Not very juicy.

A look into my pantry may not be very juicy, but it might be a good starting point for someone who wants to stop eating out, or for someone that wants to be able to prepare a quality meal on a whim.

Budget fabulous for me doesn’t mean eating uninspiring food. It means cooking and preparing great food in a convenient way, so that I don’t run out to McDonalds and spend $15 merely for the sake of convenience. It means eating well at home, because that is almost always cheaper than eating out. Eating out is then reserved for special occasions or vacation. Vacations are afforded because we hardly eat out!

Being prepared is what keeps money in the pocket.

What I always have on hand:

Good quality olive oil for drizzling

Less quality olive oil for cooking

Balsamic Vinegar

Sherry Cooking wine

Cheap red and white wine for cooking

Garlic, Basil, Cilantro fresh, frozen in cubes, or paste

Jars/Cans of sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, roasted red pepper, olive tapenade, pesto, tuna fish, cannelli beans

Lipton or Knorr soup and dip mixes.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, pasta

Sour cream-it can be frozen

Frozen Pizza Dough

One quality cheese—whatever suits my fancy for the week

Now, I am no expert. I am not here to make my list "the list". I think if we each are mindful to have our own list of must-haves in the pantry, we will always be ready to whip something up instead of dialing Pizza Hut for the umpteenth time. Find out what flavors you love and find ways to make it happen last minute!

Sure, my list could consist of cheaper things like Ramen noodles, and Rice-A-Roni, but I need to be realistic. If that is what my pantry consisted of, then I would certainly be tempted to eat out a lot more. I have some pricey ingredients, but I also balance it out by buying anything generic, cheap, or on sale that I can. A few quality ingredients make up for the cheapness of everything else. When I have some quality items on hand, I can always find a way to conjur up something tasty.

Chicken can sometimes taste blah if you don’t marinate it for a little while. One fast meal, no marinatin' required: French onion soup mix + sun-dried tomatoes + sherry cooking wine + chicken = instant tasty dinner. Or try chicken + white wine + butter + artichokes + parmesan cheese, always a hit. Bake at a high temp until done. Sorry I can't be more specific, but that's what happens when I wing it.

Whenever I am at a loss for a quick meal, I can always defrost a bag of pizza dough, and top it with jarred pesto, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Try tuna mixed with canelli beans, sun-dried toms, olive oil, and pasta.