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