When stocking your pantry for quarantine at home, consider stretching your dollars and maintaining good health by purchasing foods your family will enjoy.
In the Pantry
Breakfast & Cereals
- Cereal (consider whole grain varieties)
- Oatmeal
- Pancake mix
Canned, Jarred, & Pouched Foods
- Fruits and vegetables (choose options without added sugar or salt)
- Meat, poultry, & seafood (fish, chicken, or other meats)
- Beans (pinto, black, garbanzo, kidney,)
- Soups (look for lower sodium varieties)
- Nut butter (peanut, almond)
- Dried fruit
- Sauces (tomato, spaghetti, pizza)
- Salsa
- Broth or stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
Grains, Pasta & Sides
- Bread (consider whole grain varieties)
- Tortillas or taco shells
- Pasta (consider whole grain varieties)
- Rice (include some whole grain rice, such as brown rice)
- Oats (old fashioned or rolled, quick, or steel cut)
- Lentils (any color variety)
- Pearled Barley (great when making soup)
Produce
- Onions
- Potatoes
Snacks
- Crackers (consider whole grain varieties)
- Popcorn
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)
Baking & Cooking Supplies
- Instant nonfat dry milk
- Flour (consider whole grain)
- Sugar (white granulated, brown)
- Seasonings & spices (salt, black pepper, garlic, minced onion)
- Oil for cooking (such as olive, canola, vegetable)
- Vinegar
Condiments & Salad Dressings
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayonnaise (choose a lower fat option)
- Salad dressing
In the Refrigerator
- Milk (fat-free or low-fat)
- Cheese (block, shredded, sliced, or string and consider lower fat options)
- Yogurt (fat-free or low-fat and choose options with fewer or no added sugars)
- Eggs
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Butter or margarine
In the Freezer
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Meat & seafood (chicken breast, ground beef/turkey, pork loin chops, salmon, shrimp)
- 100% fruit juice concentrate
- Waffles (consider whole grain varieties)
- Breads (consider whole grain varieties)
Based on University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension’s Basic Foods Checklist: How to Stock Your Kitchen for Simple Meals