Like the Comet

As someone who has been cooking for one for about 6 years now and who generally eats pretty healthy, I feel like I’ve mastered what I need to have on hand in a pinch.

You know those days when you have scarce groceries in your fridge, but you don’t want to go grocery shopping and just don’t feel like ordering out because it’s going to be too expensive? I experience those days pretty often. After being SOL too many times to count, I finally figured out what essentials to stock in my fridge and pantry to bail me out of these situations.

Here are the five food items I make sure I have in my kitchen at all times.

FROZEN BROCCOLI

Okay, I know this isn’t the most glamorous starting point, but roll with me on this.

You can buy frozen broccoli for cheap at most grocery stores
They usually have steamable bag options, so that you don’t have to cook it over stovetop
It always tastes pretty great because the broccoli is frozen at its peak ripeness
Broccoli is an easy vegetable you can throw into most dishes

Even if broccoli isn’t your jam, any frozen bag of your favorite veggie can be a game changer when you’re scraping together a last-minute lunch or dinner.

CHICKPEAS

Also known as garbanzo beans, canned chickpeas can serve as a quick and easy protein when you don’t have anything else on hand. Not to mention:

Since they’re in a can, they’re generally pretty cheap
They don’t have too strong of a flavor, so you can really mold them into any dish
- I put them in salads, rice/veggie dishes, soups, you can even get fancy and bake them so they’re crispy, etc.
Depending on how much you use, I can usually split one can into three meals

If you’re skeptical about the chickpeas, think of it this way: buy a can, throw it in your pantry and forget about it. Then when you’re in a pickle of trying to find something to use as a protein, you’ll find the magical can of garbanzo beans smiling back at you from the back of your cupboard. :)

TUNA

Hear me out. If you’re not down for chickpea town then our tried and true friend tuna will work wonders for having protein on hand when you’re opening and closing the fridge/pantry 43,294,320 times looking for something to eat lol.

Seriously though. Must I list all the pros to this kitchen classic? Ima do it anyway:

You can buy tuna in a can OR it comes in a handy dandy pouch for on-the-go convenience
There are a variety of flavors to choose from nowadays - specifically in pouch form
It tends to be pretty affordable
Most cans and pouches won’t expire for a long time
The ways you can use tuna in a dish are endless:
- Tuna salad sandwich
- Tuna salad, but eat it with some crackers
- Throw it into a dish with some rice and a veggie ;)
- Honestly, you could even eat it alone

Need I say more? Tuna can come in clutch to make somethin’ delicious and nutritious with minimal ingredients.

JASMINE RICE

If I could create a custom candle scent, it would be jasmine rice (or the bread aisle of the grocery store lol). I looooove jasmine rice. It’s fluffy, floral, and literally the perfect base for a whole slew of dishes. Plus:

It comes in microwavable pouches that are ready in just 90 seconds
Most brands are budget friendly and won’t break your bank
Malleable with almost any flavors you want to throw at it

Even if you’re not a fan of jasmine rice specifically (not that I understand how that could be a thing), keeping some type of rice on-hand could make all the difference when you’re trying to throw a meal together.

BANZA PASTA

Okay, so this pasta is made from chickpeas (lol are you surprised?), but there are plenty of other brands available that make a similar, but slightly different product. For example, some brands make pasta with lentils as an alternative. So, if Banza isn’t your jam, there’s other options to choose from.

Anywho, let’s get down to the bennies of Banza:

It’s high in protein and fiber
Gluten free
Vegan-friendly
Easy to make
Comes in a variety of shapes (shells, penne, spaghetti, rigatoni, etc.)
Add some broccoli and olive oil to it and you’ve got a pretty great meal!

Honestly, most of us have Ramen noodles or some old pasta floating around somewhere in the back of our cupboards, so why not make it plant-based and protein rich?

Pro Tip for Banza: If the box recommends cooking it for 9-11 minutes, I only cook it for 8. If you over cook this pasta, it can start falling apart or sticking together.

That’s it y’all! Hopefully this first installment of Hale’s Kitchen was somewhat helpful. :)

YOUR TURN! Let me know in the comments below what food essentials you keep stocked in your kitchen.