Staying on top of food shopping can be hard so cupboard staples are essential
You’ve been there before. It’s time for dinner, you open the fridge in hope that the light will shine on something delicious but alas, the fridge is empty. Now you have a baby to care for, feeding yourself is as important as ever to keep up your energy. It’s difficult to find the time to go food shopping. Not to worry, we’ve listed some of our must have cupboard essentials to whip up a meal in desperate times.
Soup
You can’t go wrong with a simple tin of soup. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner and only takes five minutes to prepare. There’s plenty of flavours to choose from, there’s tomato, oxtail, carrot and coriander and vegetable. You could also use up old vegetables from the fridge to make your own. It’s cheap and cheerful, perfect for the budget-conscious new dad.
Tinned Tomatoes
Tinned tomatoes can be under-utilised but they’re handy to have. Whether you fancy making your own soup from scratch, salsa or adding a bit of flavour to your pasta, tinned tomatoes are always useful and they are inexpensive.
Tomato Puree
This is our last tomato-based item we promise but a tablespoon or two of this will go a long way. It’s great for adding that extra bit of flavour to a bolognese or a shepherd’s pie, and is just what you need for the base of a homemade pizza.
Pasta
No kitchen cupboard is complete without pasta. It’s a life saver and it can never get boring. Whether it’s fusilli, spaghetti, ravioli or penne, just jazz it up with one of the many pasta sauces available (shop bought or home made) and you’re ready for dinner.
Rice
Another dried essential but rice can be paired with a variety of meals. It’s the perfect partner for a curry or chilli and even goes well on the side of any protein based meal.
Tuna
For those who like fish, a tin of tuna is always a great go-to. It’s got incredible nutritional value and is great for adding a little bit of extra protein to salads, pasta bakes and sandwiches.
Herbs, spices and sauces
Basics like salt, pepper, basil, coriander, garlic, chilli powder, paprika, tabasco, soy sauce and even your basic ketchup are crucial for any cupboard. These little things are the saviours of flavour. You can put them on literally anything and although it may be a long list, they come cheap and last a long time.
Flour
This may seem like an odd one but hear us out. Flour is a basic necessity used to thicken sauces or even gravy and it can be useful when you fancy trying out your baking skills.
Stock cubes
A chicken, beef or vegetarian stock cube works wonders in soups, pasta sauces or pretty much any minced meat based dishes like chilli, shepherd’s pie or bolognese.
Potatoes and onions
These veggies will last forever in your cupboard and are a great and healthy addition for a variety of meals. Whether it’s adding sautéed onions and boiled potatoes as a side to your salmon, or mashed potato and chopped onions to your shepherd’s pie.
