april 2003

Stocking the Pantry for Quick Meals

We often get e-mails requesting a list of food to keep on hand for cooking for someone just diagnosed with diabetes. Cooking for someone with diabetes, whether yourself or someone else, is really just a commitment to cooking healthy on a day-to-day basis. When your pantry is properly stocked, quick meals are a snap as you only have to shop the perimeter of your store for the fresh ingredients - meat , poultry, fish or seafood; fresh fruits and vegetables; and dairy products.

Here's a no-stress shopping list for your staples.

Canned goods (reduced-sodium, low-fat)

Beans: black, cannellini, garbanzo (chick peas), kidney, navy, pinto, and white
Beef broth
Chicken broth
Vegetable broth
Evaporated skim milk
Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Tomatoes: crushed, diced, and whole
Tuna and salmon, packed in water

Beans, Legumes, Grains, Pasta, and Rice

Dried beans: black, cannellini, chick peas, navy, pinto and white, black-eyed Legumes: black-eyes peas, split peas, brown and red lentils Couscous
Instant polenta or stone-ground cornmeal
Pasta: angel hair, farfalle (bow-tie), fettuccine, lasagna, linguine, penne, Oriental rice sticks, rotelle, spaghetti, and ziti
Rice: Arborio, basmati, brown, long-grain, quick-cooking, and wild

Oils/Fats

Cooking sprays: olive, refrigerated butter-flavored, and canola
Oils: canola, olive, and dark sesame

Condiments & Miscellaneous

Artificial sweeteners
Asian chile sauce
Baking powder and baking soda
Capers
Cocoa powder
Cornstarch
Cream of tartar
Dried chiles
Dried mushrooms
Dry bread crumbs (unseasoned)
Extracts: almond, lemon, pure vanilla
Flours: all-purpose and whole-wheat
Hoisin sauce
Honey
Ketchup (low-sodium)
Light maple syrup
Molasses
Mustard: Dijon and yellow mustard
Natural peanut butter
Fat-free and reduced-fat salad dressings
Rolled oats
Salsa
Sugar and brown sugar
Sugar-free and unflavored gelatin
Sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed)
Low-sodium soy sauce
Spreadable fruit preserves
Vinegar: balsamic, red wine, and white wine
Worcestershire sauce (low-sodium)

Seasonings

Cajun blend
Chili powder
Chili seasoning mix
Cinnamon
Cloves
Crushed red pepper flakes
Ground Cumin
Curry powder
Ginger
Dried herbs: basil, bay leaves, dill weed, oregano, rosemary, sage, saffron, tarragon, and thyme
Garlic powder and garlic salt
Italian seasoning mix
Mexican seasoning mix
Paprika
Poppy seeds
Pepper
Salt and kosher salt
Taco seasoning mix (low-sodium)

For the freezer

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Egg substitute
Frozen corn kernels
Frozen unsweetened fruits and berries
Fruit juice concentrate
Frozen filo dough
Frozen puff pastry sheets
Unsalted butter

In the next coming months as we're working on a new cookbook, we'll be doing a lot of quick and easy recipes for this site. So get stocked up and you'll find you're spending very little time at the supermarket.

FTG

Diabetic-Lifestyle Cooking Tips features useful ways to cook with more flavor, using less fat, salt, and sugar. Diabetic-Lifestyle offers recipes, menus, medical updates, entertaining - practical information enhances life while managing diabetes on a daily basis. - Home