My Cupboards are bare

Seriously people.. yeah yeah, I moved in 2 weeks ago.. but I'm Officially All.Moved.In.  Now it's time to get to business and get these shelves stocked.. especially since now I know I can do it right and I have Lots of space to put my stuff.. not just one cabinet to stash all the goods.  I've got one shelf of a kitchen cabinet just for spices! Yikes.. yea, I really need to work on that.... or get a spice rack or something..  but I'm working on that.

Lets talk about a well stocked Pantry because, I've actually Got a pantry.. sweet :)  My mom's mom had a pantry in her kitchen and my dad's mom's version of a pantry was shelves in her basement where she kept the canned goods that never ran out.  I've got a pantry in the kitchen.. and so far it's pretty bare with the exception of a few boxes of pasta, some tomatoes and all my cooking paraphernalia that needs to be stored away (the stand mixer, mini prep, popcorn popper, crock pot, etc.

I've been searching online for the best list for a well stocked pantry and it hasn't been easy.  Many lists are full of non essential stuff and it's a pain in the ass to go through all the lists just to weed out what I really need.. until I found this list over @ Mommy Matters and it's just right.


 The Essentials for a well-stocked pantry


Baking Powder
All-Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Sugar (granulated)
Confectioners' Sugar
Brown Sugar
Chocolate Chips
Cocoa
Cornstarch
Yeast


Dry Cereal
Oatmeal


Bread (sandwich, pita, hot dog, hamburger)
Rice
Pasta
Popcorn
Worcestershire Sauce
White vinegar
Red Wine vinegar
Vegetable Oil
Olive Oil
Maple syrup
Non-stick cooking spray


Chicken broth
Vegetable Broth
Beef Broth

Ketchup
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Nut Butter (Peanut, almond, coconut, Sunflower butter)
Jelly/Jam

Tomato sauce
Canned Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Canned Beans (Or dried if you prefer)
Canned Tuna
Salad Dressing

Basil
Bay Leaves
Cinnamon
Garlic Powder
Nutmeg
Onion powder or flakes
Oregano
Paprika
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Vanilla Extract

Coffee
Tea

Additional tips for creating your own Well-Stocked Pantry:

1 Determine what your favorite 5 family meals are and try to have those ingredients on hand at all times.

2 Look over your grocery lists for the past month. Do you see any repeating patterns? Consider those items for your own well-stocked pantry list.

3 Always arrange your pantry shelves so that the newly purchased items are in the back.

You can add and omit things as you wish.. but this is a good basic list to start with.