Meal Planning by Keeping a Well Stocked Kitchen

Meal Planning with Ready Supply for Meal Flexibility

Keeping a well stocked pantry means meal planning is easy. You’ll find that when you maintain a supply of foods you’ll discover that you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll have what you need to get dinner on the table.

I love to cook, I love that I can express how I’m feeling through food the food I provide for my family. I love providing satisfying meals but I don’t like being held to a pre-formulated plan.I mean what if the plan says meatloaf, but I’m just not feeling like making a meatloaf?

That is why I plan each day what I will make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes, I may plan the day ahead. But, generally, I do not follow a set meal plan. 

Having the supplies that I need allows me to have the flexibility to cook whatever comes to mind. That does mean though, I have to be flexible and be willing to use only what is on hand.

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Learning to Make the Most from Kitchen Supplies When Meal Planning

Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at stretching a pantry to it’s maximum potential. I learned from my mom how to stretch a pantry.

She says “Even if I only had a little flour, oil and water, I could make a meal.”

You see she learned very early in life how to make gravy and biscuits. She prefers milk for her biscuits to water, but if she had to she could make gravy and biscuits from reserved bacon grease, flour and water.

Now, that’s stretching a pantry as far as possible.

I want to share with you my basic supply list for keeping a well stocked kitchen which includes the pantry, fridge and freezer. I believe that if you have a kitchen that is well supplied with basics, then having a weekly or monthly meal plan is unnecessary.

You know some of the top chefs in the country plan their menus based on what is available.

Stock the Kitchen Basics for Easy Meal Planning

There are basics in every kitchen. Salt and pepper are a must, as is some type of sweetener, and flour. Even low-carb kitchens utilize oat, coconut, and almond flours. 

Having the basics in your pantry means you can make a meal quick and easy. Keeping these supplies also means you don’t have to buy prepackaged meals because you have the needed items on hand.

With a little prep most prepackaged meals can be made from scratch.

Each person needs to tailor their pantry to reflect what their family eats, that being said, to save at the grocery store, consider whether you can learn to make certain convenience items from scratch.

Subscribe to my newsletter to download my free printable list of the items that I like to keep on hand.

As you can see I try to keep a ready supply on hand. When my cabinets and cold storage options are full I could if needed feed my family for about 2 months.

I prefer to shop about every six weeks to replenish perishables and buy sale items to stock up on items I’ve used.

I even freeze a lot of perishable, dairy especially. This freezing tips post will give you some more ideas for what you can freeze.

I have been asked before if I’m a food hoarder. This makes me laugh. No, I believe in using all the food you buy. Can my kitchen look full? 

This post is a part of the iHomeschool Network Autumn Hopscotch.