As we all navigate uncharted times, we wanted to put together a list of items that have a long shelf-life and make it easy to put together a plethora of meals.
1. Jarred sauces: Tomato sauce, pesto or curry paste are all great staples to have in your pantry. You can add them to pastas or noodles of course, but they also work wonders in certain marinades, stews, curries, dressings and so on.
2. Pulses/Legumes: These are inexpensive, last a long time and are uber nutritious. Use them in salads, add some to sheet pan dinners, sauté them with spices or herbs for a quick side dish, or turn them into the main event in dahls, stews and so on.
3. Garlic/Onions: These make the list because they are a flavour base for so many dishes. A few cloves of garlic, or a diced onion sautéed in butter or oil is the building block of countless recipes.
4. Apples: Apples last a surprisingly long time in the fridge (up to 3 months!). They’re perfect for quick and healthy snacks, to add to salads for that sweet and salty effect, and also work well in sandwiches. And using them in desserts is obviously a no-brainer.
5. Grains: Nutritious, filling and tasty, grains are a good idea to have hand. Pick a couple for variety, like quinoa (actually a seed, but we’ll let that one slide), farro, spelt or kamut.
6. Greens: Opt for dark greens that you can easily use in both salads and warm meals like kale or Swiss chard. These greens also freeze well, so make sure to stash away any extras. To freeze them, wash and thoroughly dry your greens. Cut them in bite-size pieces and put them in a freezer-safe bag so you can pop a couple handfuls in smoothies, soups, chillies, stews, pasta bakes and so on.
7. Nuts/Seeds: Nuts and seeds are high in healthy fats. Use them to add a crunchy topping to salads, soups and dips. Nuts and seeds do tend to go rancid quickly however, so keep them in an airtight container in your freezer and they'll keep for months.
