Creating a Well Stocked Kitchen
Want to eat healthy then start with a well stocked kitchen. I am often asked to provide shopping lists and menu plans. Weekly menus require planning ahead and extensive planning is what I am trying to help you avoid. 
People that try to live by planning each meal for each day of each week ahead of time generally tire of the practice and go back to whatever they were doing before.
It seems that whenever I try to plan a specific meal on a specific night, all too often something else comes up, or I’m missing a couple of key ingredients, or I end up just not feeling like cooking that dish on that night.
Simple cooking means keeping it simple. One of the most important concepts of 
simple cooking is without any significant planning and minimal stress, you will be able to create a healthy meal from ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator.
One of the keys to success is having a reasonable selection of items on hand most all of the time.
Many will find their pantry and refrigerator to be complete, while others will need some suggestions. Minimizing time to plan and shop means that only certain items need to be purchased from week to week.
My shopping list is more like a re-stocking list. Though I will occasionally
shop for a specific recipe, most of the time I cook with items that are already at home.
To help you on your shopping trip we've provided a shopping list for you to save and edit to suit your needs. Click here to download the list.
Seasonings:
Spices, herbs, oils, and vinegars are a very important part of simple cooking. These ingredients allow the addition of flavor without added salt, sugar, and fat. Different combinations can completely change the style or taste of the dish. I try to keep on hand a basic assortment on hand all of the time.
Dry spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, curry powder, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, Mexican oregano, saffron, allspice, garam masala, paprika, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper are all found in my spice rack. I also keep thyme, oregano, basal, and bay leaves in dry form when the fresh variety are not available.
Fresh herbs: I try to keep fresh herbs growing in a garden out back through the summer and sometimes struggle to keep them going into the winter. I do not claim to have a green thumb.
Herbs are basically weeds and are easy to grow in any pot or sunny corner of the yard. Also grocery stores are beginning to regularly stock fresh herbs in the fresh vegetable section. Though I keep some jars of dried herbs on hand for emergencies, they truly pale by comparison.
If forced to use dried herbs, remember to use a much smaller amount as the intensity of flavor is concentrated.
My favorite fresh herbs include: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and cilantro. Other popular fresh herbs include: lavender, dill, tarragon, fennel, and lemon grass.
Oils: There are many varieties of oils, each that add their own particular taste 
to food. Of all of them, olive oil is probably my personal favorite. Here are some that I keep in my cabinet. Oils should be minimally refined and cold pressed. Notice that corn oil is not on the list. Also, I rarely find the need to cook with
butter.
• Olive Oil
• Walnut oil
• Sesame oil
• Canola oil
• Grape seed oil (in a spray can is handy)
• Macadamia nut oil
Vinegar:
Vinegar has a way of bringing out the flavor of food and can be used in many types of dishes. Different vinegars of course have different flavors.
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• Apple cider vinegar – an all purpose vinegar
• Rice vinegar – a light vinegar for light cooking. Often used in Oriental dishes.
• Malt vinegar – a tasty vinegar great for seafood and potato dishes
•• Balsamic vinegar – a hearty robust vinegar made from red wine. Excellent for Italian dishes.
In the refrigerator:
My refrigerator always contains an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables; which vary
Other staples include organic milk, soy milk, several varieties of
Several jars of fruit and berry jams are a necessity. I also generally keep whole grain pancake mix in the refrigerator instead of the pantry. Fresh seafood
For cooking I keep on hand: low sodium soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce,
There are various other bottled sauces that I keep around to make life easier, but lately, I seem to
be making my own more often.
Salad dressings and mayonnaise are now readily available with unrefined oil and better quality
ingredients, but those that you make yourself are probably tastier and healthier. Making salad
Yogurt is a great snack food, but is also a healthy way to make a dish creamy. I generally keep a large container of organic unsweetened plain yogurt for use in both purposes. To use as a snack, I mix in fresh fruit and nuts, and sweeten with either Stevia or fruit jam. Greek yogurt has an excellent flavor for cooking, but is very high in fat.
Hummus is another dual purpose item I keep around. Hummus is tasty dip for vegetables and crackers, an alternative for mayonnaise to spread on your sandwich, and thickener for use in cooking. Though readily found in grocery stores, I often make my own from garbanzo bean flour, tahini (sesame paste), and other fresh ingredients. It really has a better flavor than anything I have found in the grocery. Garbanzo bean flour is a healthy alternative to corn starch or white flour for use as a thickener.
In the freezer:
Other than ice and occasionally ice cream, the primary staples found in my freezer are nuts. My nut supply includes almonds, walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and hazel nuts; all ordered from a fresh source and kept in tight containers where they will not spoil or become freezer burned.
Usually there will also be a piece of fresh frozen wild red salmon from Alaska (often available for an amazingly
Sometimes there will be frozen shrimp (which freeze very well if covered in water), but living here
In the pantry:
I always keep certain items in the pantry and replace them whenever they are
A couple of
I usually keep several kinds of canned