joe. it is just the pasta and sauce and not the other crap. things like that. i try to stay away from tons of additives. I am not saying I never eat junk, but for the most part that is my core shopping. 

by not knowing how to cook green beans do you mean like you don't know how long to cook them plain? or do you mean you don't know how to make fancier dishes using them?

i only eat fresh or frozen vegetables. for some reason canned vegetables taste like metal to me so i never stock those. i always have marinara sauce for pasta and homemade pizza, rice (instant), couscous, canned tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, lots of types of pasta, black beans, kidney beans, etc. in my cabinets. always lots of baking stuff because i love to bake.

i try to cook based on what is in season and what is that week's loss leader. i will not buy boneless chicken, for example, if it is more than $1.99 lb.

Corey wrote:

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by not knowing how to cook green beans do you mean like you don't know how long to cook them plain? or do you mean you don't know how to make fancier dishes using them?

i only eat fresh or frozen vegetables. for some reason canned vegetables taste like metal to me so i never stock those. i always have marinara sauce for pasta and homemade pizza, rice (instant), couscous, canned tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, lots of types of pasta, black beans, kidney beans, etc. in my cabinets. always lots of baking stuff because i love to bake.

i try to cook based on what is in season and what is that week's loss leader. i will not buy boneless chicken, for example, if it is more than $1.99 lb.

 

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 nope - do  not know how to make them fresh (not a fancy dish, just plain)

CoffeeQueen wrote:

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Liz- I can help you. It is so easy to steam veggies. Heck, you can even micro steam them. Veggies are the easiest. You can bake/roast, steam or sautée.

Green beans fresh you just wash them and I break off the ends, toss in a pot wih maybe 1/4 water, put lid on and steam or I steam them a bit and then put them in a pan and some olive oil, fresh cut up garlic cloves and sautée.

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 i do have those steam bags - i usually use those for corn on the cob.  i guess those wold work?