You're seeing that right - the snow is about as tall as my pre-schooler.

And to think, last week I was lamenting the fact that we hadn’t had any snow yet…  I should lament a bit more quietly next time.  I don’t have exact numbers, but I’m guessing we got a touch more than two feet of snow between Sunday afternoon and Monday night, and shoveling just the front walk and the driveway took about three hours.  My usual Monday grocery trip was postponed… until Thursday.  Was I panicked?  Did we eat ramen noodles and cocktail peanuts until shopping day?  Nope, because I have a well-stocked pantry.  I like the freedom of knowing that if something comes up and grocery shopping has to be postponed a day or two (or four), I can still feed my family healthy meals.

We’re on a pretty tight budget, but I feel like stocking the pantry is just as much of a priority as our immediate meal needs.  In fact, a good pantry can help save money – you’re not at the mercy of the grocery circular to the same degree when you know you have a few emergency dinner ideas stashed away on your pantry shelf.    By keeping some basic items in the house at all times, you can minimize the urge to order pizza or drive through for cheeseburgers, and that’s good for your waistline and your wallet.

Here are a few basics that our house is never without:In the pantry proper

• brown rice
• pasta (okay, a LOT of pasta)
• canned tomatoes
• tomato paste
• chicken broth (if I don’t have any in the freezer)
• canned tuna
• beans, canned and/or dry
• dry cereal
• oatmeal
• raisins
• applesauce (if I don’t have it in the freezer)
• crackers
• peanut butter
• salsa
• tea
• flour
• sugar
• baking powder
• baking soda
• dried herbs and spices – at least onion, garlic, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• vegetable oil
• vinegar – plain, balsamic, and white wine
• soy sauce
• mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup

And in the freezer:

• chicken broth
• frozen fruit – at least blueberries, but usually strawberries and cherries too
• frozen vegetables – usually peas, broccoli, corn, and a  bag of mixed veg
• cheese – mozzarella and cheddar
• butter
• ground beef
• at least one package of chicken parts – usually boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Things I like to have, but don’t always have:

• teriyaki sauce
• dried cranberries
• frozen edamame
• jarred pasta sauce
• frozen ravioli
• potatoes
• onions
• frozen waffles
• molasses
• honey
• bacon
• tortillas or taco shells
• walnuts or cashews
• frozen spinach
• parmesan cheese

These are the building blocks for a thousand different recipes, and of course my list is tailored to what my family likes to eat.  Your list should reflect your tastes.  There’s a perception that buying storage-friendly pantry staples means you’re going to load up on cases of Dinty Moore beef stew and Vienna Sausages (And if you like to eat them… I don’t judge.).  There are plenty of less-processed, long-term-storage friendly options, like dried fruit, pickled veggies, beans, rice, barley, quinoa, and steel-cut oats.   Growing up, our pantry wasn’t complete without (among other things) several cans of SPAM, but remember I grew up in hurricane country.  When a storm like Hurricane Alicia knocks you on your butt and you’re without power for ten days (and without water for seven), you eat what you got and SPAM and saltines start to look like a mighty tasty choice.  (And by the way, Alicia, you ruined my tenth birthday party, which was gonna be at AstroWorld.  You suck.  Yes, I’m still mad.)  I’m not advocating SPAM-hoarding, but the things on this list would yield some simple tasty meals – spaghetti, beans and rice, burritos, and stir-fries are all easy pantry go-tos.

But enough about me.  What do you need for your pantry?  Think about what you normally buy and what you normally cook.  My rule for a pantry staple is that it needs to be something that I use at least once a month, that can be stored for at least six months. (Frozen produce is the exception – it starts to lose quality after three months or so.)  Your list will be different than mine -if you cook more Asian foods than I do, you might want to add rice wine or fish sauce to your pantry list – if you cook more Italian, you might want jarred artichoke hearts or sundried tomatoes.  Here’s the test I use – I look at what’s already in my pantry and see how many dishes I could make with what’s already in my house.  If I can’t make ten meals, my pantry needs updating.  (for the record – chili, black bean soup, linguine marinara, tortellini alfredo with broccoli, tuna melts, waffles and scrambled eggs, vegetable fried rice, cheeseburgers and fries, baked potato soup, and pizza.)

I’m not advocating going out and spending a hundred bucks at the grocery tomorrow to stock your pantry, unless you’re really into that sort of thing.  I recommend making a separate grocery list of staples – you know I love a good list.  Watch the circulars, and when things you use are on sale, buy two.  If you have the space and it’s a really good sale, buy three.  Once you do this for a few weeks, you’ll develop a ‘do not buy’ list as well.  That list will probably have shredded coconut on it.  Before too long, you’ll have everything you need for the next blizzard, hurricane, or chicken pox outbreak. Here’s hoping you don’t need it!