Healthy Foods to Have on Hand for Quick, Easy Meals

Foods to Have on Hand for Quick, Healthy Meals

Stock the following foods in your pantry so you always have the ingredients for a quick, healthy meal on hand. For example, you can quickly cook some pasta and add a pesto sauce and some pine nuts or walnuts for a basic meal. Or you can cook couscous and add chickpeas, raisins, and a curry sauce. Add fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes or zucchini to the pasta, or cauliflower and shredded carrots to the couscous, for additional health and enjoyment. 

• A variety of grains such as millet, buckwheat, oats, barley, brown rice, and quinoa
• Boxed rice, couscous, risotto 
• Dried pastas, such rotini, penne, and spaghetti
• Canned salmon, tuna, and sardines 
• Olive oil, sesame oil, canola oil, coconut oil
• Vinegars, such as balsamic and red wine vinegar
• Jarred olives, artichoke hearts, capers, sun dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers
• Black and green olives
• Canned whole, diced, crushed, and stewed tomatoes and tomato paste
• Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds 
• Almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pine nuts
• Dried herbs, particularly thyme, basil, and oregano
• Sea salt
• Tamari, salsa, and other bottled sauces, such as an apricot chipotle, pesto, curry or Asian sauce
• Canned beans, such as cannelloni, black, pinto, chickpeas, or great northern
• Cartons and cans of soup
• Cartons and cans of vegetable and chicken broth and stock 
• Canned pineapple, jarred applesauce, preserves, and jams
• Coconut and other dried fruit, such as apricots, plums, and golden raisins 
• Honey or agave