A Well Stocked Pantry... Boxed or Prepared Items

Alright, so normally I do not buy packaged foods, but on occasion I do have on hand some healthy go-to options.  Here are some of those things.

Obviously peanut butter is a staple in our house.  It would be the best to grind your own, but I don't and I don't worry about it too much.  I don't like salmon in cans, but I do keep this salmon on hand for salmon croquettes.  Bacon, I love bacon, even though it is a no-no in the "What The Bible Says About Healthy Living".  If you buy the bacon pieces that I have above, it is a better choice if you are just wanting to add a little bacon to a recipe.  They have cooked it and stripped off all of the fat, so you don't have to worry about that.  Pita bread is another staple.  This is a go-to for lunch for me with hummus or other dips like that.  You can make little pizzas out of them and lots of other things.  I usually have some sort of boxed soup on hand for those nights that I have run out of time.  I have a great recipe for butternut squash soup, but the boxed soup will work in a bind or on a night that the hubster is left to his own devices.  I also like Kashi's crackers when I need a carb-crunch snack or something to go with my salad.  These are also good with hummus.  The organic stuffing is good and you can also use it for breadcrumbs.  You can pour them into a ziploc bag and smash them or throw them into a food processor and pulse until they are a good crumb.  I also love to make bruschetta, but I like to have Trader Joe's bruschetta when I am short on fresh, good tomatoes or if I have a last minute function to go to, if I have this I can just slice up some good, crusty bread and toast it and there you have a quick appetizer.  So, there you have it a few of my favorite go-to prepared foods that I like to have on hand.