The way to buy spices is one-at-a-time, usually. If you have a bit more leeway, my most used spices are cumin and chili powder. An italian blend is good, or a mrs dash, to add another genre of spice. As for nuts, you can get away with walnuts about 75% of the time for cooking.
Re vegetables, though, I'd be careful not to buy more fresh produce than you need at a week, at most. That's my biggest problem - veggies that look sooo good and then I forget to cook them. Get frozen broccoli and less tomatoes/mushrooms than you think you'll need. Frozen berries rock, too, as does, suprisingly, frozen asparagus. (You can just grab as many sticks as you want out of the package, because they're so discrete. I love them for omelettes.)
We use a ton of canned diced tomatoes. I also try to use dried beans; if you can plan one day in advance you can soak just as much as you need at a time. Also, chickpeas are freaking fantastic roasted in the oven as proteiny snacky food.
Not sure if you wanted sauce for your pasta; don't see it on the list. Can of unspiced sauce is also useful to have sometimes.
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Date: 2009-01-25 08:14 pm (UTC)Re vegetables, though, I'd be careful not to buy more fresh produce than you need at a week, at most. That's my biggest problem - veggies that look sooo good and then I forget to cook them. Get frozen broccoli and less tomatoes/mushrooms than you think you'll need. Frozen berries rock, too, as does, suprisingly, frozen asparagus. (You can just grab as many sticks as you want out of the package, because they're so discrete. I love them for omelettes.)
We use a ton of canned diced tomatoes. I also try to use dried beans; if you can plan one day in advance you can soak just as much as you need at a time. Also, chickpeas are freaking fantastic roasted in the oven as proteiny snacky food.
Not sure if you wanted sauce for your pasta; don't see it on the list. Can of unspiced sauce is also useful to have sometimes.