Essentials for Stocking a Healthy Kitchen

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.

Originally Published in Reader's Digest