Cooking from scratch is honestly a passion of mine. My husband refers to our house as a “ingredient household,” but of course! Why wouldn’t we be? The ability to whip up cookies at a moments notice or throw together a simple dinner is honestly the main reason I keep a “from Scratch Made” Pantry.
What is the reason behind a “From Scratch” Pantry?
Being in control of what my family consumes and the quality of those foods, is something I don’t take lightly. Sure, we go out to eat (happily) every now and again, but the bulk of our meals and snacks I make at home, weekly. Purchasing Ultra Processed food or pre-packaged foods is something that I haven’t partaken in in several years.
The root of why we choose to cook from scratch started out from necessity. When I was in college, freshly married – I needed to feed us and I needed to do it on our slim grocery budget without our insanely busy schedule. Over the years, this has not only been a way that I have saved (a significant) amount of money, but it’s also a way I’ve kept us nourished and healthy.
Do I Meal Plan when Cooking from Scratch?
The honest answer is, No. I’ve attempted this over the years, but the closest I’ve ever gotten to keeping a consistent ‘meal plan’ is defrosting several types of meat at the beginning of the week.
By doing this, I have given myself a bit of a foundation to work with. I can use a combination of my imagination, what I have on hand and what is fresh from the garden to create a meal. For me personally, this takes away the box that creating a meal plan can become. Keeping an array of shelf stable ingredients has been such a game changer.
Below I have a list of items that I keep stocked in my pantry as well as an example meal rotation that uses these ingredients. At any given time, if my pantry is fully stocked, I can make anything that is on my meal rotation list, any baked good, or my staple snacks!
What does a week of “Made from Scratch” Meals look like?
Example Only – On Sunday I will put 2lbs of ground beef, a whole chicken, and a pound of sausage in the fridge to thaw. With these three proteins I am able to make dinners, breakfast and bone broth for other meals. The meals below are in our regular rotation and a realistic depiction of what I can pull to round out protein from my pantry. This list includes a few of my staple snacks & kitchen staples made, including sourdough break, granola, Sauerkraut, Bone Broth.
Monday
Breakfast: Sausage Patty w/ Eggs & Sourdough
Lunch: Snack Plate (Boiled Eggs, Carrots with Ranch, Cheese and Crackers, Pickles)
Dinner: Roast Chicken w/ Fat Fried Potatoes & Canned Green Beans
Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs on Sourdough & Sauerkraut
Lunch: Chicken Sandwich w/ Carrots
Dinner: Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (Made with Bone Broth) with Rolls
Wednesday
Breakfast: Sausage Gravy & Biscuits
Lunch: Left Overs
Dinner: Hamburger Sliders on Left Over Rolls
Thursday
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat with Brown Sugar and Pecans, Side of Eggs
Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Apple Slices
Dinner: Tacos with Roasted Corn
Friday
Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Maple Syrup
Lunch: Snack Plate (Boiled Eggs, Carrots with Ranch, Cheese and Crackers, Pickles)
Dinner: Homemade Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza
Saturday – This is usually a No Cook Day
Breakfast: Dutch Baby with Fruit Compote and Bacon
Lunch: Left Overs
Dinner: Freezer Meal
Sunday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Granola and Jam, Buttered Sourdough Toast
Lunch: Out with Family
Dinner: Alfredo with Garlic Rolls
Items in my “From Scratch Made” Pantry
Below is a list of items staples that I personally keep in my pantry/freezers/seasoning/dry storage and use on a regular basis!
Pantry – Dry Goods:
Organic White Rice
Organic Rolled Oats
Organic Dry Pasta
Cream of Wheat
Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour
Organic Unbleached Bread Flour
Organic Whole Wheat Flour
Yeast
Organic White Sugar
Brown Sugar (Made with Molasses and White Sugar)
Aluminum Free Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cocoa Powder
Corn Starch
Gelatin
Coffee
Sunflower Seeds
Pecans
Peanut Butter
Organic Molasses
Honey
Organic Maple Syrup
Chocolate Chips
Dried Cranberries (snack)
Dried Mangos (snack)
Hemp Hearts
Freeze Dried Fruit (snack)
Ritz Crackers
Pantry – Home Canned Items:
White Navy Beans
Pinto Beans
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Chicken Broth
Beef Broth
Strawberry Jam
Blueberry Jam
Apple Sauce
Pickles
Pantry – Canned & Misc. Items:
Wild Caught Tuna
Salmon
Pumpkin
Green Beans
Peas
Tomato Sauce
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Chilis
Whole San Marzano Tomatoes
Ketchup
Yellow Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Spicy Mustard
White Distilled Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
White Wine Vinegar
Red Wind Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
BBQ Sauce
Hot Sauce (variety)
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Spice Cabinet:
Sea Salt
Pepper
Roasted Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Paprika
Chili Powder
Cayenne Powder
Dried Basil
Dried Thyme
Dried Rosemary
Dried Oregano
Poultry Seasoning
Dried Mustard
Cumin
Cinnamon
Dill
Mustard Seed
Turmeric
Nutmeg
Clove
Italian Seasoning Blend
Greek Seasoning Blend
Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Bean Paste
Olive Oil
Avocado Oil
Chicken Boullion
Beef Bouillon
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Fresh Herbs from Garden
Fridge & Cold Storage:
Whole Milk
Cream
Half & Half
Butter – Lots of Butter
Sourdough Starter
Several Types of Cheese: Cheddar, Mattarella, Feta, etc.
Uncured Pepperoni
Pickled Banana Peppers
Pickled Beets
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese
Yogurt
Eggs (from our Chickens)
Freezer:
Pork – Bacon, Ham, Porkchops, Loin, Butts, Sausage (We Raise two Pig every other year)
Beef – Ground Beef, Sirloin, Roast (We buy in bulk at Sams or a local farmer)
Chicken – Whole, Bone in Thighs, Breast (We buy in bulk at Sams or a local farmer)
Homemade Bread – This freezes wonderfully
Freezer Meals
Homemade Pancakes & Dutch Baby’s
Frozen Peas
Frozen Corn
Frozen Strawberries
Frozen Blueberries
Frozen Hashbrowns
Frozen Mini Whole Potatoes
Frozen Shredded Carrots
Frozen Diced Onions
Frozen Chopped Celery
Garlic Cloves
Homemade Sourdough Bread Crumbs
Ice Cream (Preferable Bluebell)
Produce:
Whatever is fresh from the garden
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Apples
Carrots
Pears
Oranges
Bananas
Building your Pantry and Storage
We began buying in bulk three years ago when my husband and I bought our home. We realized after trying to keep our pantry stocked with a standard grocery store versus a bulk store (Sam’s, Costco, Azure Standard, etc.), there was no question economically.
Lastly, I do not recommend buying every pantry item at once. Most items that we keep have a long shelf life if stored properly. It has taken us years and being diligent about not purchasing items we don’t need and narrowing down the items we use on a regular basis. Grocery shopping now is no longer overwhelming and doesn’t take all day. I have my staples and we stick to what we are running low on.
Disclaimer: These are our staples for From Scratch cooking, we still buy a few fun items and convenience items time to time.
Do you have a from scratch pantry or are you an ingredient house? I’d love to hear what your staple items are!
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What a beautiful, well stocked pantry!