I Want to Cook...But, Where Do I Begin: Part 2 -- The Food

You can't cook without food. And, in order to have some variety in your life, you need a variety of staples around your kitchen. But, don't worry, you don't need as much as you think. Here are the staples I keep in my kitchen so I can always cook my go-to favorites and also switch it up now and again!

Produce:
- Lettuce (iceburg, romaine, and/or spring mix)
- Peppers (green, red, orange, and/or yellow)
- Red Onions
- Yellow Onions
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Potatoes
- Garlic

- Bananas

- Apples

- Berries (raspberries, blueberries, and/or strawberries)

• Having all of these allows me to whip up a quick garden salad, roasted or baked potatoes, and ensures that I always have healthy veggies such as carrots or peppers to dip in hummus or ranch. 
• All of these fruits make great, quick snacks and are perfect for topping yogurt in the morning with some delicious granola.

Meat/Proteins:

- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- Boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

- Ground turkey

- Ground beef

- Bacon 

- Some sort of been (steaks, ground beef, stew meat)

- Italian sausage

- Eggs

• These are pretty basic, simple cuts of meat and allow me to make a variety of different types of meals. 

Boxed/Bagged/Canned Items:

- Pasta

- Pasta sauce

- Baked Beans

- Rice

- Rice-a-roni

- Egg noodles

- A variety of Asian sauces (teriyaki, stir fry, kung pao, etc.)

• Can we say starches? :) These are quick and easy. Not all are super healthy, but I grew up in the midwest as a meat and potatoes kind of girl. Every meal needs to have a meat, a starch, and a veggie/salad. 

Frozen Foods (beside my frozen meats):

- Veggies (corn, broccoli, green beans, stir fry mixed veggies)

- Bread (I always keep some sort of bread or bun on hand so that I can quickly defrost to make homemade garlic bread or have buns handy for hotdogs, burgers, or brats)

Spice/Oils/Vinegars/Misc.:

- Garlic powder

- Garlic salt

- Season salt

- Onion powder

- Cumin

- Ground chili powder

- Cayenne pepper

- Salt

- Pepper

- Italian seasoning

- Dried basil

- Oregano

- Dried parsley

- Garlic salt

- Sage

- Celery salt

- Spice blends (to season meats or dips)

- Vegetable oil (for pan frying or baking)

- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO, as I like to call it) [for cooking/marinating]

- Balsamic vinegar

- Apple cider vinegar

- Ketchup

- Mustards (yellow, dijon, brown - for eating & marinating)

- Milk

• There are many more I have, but these are my most basic and most used.