Basics

Ok.  So you are probably wondering what is in my pantry that I consider “basics”.  And when I say “pantry” that not only means literally my pantry, but my spice cabinet, refrigerator and freezer as well.  I would venture to say that generally we really don’t think too much about the staple ingredients that we always try to keep on hand.  They are just what we’ve been taught and/or like to have on hand. 

Also, being a regular “Jane”, I don’t have a huge kitchen and therefore, a humongous pantry like celebrities have (although I wouldn’t mind having a separate room for a pantry!).  Let’s look at the collective pantry. 

Pantry (literally)

Dry ingredients:

Pasta/noodles:           

For me, pasta and noodles are always in my pantry.  When I was a working stiff I just didn’t have time to play with making my own.  Now that I have some time to myself, I will try some homemade pasta. 

Nowadays there are plenty of whole grain and vegetable options out there.  I would suggest you try several brands until you find one you like.  Just be sure to strictly follow the cooking instructions as some of the non-wheat pastas are not very forgiving at being overcooked.  However, generic brands are tasty, too and as long as you don’t weigh them down with fat-laden cream sauces and tons of butter, they are not the most horrible ingredient to keep around.  I like bucatini (thick hollow spaghetti), capellini (aka angel hair), cavatappi (hollow corkscrew), conchiglie (shell), couscous, fettucine, farfalle (bowtie), fregula (similar to Israeli couscous), fusilli, gemelli (spiral), gnocchi, gomito macaroni (elbow), lasagna, mezzelune (cheese filled), orzo (looks like melon seed), penne, tortellini (cheese filled dried tiny ravioli), radiatori, rotini (twists), spaghetti….it’s so much fun pronouncing all the types!  Basically, the idea is the finer the pasta, the lighter the sauce or the heavier or chunkier the pasta, the heavier the sauce, but more on that later. 

I also like to experiment with pasta or noodles from various cultures.  Don’t rule out oriental “pasta” like the cellophane noodles which are made with mung bean starch, Japanese buckwheat noodles, rice noodles, udon and Mexican fideos (noodles).  There are so many possibilities for nutritious meals that taste great and are easy on the budget.   

Rice:   

Have you really looked at how many kinds of rice there are?  It’s amazing when you start looking at all the different varieties available now.  Think past the generic white rice.  Please make an effort to visit your local whole foods market.  You can save money while broadening your culinary horizons by visiting the bulk section.  You can buy as little or as much as you like.  Brown rice comes in short and long grain varieties – that’s where the white versions come from but you get the valuable bran coating.  I’m not saying you cannot eat white rice, but I would suggest mixing it up so that you don’t use white rice all the time.  Give the other varieties a try such as forbidden black rice, wild rice (not really a rice but SO delicious!  You could say I’m wild about wild rice!) to name a couple.  Granted whole grain rice does take a little longer to cook, but it’s worth it. 

Keep an eye out for sales that come along at the whole foods market and buy several varieties to keep on hand when you can.  Many whole/health foods markets and chain stores are technology savvy, so Google your local health food store as well as your favorite chain store so you can keep track of when stuff goes on sale.  You can get Jasmine and Basmati brown rice instead of the old white standby and many times the prices at the bulk section of the organic whole foods market is a better buy than the generic grocer which seem to charge more for the same or similar product because it is lumped with the “health” foods.

Whole Grains:            

Amaranth, flaxseed (whole and ground) grits (yellow or white), Oatmeal (quick cooking, rolled and steel cut), pearl barley, quinoa (red and original), wheat (whole and cracked) and 9 grains hot cereal to name a few.

Legumes:

Adzuki beans, Anasazi beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo (chickpeas) beans, kidney beans (pink and red), lentils (green, yellow, red), mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, turtle (black) beans, split peas, etc.  There are many more, so I suggest you keep those that you like on hand.

Flours:

Arrowroot, barley, brown rice, cornmeal (coarse and/or fine), cornstarch, graham, oat, potato starch, rye, soy, spelt, tapioca, teff and whole wheat (whole grain and unbleached). 

Fruits:

Dried apricots, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, prunes.

Other:

Carob powder, carob chips, crystallized ginger, dark chocolate (99% bar, chips and powder) peanut butter, peanut butter chips,

Canned ingredients:

Beans (garbanzos, cannellini, kidney beans (pink and red)), black turtle beans), coconut milk (light), corn, hominy (white and yellow), tomatoes (whole, chopped, crushed), tomato sauce.  If you don’t have reflux issues you might also stock tomato paste, but I don’t use paste as it tends to be too concentrated and aggravates reflux and ulcers. 

Oils/Vinegars:

Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar (10-year), red wine vinegar, avocado oil, canola oil, hazelnut oil (toasted), olive oil (extra virgin – green color), sesame oil (toasted), truffle oil (white and black) and walnut oil.  

Condiments/Sauces:

Soy sauce (low sodium) and worcestershire  sauce.

Spice Cabinet (and more)

Sweeteners and Baking essentials:

            Almond extract, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, confectioner’s sugar, dehydrated buttermilk, dehydrated eggs or egg substitute, dehydrated egg whites, dry skim milk, honey, Splenda, Splenda brand brown sugar substitute, sugar, sweet dairy whey, vanilla extract and xylitol. 

Spices/Herbs:

Allspice, annatto, anise, asafetida, basil[1], bay leaves, celery seed (whole), cloves (whole and ground[2]), cumin (whole and ground), dulse[3], fennel (seed), fenugreek, garlic (fresh either in cloves or minced in oil and dehydrated granulated powder), ginger (ground), juniper berries, lemon grass (dried), mint (chocolate, peppermint, pineapple, spearmint), mustard (ground and seed), nutmeg (whole[4]), onion powder[5], oregano, parsley (dried), peppers (dried ancho, chile de arbol, chipotle, Japanese chili, red peppers), peppercorns (white, red/pink, green and black), rosemary, sea salt (generic or kosher and finishing such as grey, red, jade, black), sesame seeds (white and black), thyme and turmeric.

Refrigerator

Dairy/Eggs:

            Cream (heavy whipping), eggs (free range natural), half & half (nonfat and full fat).

Fruit:

            Apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries.

Vegetables:

            Avocados, carrots, celery, fennel, parsnips, peppers (green and colored), plantains (green and ripe) and yucca.

Countertop

Bananas, heirloom tomatoes, lemons, limes, onions, peppers (hot), potatoes, shallots, sweet potatoes.

Freezer

Butter, chicken stock (homemade), chopped green onions, chopped leeks, cilantro, corn, peas, parsley, peppers and vegetable stock (homemade) and a bag for holding bones and vegetable pieces for making stocks.

I'm working on my meal plan for week after next.  See you soon. 

 

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[1] If you have space in your garden or have room for a few pots, please make room to grow herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, sage, thyme to dry.  Dry them hanging upside down for a couple of weeks (one of those collapsable clothes dryers are great) and them store them as whole leaf in glass jars until right before you use them and then crush them to release the oils.  You can successfully store quite a few culinary herbs and spices this way and save a lot of money. 

[2] If you have a coffee/spice grinder, you can grind your own fresh right before you need them to have the best flavor. 

[3] If you want to limit salt, you can use dulse as a substitute.  It is a dried seaweed product and is salty but with an added benefit of protein. 

[4] I keep whole nutmeg and use my microplane to shave off just what I want when I want it.  Otherwise, you risk the spice losing flavor with long storage. 

[5] Buy small amounts since it has a tendency to solidify into an almost indestructible block. 

Next Chaper...

I am and have been many things - a woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, entrepreneur, divorcee, single mother, great-aunt, grandmother and now unemployed.  I've gone by several names - Deb, Mom and now Grams.  With a lot of people unemployed these days, I know I am not unique in that respect.  And, now being unemployed means that things will be tight.  Having now worked in some manner for approximately 40 years, I'm going to take a few weeks to re-examine what is most important to me and how to improve the quality of my life while simplifying same.
 
Having just been laid off, my husband and I looked at our expenses and what he brings home.  We should be able to manage on his salary, but barely.  I know there are a lot of people out there that are not able to say that and are in worse shape than I am.  I had been planning to work at least another year voluntarily so that I could pay off all my debts.  Once the debts were paid I would be able to quit and we would have been better off than currently.  The rest of the plan was that we will build an earthship on our property in Colorado over the next few years and then sell our current home, bank the proceeds and try to partially retire without a mortgage and utility bills hanging over our heads while being in tune with our environment.  Ambitious, I know, but feasible.  It will just take a little longer to pay off the debts and achieve our long-term goals. 

However, that decision has been taken out of my hands.  But all is not lost.  I REFUSE to succumb to depression and feelings of inadequacy.  Having successfully been an entrepreneur, I am planning to reopen my business and garner clients through contacts I've made over the last 12 years. My home office is ready to go and be productive.  Alternatively and possibly additionally, I plan to try to market some of my crafts via the Etsy website.   Hopefully, I can make my hobbies pay for themselves and more. 

My goal here is to have a sounding board and to share with others in similar circumstances what I am able to accomplish in working toward my goal of simplifying and improving the quality of my life as well as my health.   

It's been a few years since I've had to pinch, no, strangle pennies to make it.  I've had to rob Peter to pay Paul and then rob Paul to pay Peter.  That only works for so long and can actually make things worse.  Back in college I had a budget of $50.00 a month for groceries and was able to do it, but that was 30 years ago! 
 
Having grown up on a farm and raised on organically grown produce and meat before it was considered cool and by parents who were both born around the end of the Great Depression and raised on farms themselves, I've been blessed with having been taught how to do many things for myself.  Even while working full-time, I would try to make "from scratch" meals with fresh ingredients.  Of course, I would fudge a little by buying mass-produced pasta, bread and some canned or frozen foods.  Also, I always cook more than is needed for that meal in order to have leftovers for lunch the following day and which can usually be transformed into something different or integrated into another recipe. 

I eat to enjoy as well as to nourish.  Having diabetes and heart disease in my family and being overweight, I also have to watch my sugar, salt and calorie intake.  So on days that I would come home from work exhausted from dealing with difficult public and/or co-workers, I would have a couple of "emergency" fixes that lent themselves toward a quick-fix dinner.  Or, my husband would feel guilty at making me work more to prepare a meal and so would take me out.  It is SO easy to succumb to packaged dinners or cook carbohydrate-rich foods that are easy and quick to prepare.  Combine that with working for 20+ years while seated in front of a computer, being middle-aged, not seriously working out and you wind up with a sluggish metabolism that makes it hard to lose weight and stay healthy. 

Enjoying food as I do, I tend to get bored with the same old classic dinners.  Maybe that comes from having been raised in a military family.  I always had to try a bite of the food that was on the table.  If I didn't like it, I didn't have to eat it.  However, there is very little I didn't like.  I guess you could say my tastes are very well-rounded, but then, so am I!  So, over the years I have developed recipes that let me satisfy my craving for certain tastes such as oriental, southwestern, Italian, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Indian, etc.  You get the idea.  I'm also one of those moms who who tried to limit their kids' sugar and refined wheat intake.  Refined product foods are tasty but I have developed a preference for whole grain foods.  Plus, I feel somewhat better knowing whole grains are better for me.  Being a foodie as I am, it's also hard to stick to smaller portions. 

Also, since my Mom is such a great cook (in my opinion she has no equal) and because I'm an advernturous diner, I have learned how to taste things and "deconstruct" the recipe, most times.  If it is something I've tasted in a restaurant or someone else's home, I can usually figure out the recipe. 

So, obviously, I need to work on my health and start seriously working out.  That means DISCIPLINE.   I CAN do it.  That means working out and controlling my portions and the nutrition content of my foods.  I can do that too.  That means increasing my water intake.  I can do that as well.  I am going to make a work-out plan, meal plan and work plan to include all facets of my day. 

I will share my accomplishments and meal plans.  At some point I may even write a cookbook!