3 Things I Always Keep In My Pantry

One thing that I have found to be helpful along my health and wellness journey is making sure my pantry is stocked with nutritious options. I find that having items that are versatile, easy to prep and nutrient packed helps me to be able to meal prep various meal easily, put a quick meal together easily as well as add more nutrients to my diet. Below are a few of the foods you can always find in my pantry as well as how I utilize them in my meals:

canned or jarred tomatoes

I always have tomatoes on hand in the pantry. Tomatoes are a vitamin and nutrient packed vegetable/fruit that are so easy to use in a weeknight dinner recipe. They are packed with Vitamin C as well as Vitamin E. I love using them to make quick pasta sauces, adding them to various vegetable sautés, using them as a base for roasted meals or adding them to soups. Often when I am feeling lazy and when I am not in the mood to cook a whole meal from scratch, I will heat them up in a pan with some herbs and seasonings and a precut frozen vegetable and toss over spaghetti for a quick delicious weeknight dinner.

quinoa and brown rice

I always keep whole grains on hand. They add some amazing vitamins and nutrients to a meal and are incredibly easy to prepare. Quinoa and brown rice are great sources of fiber, protein, manganese and magnesium. I love meal prepping them separately and then adding to a vegetable sauté, stir fry or toss them in a salad or other bowl. One of my favorite ways to use these ingredients is by roasting a bunch of vegetables on a baking tray with oil and seasonings and then toss them over prepared quinoa and brown rice with a drizzle of your favorite sauce.

beans

You will always find canned beans in my pantry. I add some beans to almost all of my lunches and dinners. Beans are a great source of fiber and healthy fats as well zinc and Vitamin K. I love adding them to vegetable sautés, taco recipes, soups, salads and other bowls and more. I also love that you can eat them as they are from the can (after rinsing of course) or you can cook them as you wish. They are incredibly easy to add to almost any meal. Tap here for one of my favorite weeknight dinners including black beans.