If you struggle to take regular trips to the grocery store, cook at home or have time to eat healthy you probably haven’t considered how important setting up your kitchen for success is. 

It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a busy person, there will always be a time when you need to throw a meal together quickly with little to no ingredients. Making sure your fridge, freezer and pantry are stocked at all times with non-perishable goods will keep you sane and keep you from downloading Uber Eats for the 8th time. 

These are the common must-haves you might want to put in the trolley next time you’re out at the shops:

These are generally the easiest to put with your veggies or protein source and are life-savers for last minute dinners. Grab yourself lentils, brown rice, whole-wheat or grain pasta, quinoa, stocks, flours, oats, nut butterm nuts. 

Why are people still undervaluing canned food? It’s outrageous how convenient, easy and healthy they can be and you should really start reaping the benefits. There are protein options for vegetarians (beans, lentils etc.) and meat eaters (tuna, salmon, chicken etc.) and you can basically create an entire meal from canned goods. 

Look for these options: tomatoes, soup, fish, veggies, beans, coconut milk.

Eggs, greek yoghurt, milk, butter, carrots, lemons, and so on. These are perishable but they are still staples! These should always be stocked up in case of emergency. 

Now this is where all the flavour is! It also helps you add a certain cuisine to your meal eg. Mexican, Indian, Asian, Italian etc. If you’re going to buy olive oil, make it extra virgin and use it sparingly. 

The herbs: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, italian herbs, chilli powder. 

The condiments: honey, vinegars, salsa, pasta sauce. 

If you buy only one of these must-have items, make it frozen food (veggies, fruit, fish, meat, bread). This is the best way to make sure you have healthy food on hand when you’re in a crunch. Most of this food is frozen right after harvest, which is the peak time for nutritional quality. So anyone telling you they aren’t good for you needs to check themselves. 

You now have all the tools and pantry staples you need to set your kitchen up for success. This type of pre-planning and forethought is what keeps you on track with your health and wellness goals!