They are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, supporting heart health and longevity. I love using oats in my dessert recipes because it acts as a great all-purpose flour replacement, especially when you grind the oats into oat flour. Nuts are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants.

These fats help to support brain health and overall well-being. Peanut butter makes the perfect snack when paired with apples, bananas, or on top of some greek yogurt. Balsamic vinegar contains antioxidants, including polyphenols, which help fight free radicals in the body.

These free radicals can damage cells and contribute to aging. Consuming foods rich in antioxidants can support longevity. Balsamic vinegar also is my secret ingredient in a lot of my recipes including my Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats , Chunky Pumpkin Granola Recipe , Fudgy Flourless Pumpkin Brownies Recipe , or Pumpkin Bean Dip.

The natural sweetness helps round out savory meals and also helps complement sweet flavors, which is why I use it in almost all of my recipes. Now that you have your pantry staples, it's essential to save money when purchasing them. Here are some strategies:. A well-stocked pantry with budget-friendly staples is great to have for anyone looking to save money while enjoying delicious homemade meals.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar menu icon. Rice: The ultimate pantry MVP, rice is a blank canvas for flavor.

You can also get a variety of rice for low prices. Beans: From black beans to chickpeas, beans are a cheap source of protein. Try making a flavorful chili, creamy hummus, or even a hearty bean soup with spices and veggies. Canned beans are also a powerhouse of nutrients, and they are easy to cook.

Pasta: Pasta is the hero of quick, budget-friendly meals. Create classic spaghetti with a homemade tomato sauce or try something more exotic like a garlic and olive oil-based aglio e olio. Dried Herbs: While fresh herbs can be pricey, dried herbs are a budget-friendly alternative.

Plus, they have a long shelf life. Dried herbs also pack more flavor than their fresh counterparts, so you can use less of them. Tortillas: Flour or corn tortillas are the foundation of many cost-effective and scrumptious dishes.

You can make quesadillas, tacos, or even burritos with leftover ingredients. Just fill them up with whatever you have in your fridge.

Our tip? Combine the chicken, cheese, herbs, and beans on this list with sun-dried tomato tortillas to make one killer quesadilla. Pasta Sauce: A good pasta sauce can turn your humble pasta dish into a gourmet meal.

Keep a jar of marinara sauce in your pantry and elevate it with sautéed garlic, onions, and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Voilà — a restaurant-worthy meal! Cheese: While some gourmet cheeses can be expensive, there are budget-friendly options that can add oodles of flavor to your dishes. Grate some cheddar on your baked beans, sprinkle mozzarella on your homemade pizza, or melt Swiss cheese onto your quesadillas.

Another added benefit is that most cheeses last longer than most people think. Chicken: Chicken is often one of the more affordable meat options.

Canned Meat Stock Peanut Butter

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Affordable kitchen staples - Pasta Sauce Canned Meat Stock Peanut Butter

Freshly ground meat is also the easiest to cook and can be frozen for later. Make chili, tacos, rice bowls, hamburger patties, meatballs etc.

I love the thought of fresh but not everyone can make consistent grocery runs. Frozen corn and broccoli make quick and healthy sides.

The shelf life of whole garlic bulbs lasts up to 6 months! Unpeeled cloves will last up to 10 days. Garlic is expensive and adds a lot of flavors, a lot of recipes calls for garlic. Garlic powder can be purchased as a lazy substitute.

Onion has a month shelf life if left in a cool, dark and dry place. They also pack a lot of flavor to each dish. It is the queen bee in our kitchen, along with garlic cloves. We have 2 spice carousels, one was a gift and the other one we bought second hand from a garage sale.

The best place to buy spices is Dollar Tree. Rosler makes hauling back groceries less back-breaking. Soapy will be reading this so feel free to leave comments on your own favorite pantry items for a frugal pantry stock! Personal Capital : Sign up and use their net worth calculator for FREE.

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We eat LOTS of pork in various forms in our family. When I was little, my parents used to make pork bone soup with potatoes and carrots a lot. Great list! Canned beans are fine, but dry is definitely better and healthier.

With canned goods you run the risk of BPA exposure. Dried oats, quinoa, and other whole grains should be staples too. As well as ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and raw unsalted nuts. Whole food, plant-based diets are generally not expensive.

It can be somewhat expensive if you always buy produce that are organic and out of season. But all things considered, plant based diets are significantly less expensive than meat based diets when you compare food of the same quality. You have to compare apples to apples 😉.

For example… organic, pasteurized, hormone-free meat and dairy is very expensive especially compared to organic vegetable produce. We did this by…. Cooking plant based meals is fun, creative, and A LOT cleaner 5 We planned meals and meal-prepped really well so that no food would be wasted. But I love the list!

We eat chicken mainly at our house. Tofu is also great to have fried with broccoli , soya sauce and garlic , it is good for you and not very expensive. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising.

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Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Kitchen Tips How To Dinner Fix. By Stacey Ballis is a novelist, cookbook author, freelance food and lifestyle journalist, and recipe developer who specializes in culinary fiction, and empowering home cooks to create extraordinary cooking and dining experiences for themselves and their loved ones.

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These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Accept All Reject All Show Purposes. The simplest way to accomplish this? Keep your pantry stocked with inexpensive, essential items that can mix and match with any number of foods for endless meals.

Cheap doesn't mean flavorless or flavor-free. No, this list of budget-friendly pantry essentials is designed to pack plenty of flavor and nutrition into everything it helps make.

Cutting your grocery budget doesn't mean cutting the quality of food you buy, and it certainly doesn't mean making your food less enjoyable in the name of a few pennies. Stocking these wallet-friendly essentials will save you money, and it will also help you be a more agile cook, one that's ready to adapt at a moment's notice instead of going out for expensive takeout.

Check out our list of must-have, budget-friendly pantry items and how you can use them in everyday meals. Brown rice is a whole grain and has more nutritional value than white rice. Stock up on brown rice, or other grains such as quinoa, and add it to your meals for a fiber boost.

Use the brown rice in grain bowls with black beans or other proteins, side salads, and puddings. Of course, you can also use brown rice to make fried rice or stir fry. For quicker meal prep, cook up a big batch of rice and freeze it for later, or look for pre-cooked rice that only needs a few seconds in the microwave to be plate-ready.

Beans are a great way to add protein to any meal — and they're cheap. While dried beans are a few cents cheaper, canned beans are more convenient because they're ready to use in an instant. Either is worth stocking, depending on the time you have. Any beans — like black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, or white beans — can be used to replace meat in your meals, like in a black bean burger.

Beans are also a great addition to soups , stews , and chilis. They can be cooked with ground beef or other meats to stretch a pound to feed five or six instead of three or four.

Traditional pasta sauce isn't only for spaghetti — although that's a quick and easy weeknight meal. You can use leftover marinara sauce to make stuffed peppers , chicken Parmesan , meatloaf , pizza, and so much more. Next time you're at the store grab the multipack of sauce; it will save you extra money and provide you with multiple meals for the month.

Canned meat, like chicken, salmon, and tuna, is a great alternative for fresh meats. And it's a non-perishable item that will last significantly longer than fresh meat would, even in your freezer.

Canned tuna can be used to make sandwiches, salads, and casseroles. While canned chicken can be used for soups, salads, and, of course, dips. Combine with a bit of breading, spices, and egg for fast and flavorful cakes or patties.