The Basic Guide To Eating Good
Having a handful of go-to ingredients to draw upon is always a good idea, for one it makes going to the grocery store straight forward and pain free but also it allows one to avoid the center isle where the temptation to eat unhealthy food is ever present.
This isn't a definitive list, as there are always ingredients outside of the list that can be used once in a while. But to Eat Good it covers just about 95%.
There is very little you can't do with these ingredients in the kitchen on rotation.
This isn't a definitive list, as there are always ingredients outside of the list that can be used once in a while. But to Eat Good it covers just about 95%.
There is very little you can't do with these ingredients in the kitchen on rotation.
Seasonings
This is the most important component for flavoring, I can't stress this enough. Unless you are getting an abundance of produce picked at the peak of the season to complement your meals (which is arguably not cheap) then what you stock in the pantry makes a huge difference.
All Seasoning- I use the cheap stuff, it tastes good and lasts a long time. I use a ubiquitously (in US grocery stores) popular brand, it has a red bottle-cap. Any kind will do but don't confuse it with all-spice.
Broth- Useful in so many recipes, its almost essential. Get what you like...if you are vegetarian, choose vegetable stock. If not you can choose chicken, beef, pork, even turkey. Bullion, in a can or even that cheap powdery stuff that seems like ramen packet in bulk, it's really up to you. In a lot of recipes, broth can simply be made using bones or vegetables but in a pinch or when you don't want to wait for hours to make a soup or flavor up some side dish this will come in handy.
I personally use the powdery stuff and while there may be some fear about MSG in it, it's easy to avoid if you want to spend a little extra.
I personally use the powdery stuff and while there may be some fear about MSG in it, it's easy to avoid if you want to spend a little extra.
Salt
Pepper
Obviously
Chili Powder
Cumin
Whenever I make things that are Mexican-like, these are almost certainly in the mix.
Five Spice-Probably not used as frequently but it pops up in Asian inspired meals.
Sauces
Sometimes a recipe will live or die by the quality of the sauce used. Sometimes it just adds a little extra-something. Either way, you should have a few of these on hand.
Hot Sauce- I'm paraphrasing a popular vegan cookbook when it says ideally you should have three good hot sauces. one Asian type (think sriracha), one American ( personally I am 100% loyal to buffalo sauce) and one Mexican hot sauce.
Marinara/Pasta Sauce- Have some cans on hand, there are cheap foods that are Italian inspired.
Yogurt/Mayonnaise/Something creamy- These will really come in handy when making something that needs a creaminess to balance out savory/umami dishes.
Soy Sauce- Essential for Asian dishes.
Five Spice-Probably not used as frequently but it pops up in Asian inspired meals.
Sauces
Sometimes a recipe will live or die by the quality of the sauce used. Sometimes it just adds a little extra-something. Either way, you should have a few of these on hand.
Hot Sauce- I'm paraphrasing a popular vegan cookbook when it says ideally you should have three good hot sauces. one Asian type (think sriracha), one American ( personally I am 100% loyal to buffalo sauce) and one Mexican hot sauce.
Marinara/Pasta Sauce- Have some cans on hand, there are cheap foods that are Italian inspired.
Yogurt/Mayonnaise/Something creamy- These will really come in handy when making something that needs a creaminess to balance out savory/umami dishes.
Soy Sauce- Essential for Asian dishes.
Veggies
You will find that many of these tend to be preserved or frozen. There's a reason for that, how often will you go to the grocery store, stock up on all kinds of greens like spinach, kale, spring mix and cilantro just to have it wilt and stink up the fridge? That's not being eaten, and also wasted food is wasted money. Its best to try and minimize waste whenever possible.
You will find that many of these tend to be preserved or frozen. There's a reason for that, how often will you go to the grocery store, stock up on all kinds of greens like spinach, kale, spring mix and cilantro just to have it wilt and stink up the fridge? That's not being eaten, and also wasted food is wasted money. Its best to try and minimize waste whenever possible.
Minced garlic-I use minced garlic frequently, its so much more convenient than chopping up garlic bulbs to just throw into a recipe and fairly inexpensive.
Cabbage- Not only is cabbage robust and stores well, but it adds a really good filler in a lot of meals. Slaw for tacos and sandwiches, thrown into a stir fry, cooked with sausages...its worth having in the fridge.
Ginger-Most recipes like stir-fries contain ginger, its the difference between a stir-fry that is just okay and a stir fry that is downright delicious.
Onions- I like to stock up on white and red onions, red onions to eat raw and white onions for cooking. Once again cheap and delicious!
Jalapenos (and other pickled peppers)- Its still vegetation right? not technically a vegetable? whatever i'm counting it as such. I like to get jars of jalapenos and pepperoncini.
Carrots- More colorful things.
Cucumber(or pickles)- If your making Mediterranean food, (what I like to call random things I put on a Pita) cucumbers are a key component. At the very least pickles can be subbed, last a while, and be good in all kinds of sandwiches.
Frozen Brocolli/Cauliflower/Spinach- I go for frozen cruciferous veg whenever possible, for one they are usually picked at the peak of freshness and then frozen...preserving a lot of nutrients but also because you don't have to worry about it going bad. Sometimes they are cheaper then fresh too which is kind of a thing here.
Limes/Lemons- In season limes can be as cheap as 10 cents per, whether its lemon or lime it is good to have something acidic on hand.
Carbs(grains and the like)
Rice- Those that eat this stuff regularly know that not all rice is the same, calrose is probably not ideal mixed with beans. Likewise you can't really make sushi with jasmine or basmati. Choosing based on your food preferences will go a long way.
Or buy more than one type. Its cheap and lasts a long time.
This is a simple cheat sheet
Calrose- Good with Japanese-type recipes like sushi.
Jasmine- Slightly floral and good all around side-dish rice
long grain- Good mixed with stuff
Potatoes- Cheap and filling! I like to buy a big bag of russets but sweet potatoes are nice too, and contain a huge amount of vitamin a.
Beans/Lentils- Mixed with rice its a staple food all over the world. It's also really cheap and filling. Whether its pinto, black red or chickpeas its good to have some on hand. Canned beans are a little more expensive but not by much.
Much of the advantage of starting with dry beans is that they absorb flavors that are added like a sponge while cooking.
Instant Ramen- Of course this makes the list, it's cheap af and with some basic tweaking can make for some satisfying noodle dishes.
Bread- You ever go to the supermarket and realize that major brands are like 4 to 5 dollars for a loaf of airy sadness? That is why I don't eat those. However, venture deeper and look around the bakery where there are often regional and ethnic variations and that's where the good stuff lies. Where I am for example, Bollilo's and Telera's, both of which are Mexican sandwich breads can be had for around 3-4 dollars a dozen or as cheap as .25 cents a loaf and it makes for a substantial sandwich. Its all about shopping around and getting familiar with your region, I'm sure its a staple bread for this area but not so much if you live on the opposite side of the country.
Flatbreads
Pita is good too as it is relatively cheap but quite versatile for makeshift pizzas, gyros, wraps falafels etc.
Tortillas are two to three dollars for 10 or more and wind up in meals more often than most other forms of bread.
Meat and other protein sources
It is conventional wisdom that meat is expensive. It takes a lot more vegetable feed to raise animals than it would be to eat the vegetables. With that being said, you can still Eat Good while saving money and still have meat in your meals.
Chicken, and more chicken, with some chicken after you ate chicken
Bone-in its like a dollar-per-pound while boneless breasts are around two dollars-per-pound if you shop around, so that's pretty obvious. Chicken is not only cheap but also quite versatile in soups, sandwiches, stir fries, etc...
The key to not getting tired is in preparing it differently than previous meals.
Eggs- Cheap, versatile and a morning staple. But with some prowess you can find recipes that go well beyond breakfast.
Canned Tuna- On its own it doesn't have the best flavor to be sure. But its around a 75 cents to a dollar-per-can and that nets you with around 26 grams of protein or more. With some spices, canned tuna can be a high quality protein component to a meal. Also it has omega 3 fats which I was once told was a good thing, so its probably good to eat good things.
Pork- If you shop around, you can find pork for nearly the same cost as chicken...its pretty hard to find though for those prices. Things made with pork like bacon or chorizo are often made in my recipes.
a note on meatless proteins
Some of the protein sources that vegetarians/vegans swear by as key staple ingredients are beans and lentils, which were briefly covered. Mixing beans and rice or beans with other grains gives one a complete source of protein while being Extremely Inexpensive. Here are some more options.
Tofu- Fry it in a pan with five spice or soy sauce, its delicious. Tofu is a bean but typically people don't eat soybeans straight like other lentils.
Tempeh- A different preparation of soy than tofu, tempeh is really high in protein and I had it in a vegan "blt" once. That sandwich was delicious and I did not care that it wasn't bacon. Its probably cheap but it is hard to find in a standard grocery store, maybe asian supermarkets have it in abundance though?
Seitan- Wheat gluten with a meaty texture and high protein count. Like tempeh, I haven't really seen it in a conventional grocery store but specialty markets might have it.
Other
These are things not in the other categories, but it is important to have on hand.
Olive Oil- Get some olive oil for standard cooking, it adds a certain flavor though and some recipes require a more neutral cooking oil so its good to have an oil such as...
Canola/Peanut/soy/whatever-Neutral oil you can find, it's inexpensive...probably the most inexpensive oil you can find in the grocery store for cooking. You might have also heard its unhealthy to eat and not good to consume. That is up to you.
Butter
Cheese- Can be pricey all things considered, use it like a condiment.
Peanut Butter- Cheap, nutrient dense, filling, of course PB makes the list! I could probably delete the whole list and you can just live indefinitely on PB&J. Some people surely have tested it.
Balsamic Vinegar- This is a very personal preference, and only used for one thing but it does it incredibly well-Marinade for chicken.
Considerations
These are not ingredients but guidelines.
Shop around- Yeah it has been said plenty of times by other sources but it is critical to go to different stores. This is why every budget oriented advice repeats it. You could eat the cheapest foods on this list but if your getting them exclusively from an expensive health food store (the kind with comically small shopping carts) your still going to be rewarded with a - on your account statement.
My advice...warehouses and large grocery stores.
At first you don't succeed- Maybe you overcooked some chicken and stabbed it repeatedly for doneness while all the juices flowed out and now it taste like muted dirt with the consistency of carpet fiber from a vacuum cleaner bag. Or maybe you turned some rice into a porridge-like mushy goo. Heck, even if everything works out good but you just flat out don't like the recipe...that is okay, mistakes are important learning opportunities. I have had my fair share of these and these recipes are inexpensive enough to where you can probably afford to make mistakes and you can probably afford to figure out what you like.
at the very least it will be cheaper than indulging in ordering from the drive through for the fourth time this week. (Might be speaking from experience)
That about covers the basic guide, treat it more like a template rather than a be-all-end-all list of everything you should go out right now and stock up on.
Cabbage- Not only is cabbage robust and stores well, but it adds a really good filler in a lot of meals. Slaw for tacos and sandwiches, thrown into a stir fry, cooked with sausages...its worth having in the fridge.
Ginger-Most recipes like stir-fries contain ginger, its the difference between a stir-fry that is just okay and a stir fry that is downright delicious.
Onions- I like to stock up on white and red onions, red onions to eat raw and white onions for cooking. Once again cheap and delicious!
Jalapenos (and other pickled peppers)- Its still vegetation right? not technically a vegetable? whatever i'm counting it as such. I like to get jars of jalapenos and pepperoncini.
Carrots- More colorful things.
Cucumber(or pickles)- If your making Mediterranean food, (what I like to call random things I put on a Pita) cucumbers are a key component. At the very least pickles can be subbed, last a while, and be good in all kinds of sandwiches.
Frozen Brocolli/Cauliflower/Spinach- I go for frozen cruciferous veg whenever possible, for one they are usually picked at the peak of freshness and then frozen...preserving a lot of nutrients but also because you don't have to worry about it going bad. Sometimes they are cheaper then fresh too which is kind of a thing here.
Limes/Lemons- In season limes can be as cheap as 10 cents per, whether its lemon or lime it is good to have something acidic on hand.
Carbs(grains and the like)
Rice- Those that eat this stuff regularly know that not all rice is the same, calrose is probably not ideal mixed with beans. Likewise you can't really make sushi with jasmine or basmati. Choosing based on your food preferences will go a long way.
Or buy more than one type. Its cheap and lasts a long time.
This is a simple cheat sheet
Calrose- Good with Japanese-type recipes like sushi.
Jasmine- Slightly floral and good all around side-dish rice
long grain- Good mixed with stuff
Potatoes- Cheap and filling! I like to buy a big bag of russets but sweet potatoes are nice too, and contain a huge amount of vitamin a.
Beans/Lentils- Mixed with rice its a staple food all over the world. It's also really cheap and filling. Whether its pinto, black red or chickpeas its good to have some on hand. Canned beans are a little more expensive but not by much.
Much of the advantage of starting with dry beans is that they absorb flavors that are added like a sponge while cooking.
Instant Ramen- Of course this makes the list, it's cheap af and with some basic tweaking can make for some satisfying noodle dishes.
Bread- You ever go to the supermarket and realize that major brands are like 4 to 5 dollars for a loaf of airy sadness? That is why I don't eat those. However, venture deeper and look around the bakery where there are often regional and ethnic variations and that's where the good stuff lies. Where I am for example, Bollilo's and Telera's, both of which are Mexican sandwich breads can be had for around 3-4 dollars a dozen or as cheap as .25 cents a loaf and it makes for a substantial sandwich. Its all about shopping around and getting familiar with your region, I'm sure its a staple bread for this area but not so much if you live on the opposite side of the country.
Flatbreads
Pita is good too as it is relatively cheap but quite versatile for makeshift pizzas, gyros, wraps falafels etc.
Tortillas are two to three dollars for 10 or more and wind up in meals more often than most other forms of bread.
Meat and other protein sources
It is conventional wisdom that meat is expensive. It takes a lot more vegetable feed to raise animals than it would be to eat the vegetables. With that being said, you can still Eat Good while saving money and still have meat in your meals.
Chicken, and more chicken, with some chicken after you ate chicken
Bone-in its like a dollar-per-pound while boneless breasts are around two dollars-per-pound if you shop around, so that's pretty obvious. Chicken is not only cheap but also quite versatile in soups, sandwiches, stir fries, etc...
The key to not getting tired is in preparing it differently than previous meals.
Eggs- Cheap, versatile and a morning staple. But with some prowess you can find recipes that go well beyond breakfast.
Canned Tuna- On its own it doesn't have the best flavor to be sure. But its around a 75 cents to a dollar-per-can and that nets you with around 26 grams of protein or more. With some spices, canned tuna can be a high quality protein component to a meal. Also it has omega 3 fats which I was once told was a good thing, so its probably good to eat good things.
Pork- If you shop around, you can find pork for nearly the same cost as chicken...its pretty hard to find though for those prices. Things made with pork like bacon or chorizo are often made in my recipes.
a note on meatless proteins
Some of the protein sources that vegetarians/vegans swear by as key staple ingredients are beans and lentils, which were briefly covered. Mixing beans and rice or beans with other grains gives one a complete source of protein while being Extremely Inexpensive. Here are some more options.
Tofu- Fry it in a pan with five spice or soy sauce, its delicious. Tofu is a bean but typically people don't eat soybeans straight like other lentils.
Tempeh- A different preparation of soy than tofu, tempeh is really high in protein and I had it in a vegan "blt" once. That sandwich was delicious and I did not care that it wasn't bacon. Its probably cheap but it is hard to find in a standard grocery store, maybe asian supermarkets have it in abundance though?
Seitan- Wheat gluten with a meaty texture and high protein count. Like tempeh, I haven't really seen it in a conventional grocery store but specialty markets might have it.
Other
These are things not in the other categories, but it is important to have on hand.
Olive Oil- Get some olive oil for standard cooking, it adds a certain flavor though and some recipes require a more neutral cooking oil so its good to have an oil such as...
Canola/Peanut/soy/whatever-Neutral oil you can find, it's inexpensive...probably the most inexpensive oil you can find in the grocery store for cooking. You might have also heard its unhealthy to eat and not good to consume. That is up to you.
Butter
Cheese- Can be pricey all things considered, use it like a condiment.
Peanut Butter- Cheap, nutrient dense, filling, of course PB makes the list! I could probably delete the whole list and you can just live indefinitely on PB&J. Some people surely have tested it.
Balsamic Vinegar- This is a very personal preference, and only used for one thing but it does it incredibly well-Marinade for chicken.
Considerations
These are not ingredients but guidelines.
Shop around- Yeah it has been said plenty of times by other sources but it is critical to go to different stores. This is why every budget oriented advice repeats it. You could eat the cheapest foods on this list but if your getting them exclusively from an expensive health food store (the kind with comically small shopping carts) your still going to be rewarded with a - on your account statement.
My advice...warehouses and large grocery stores.
At first you don't succeed- Maybe you overcooked some chicken and stabbed it repeatedly for doneness while all the juices flowed out and now it taste like muted dirt with the consistency of carpet fiber from a vacuum cleaner bag. Or maybe you turned some rice into a porridge-like mushy goo. Heck, even if everything works out good but you just flat out don't like the recipe...that is okay, mistakes are important learning opportunities. I have had my fair share of these and these recipes are inexpensive enough to where you can probably afford to make mistakes and you can probably afford to figure out what you like.
at the very least it will be cheaper than indulging in ordering from the drive through for the fourth time this week. (Might be speaking from experience)
That about covers the basic guide, treat it more like a template rather than a be-all-end-all list of everything you should go out right now and stock up on.
