Use this guide to make sure your kitchen has all the items you'll need for healthy snacking and quick, easy-to-cook meals. Here we list some of the everyday staples, the basic provisions you should have on hand to be sure you can always put together a meal from a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator.
In the pantry
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cocoa powder, unsweetened
Cornstarch
Flours whole-wheat and all-purpose
Sugars white and brown
Vanilla extract
Vinegars balsamic, red wine
Oils olive, canola, sesame
Cooking spray
Peanut butter*
Broth chicken or vegetable, canned*
Soups mushroom, minestrone, or vegetable,
canned*
Tomatoes, canned*
Tomato sauce*
Tuna, canned
Herbs, dried
Italian spices, dried
Mushrooms, dried
Condiments
Salt and pepper
Ketchup*
Mayonnaise, reduced-fat*
Mustards* Dijon, yellow
Soy sauce
Hot sauce
Pickles and pickle relish*
Capers*
Olives*
Cereals, grains, and beans
Cereal ready-to-eat, whole-grain
Oatmeal
Couscous
Legumes (kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, etc.), canned or dried
Pasta
Rice brown and white
Snacks
Graham crackers
Nuts, mixed
Popcorn kernels
Whole-grain snacks like crackers and pretzels
Fruits and vegetables
Fruit, canned in juice
Fruit, assorted fresh
Raisins
Garlic, fresh
Onions
Potatoes baking or roasting, and sweet potatoes or yams
Celery
Bell peppers, green or red
In the refrigerator
Butter
Cheeses for grating, such as Parmesan
Eggs
Milk low-fat or nonfat
Yogurt, plain low-fat or nonfat
In the freezer
Bagels mini or small (2 ounces)
Breads whole wheat and pita
Berries and other fruit, frozen
Fruit sorbet or fruit/juice pops
Beef or chicken bones for homemade stock
Chicken breasts, individually portioned
Ground turkey or lean ground beef
Meatless burgers
Pizza crust, frozen
Prepared dinners reduced-calorie, frozen
Vegetables, frozen
Miscellaneous
Carbonated water
Vegetable juices
Sugar-free soda
Iced tea, unsweetened
Evaporated skim milk, canned
Herbs, fresh
Tomato salsa
Green chilies, canned
Tortillas corn and flour, small
*These items may need to be refrigerated after you've opened them.