Staples and Extras
Sep. 28th, 2008 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
omorkaSo, after Ike raided my fridge (for sufficiently metaphorical senses of raided) and now it's practically empty, I need to think about how to restock it.
There are some foods I consider staples, and others that are extras/nice to have. Most of my dry, or at least non-refrigerated, staples made it through just fine. But the staples are things that I expect to be there in the fridge or pantry when I go there, and which I buy at least one meal before running out (except when I screw up, which sometimes happens). So far I have:
Refrigerator:
Milk
Cream
Half-and-Half
Butter
two types of Shredded Cheese
Bacon
Eggs (I'm almost out, and need to pick up more on Wednesday)
a couple of types of Deli Meat and Cheese (these are really the Spouse's for his lunches)
Sour Cream
Lemons
[Limes]
assorted plums and pluots, which temporarily fill the Fresh Fruit category
[several types of Mustard (not sure how that happened; I rarely use it)]
Lemon Juice
[Lime Juice]
Celery
Green Onions
Yogurt
a small supply of Pecans
[Mushrooms]
[Summer Squash]
Flour Tortillas
Bread Machine Yeast (kept unrefrigerated through Ike, may not still be good)
Freezer:
Frozen Peas
Frozen Corn
Frozen Green Beans
two 1-lb packages of Ground Beef
a 1-lb Kielbasa Sausage
[1 Ham Hock]
The things in square brackets aren't staples; they're things I picked up for a specific use. Having said that, having a ham hock in the freezer has come in handy on multiple occasions.
I know I still need:
Refrigerator:
Broccoli
a Green Leafy Vegetable in the Brassica Family (cabbage, kale, or collards)
Apples
an Orange
Parmesan Cheese
Regular Yeast
Cream Cheese
Freezer:
Chicken Breasts, bone-in and boneless
Ham Steak
Frozen Lima Beans
Frozen Fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, and/or blackberries)
Andouille Sausage
Walnuts
I probably shouldn't stock up on any more stuff, as things that I get that aren't staples tend to accumulate. I'm trying to buy fresher than I traditionally have - I used to only go grocery shopping once a week or less, and I'm trying to teach myself to pick up stuff twice a week and use it while it's still fresh. Unfortunately, this requires more planning than I usually give meals.
I'm trying to treat this as an opportunity to do better meal planning and cook at home more often, and maybe diversify our diet a little bit. But I need to have the regular stock of things that I know I have on hand. Anyone have any suggestions for things I don't have on the list that you've found helpful to have as a permanent staple?
There are some foods I consider staples, and others that are extras/nice to have. Most of my dry, or at least non-refrigerated, staples made it through just fine. But the staples are things that I expect to be there in the fridge or pantry when I go there, and which I buy at least one meal before running out (except when I screw up, which sometimes happens). So far I have:
Refrigerator:
Milk
Cream
Half-and-Half
Butter
two types of Shredded Cheese
Bacon
Eggs (I'm almost out, and need to pick up more on Wednesday)
a couple of types of Deli Meat and Cheese (these are really the Spouse's for his lunches)
Sour Cream
Lemons
[Limes]
assorted plums and pluots, which temporarily fill the Fresh Fruit category
[several types of Mustard (not sure how that happened; I rarely use it)]
Lemon Juice
[Lime Juice]
Celery
Green Onions
Yogurt
a small supply of Pecans
[Mushrooms]
[Summer Squash]
Flour Tortillas
Bread Machine Yeast (kept unrefrigerated through Ike, may not still be good)
Freezer:
Frozen Peas
Frozen Corn
Frozen Green Beans
two 1-lb packages of Ground Beef
a 1-lb Kielbasa Sausage
[1 Ham Hock]
The things in square brackets aren't staples; they're things I picked up for a specific use. Having said that, having a ham hock in the freezer has come in handy on multiple occasions.
I know I still need:
Refrigerator:
Broccoli
a Green Leafy Vegetable in the Brassica Family (cabbage, kale, or collards)
Apples
an Orange
Parmesan Cheese
Regular Yeast
Cream Cheese
Freezer:
Chicken Breasts, bone-in and boneless
Ham Steak
Frozen Lima Beans
Frozen Fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, and/or blackberries)
Andouille Sausage
Walnuts
I probably shouldn't stock up on any more stuff, as things that I get that aren't staples tend to accumulate. I'm trying to buy fresher than I traditionally have - I used to only go grocery shopping once a week or less, and I'm trying to teach myself to pick up stuff twice a week and use it while it's still fresh. Unfortunately, this requires more planning than I usually give meals.
I'm trying to treat this as an opportunity to do better meal planning and cook at home more often, and maybe diversify our diet a little bit. But I need to have the regular stock of things that I know I have on hand. Anyone have any suggestions for things I don't have on the list that you've found helpful to have as a permanent staple?
