My zero-waste lifestyle pantry stock-up may look different from your journey. The basics of what your family will eat should guide your pantry. The needs and tastes of your family for a period of 6 to 18 months.

Grab a calendar and write what your family eats over 4 weeks and create a shopping list for those meals. I make most of my pasta, bread, and stuffing mixes. I can and freeze our garden harvest. The purchases we make are whole foods in their natural form, with the exception of frozen and dried foods.

For those who are new to meal planning and pantry stocking, I will take you through it. There are generally 30 days in a month, there will be 30 breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks to plan for. Consider the pantry, fridge, and freezer as one pantry. The garden is also part of the pantry for our family from spring to fall.

As I have written many times that our family is zero waste. We purchase bulk items, can produce and dehydrate the garden herbs. Start your family where your family is on the journey. No judgments, if you are buying Little Debbies. I get it, your family may need 6 boxes of brownies or star crunchies.

Note the size of your family's appetites when planning your meals. One pound of pasta goes a lot further in my household because I serve it full of beans, lentils, and vegetables. I serve a ton of salads as well. I double batch a lot of my casseroles and soups for planned leftovers. There are many meals that can be made from dry goods in your pantry. You can add fresh ingredients to these staples to elevate your meals.

corn chowder

clam chowder

pasta salads

tuna casserole

chili

spaghetti sauce

Pasta sauces from pumpkin, and other vegetables

french onion soup

vegetable soup

quiche

hummus with roasted vegetable platter as lunch or side dish

cream of broccoli soup

frittata

chickpea flatbread filled with olives, roasted veggies

Pasta bakes

Lentil loaf with mashed potatoes

lentil "meatball" subs

Lentil and rice casseroles with tomatoes, basil, and roasted vegetables

breakfast sandwiches

Bean dishes

Hamburger helper type meals from noodles, rice, and sauce you make yourself

Look at the dry good pantry as the building block of your food budget. The cook that adds simple ingredients from the pantry, adds fresh vegetables and dairy can have a meal on the table in minutes.

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