What Are Your Kitchen Staples? - March 23, 2011

I'm procrastinating writing some book reviews for you all (I know, thousands of people are waiting for those - or maybe...no people) so instead you get this entry. I'm on a diet - and I've said it before and I'll say it again, my "diet" is that I try to watch what I eat and don't have ice cream. Oh. Ice cream. I haven't had any in a long, long time and I'm sad about that. And it hasn't really helped me so maybe I should switch tactics and go on an ice cream diet... Anyway, here's a list of what I always like to have in my fridge/freezer/pantry. Maybe you'll get some ideas or share some of your ideas with me? Note that as you should know anyway because you totally read my intro post, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I avoid artificial sweeteners and trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils as much as I possibly can.

Also, I'm going to name brand names. Nobody gave me anything to say this stuff, but hey, if you're a company and you found me by Google Alert and you want to give me free stuff/coupons, get in touch!

• Laughing Cow cheese wedges. My everyday favorites (which I use instead of cream cheese) are the Garlic&Herb and the Light Swiss. The French Onion was the gateway drug, and I still love that on crackers. And the Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle is divine when melted. I get twitchy when I'm out of these and far too excited when a sale + coupon = $1 a package. I still can't figure out why Velveeta is gross to me and these are not, but there you go.
• Arnold Sandwich Thins. I've tried several brands (including Trader Joe's house brand) and these are my favorite to the point where I'm not even swayed when another brand is on super sale. They taste the best to me, they don't break when you pull them apart, and they have a good ingredient list.
• Kale. Which sometimes goes bad in the fridge but sometimes gets made into Kale Chips or thrown into smoothies. I prefer organic but the conventional is WAY cheap.
• Frozen veggies - spinach in particular. I throw these into everything - pasta sauce is a big one. Yay sneaky veggies. For these, Trader Joe's is my favorite source. Organic and inexpensive.
• Frozen fruit - organic strawberries in particular. Same as above - great for fast smoothies.
• Almond Breeze in Unsweetened Vanilla. I learned about this from Hungry Girl and now am addicted. I stock up when it's on sale and I use it in my coffee and smoothies. I tend not to drink it straight, though, and I do still drink cowmilk all the time.
• COFFEE. K-cups and ground coffee to use in my Solofill (usually whatever's on sale).
• Vitatops in Deep Chocolate. Pricey but worth it. You can get better prices ordering online on occasion but when they go BOGO at Publix...that's the best thing ever.
• Gardein - the frozen kind, not the refrigerated kind, though those are good too. My favorite mass-market fake meat product. It tastes the best and has the best texture. I was really upset when my favorite Publix didn't have a spot for it on the shelf a few weeks ago. I hope that was a minor blip, but Kroger and Whole Foods carry it too. Seriously, noms.
• Tofu. Because...tofu. And seitan, TVP, and tempeh. I love soy (and wheat) and I don't care what you think about that.
• Tofurky slices. Hush, they're good. Also, that's a brand name, but I do tend to go for the turkey-ish version.
• Smart Dogs by Lightlife. I eat them cold with ketchup. My husband taught me that, so blame him.
• My friend's chickens' eggs. I wish everyone was as lucky as I am to have access to backyard chicken eggs. I've met the chickens that lay my eggs. That's amazing to me. My friend also is a beekeeper so she also sells me honey. YUM.
• Fresh fruits and veggies because I have to say that, but it is true.

I am sure there's something I'm forgetting, but those are the basics that I always have around. You?