Some of the staples I always like to have at home
Meal planing and preparation can be difficult and time consuming and so it is always great to have some staples in the house in case of emergencies for those days when you just can't make it to the shops or when you man down with flu in the winter season. Here are some of my favourite foods that I always try have in the house so I can at least make a meal without being tempted to have an unhealthy snack or order in take-away:
1. Eggs
My go to for everything as they are so versatile and can be served at any meal. One of my favourite is a crust-less quiche for Sunday lunch or avocado on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. The options are endless: crust-less quiche, fritatta, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, boiled eggs, egg muffins, omelette, French toast ( we have this for breakfast every Wednesday in our house) and Spanish tortilla.
2. Sweet potato
Why have a normal potato when you can have sweet potato which is my opinion tastes so much better. I always have these in my house as they are easy to cook: I generally steam them in the microwave or roast them in the oven. You can use them to make sweet potato mash, cottage pie, roasted vegetables or even a baked sweet potato.
3. Oats
My standard breakfast: I prefer overnight oats to cooked oats but either way they are great to have in the house as a breakfast option so you never have to skip breakfast. I also use oats a lot in my baking and snack preparation. They are great to use in muffins, bars and I use them to make date balls which my husband loves.
4. Cheese
I usually have mozzarella in my house at all times but mainly because slices of cheese are a nice snack to give to my daughter. Cheese is also a versatile food item to have in the house. For lunch there is always the option of a cheese and salad sandwich or a baked sweet potato with tuna and cheese. I like to add it to wraps that I make especially my Mexican chilli wraps which is just vegetables mainly .You can use it to make a cheese sauce for pasta which I do for my daughter as my hubby and I aren't big cheese sauce lovers.
5. Canned tomatoes
These are a must for any household as they serve as a great base for any meal. I often fry up some onion , add a tin of canned tomatoes with spices and herbs and then add my protein of choice for Mexican wraps . You can also make your own tomato based sauce using these to use with a pasta dish or a Mediterranean chicken style dish. Or even soup.
6. Avocado
This has to be my favourite food of all time. I am not sure if its down to texture or taste but I just feel it makes everything better. I like to recommend avocado on toast as a breakfast option. It is also nice to make guacamole as a snack option to have with pita chips , vegetables or crackers. I use it a lot in salads and wraps to add variety . It can also be used to make a salsa type salad which is nice accompaniment to a fish recipe.
7. Quinoa/cous cous
Each of these are a great staple to have in the house to act as a base or accompaniment for your meal. You can roast some vegetables and add these to cooked cous cous with feta and serve with baked fish or roasted chicken fillets. The great thing about these two grains is how quick they are to cook. For cous cous I usually just add some previously boiled water to a bowl and add the cous cous and cover and leave for stand for a couple of minutes and it cooks itself. Quinoa I cook on the stove in a 1:3 ratio of grain to water and it takes a couple of minutes to cook and then you can add anything you want.
8. Tuna
I am aiming to become a pescatarian and so I only eat fish as my “meat source” at the moment For those non vegetarians out there I can suggest having some chicken fillets in your freezer as well. I add canned tuna to salads, pasta or sandwiches. One my favourite go to meals is fish cakes made with sweet potato. A tuna pasta bake is a nice option for a family meal or meal for your toddlers.
9. Chickpeas
I always have two to three cans of chickpeas in my house as they are great to bulk up or add protein to any dish like curries or stews or even salads. I love adding roasted chickpeas to salads to spice them up and roasted chickpeas make a great snack as well. You can use them to make falafel or vegetarian burger patties. Some of my favourite include butternut and chickpea curry, Moroccan chickpea soup, roasted chickpea salad and of course home made hummus.
10. Popcorn
My ultimate snack. Temptation is a real thing and if we have foods which aren't the unhealthiest choice for us in the house we can always be tempted to eat them. I always try have popcorn in the house as it is an easy go to snack and if you don't overdo the portion size it is considered a healthier snack. By popcorn I am referring to the popcorn kernels you make yourself on the stove and not the ready made popcorn like jumping jack.