Obsessed // Keeping A Stocked Pantry

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how do I always have the time and energy to make dinner after work? And my answer every single time, without fail, is this… a stocked pantry is essential!

Keeping a stocked pantry, fridge and freezer is pretty much the best advice I can give someone who’s in the kitchen. I’ve been promising my friends a post on what’s in my pantry for ages and today’s the day. Having a handful of dry ingredients at my fingertips allows me to whip up most any meal in minutes. It’s been my mantra for ages and it all started while I was a private chef. I can’t even tell you how many times I’d show up to work to cook for a client and then all of a sudden what was supposed to be dinner for 6 turned into dinner for 16. It’s part of the job and keeping a stocked pantry made adjusting for that pretty much effortless.

Today we’re taking a peek into some essential pantry ingredients plus obsessing over the new Facts up Front program that just rolled out. It’s made my life even easier because all the nutrition facts are right smack on the front of the packaging. So you can just glance at a few different options, grab the one that makes the most sense for you, and boom, you’re done!

So, by the end of this post, you’ll get a first hand look into the new Facts up Front program, but you’ll be armed with a list of must-have items to keep stocked at all times!

Here's my ongoing list:

Dried Pasta / Different kinds of Rice / Quinoa / Couscous  / Farro / Misc Grains
Canned or Boxed Tomatoes / Marinara Sauce / Chipotle Peppers
Peanut butter
Coconut Oil / Oils / Vinegars
Roasted Bell Peppers / Jarred Sauces
Dried Fruits / Nuts
Flour / Sugars / Chocolate Chips / Oatmeal
Canned Beans / Dried Beans
Chicken Stock
Bread Crumbs

With a stocked pantry consisting of these ingredients, you can whip up a ton of different options! This Red Pepper Pasta is a perfect example!

For more info on Facts up Front and for fun virtual kitchen tools like nutrition calculators, guides to building a healthy diet etc, be sure to check out factsupfront.org

And stay tuned for another post on keeping a stocked fridge + freezer!

As a contributing food and lifestyle editor to Better Homes and Gardens, I get to work with awesome brands to bring you the latest news in the food world. This post is brought to you in collaboration with Grocery Manufacturers Association. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for What’s Gaby Cooking.