Pantry

Chicken Broth

Oh yes, even some broths have trans fat in them. I like the one sold at Aldi for a great price. It is low in sodium, has no msg and most important of all NO JUNK! Yay!






Grits

Oh we love our Grits in this house! We love it with a dash of salt and butter with a side of eggs. Grits is coarsely grounded corn. It is sold in a canister or convenient packets but of course the canister is the most cost effective.

Hot Chocolate

Who doesn't like a hot chocolate on a cold day? I sure do! I make hot chocolate with cocoa. I follow the recipe on the canister, it's all goodness!

Pancakes

Hmmm, pancakes are popular on those lazy Saturday mornings for my Boss and Monkey. We like the blueberry pancakes by Krusteaz. They are fluffy and flavorful. We did not find a regular pancake box we like so I make buttermilk pancakes from scratch. Yes, they are as good as they sound. Fluffy and sweet!

• Best Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high power for 30 seconds.
Stir in the buttermilk, eggs and extract until smooth.

3. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated.

4. Pour 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto a greased, heated griddle set over medium heat. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start to appear on top, after about 3 minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown.

Pancake Syrup
We had to say good bye so sad to our beloved pancake syrup. In my search for a great syrup I discovered it was going to be a maple syrup but I just couldn't pay that much for a syrup at a grocery store. Then I had the bright idea why not buy a syrup I already loved, Cracker Barrel syrup! It cost $7 for a bottle... it is high dollar but very good tasting. When we have breakfast at Cracker Barrel I shamelessly gather up our extra bottles of syrup to extend the life of my high dollar bottle of syrup. ;) We also love to have our pancakes with low fat cottage cheese. Growing up the Boss ate his pancakes with cottage cheese. I didn't believe how in the world would that taste good. Well, finally one day I did try it and it was OH, so delicious! Now when I plan to make pancakes there must be cottage cheese in the fridge, too!

It took us a long time to find a loaf of bread we all liked. We finally found our winner, Potato Bread by Oroweat. It's thinly sliced and soft. It is not dense nor heavy like so many other loaves we tried. Panera sells great bread loaves but it just took too much time to stop there for a loaf of bread and I found myself walking out with a high calorie drink which is not a good thing for me. One day I aspire to make my own bread.

Brown Gravy

I don't use brown gravy often, but it is a must have when I make salisbury steak. I like the mushroom gravy by McCormick.

Chocolate Milk

My monkey loves chocolate milk! We like Nesquik because it is lower in sugar then other brands and tastes great. This can also be used for hot chocolate. Nesquik gets a thumbs up by my Boss and Monkey.

Taco Seasoning

My fave Taco Seasoning is by Wal mart. It has the same zesty flavor as the other brand I had been using for so long.

Oatmeal

I like any of the store brand 100% instant oats. I LOVE oatmeal! So satisfying in the morning! This is how the three of us like it:

Hot Oatmeal

1 Cup of Instant Oatmeal

1 Cup of milk

1 tsp vanilla

splenda to taste

Combine all ingredients and cook in microwave for 90 seconds or follow the directions on the package. If it dries out, you can add water to make it thinner. I like to top it with blueberries, bananas or raisins. Your fave nuts taste great, too!

Oil

My fave cooking oil is extra virgin olive oil. I really like the flavor it adds to my cooking. It is the most natural then the other varieties available. It is high in antioxidants and vitamin E. It is a great alternative to the traditional cooking oil, vegetable oil.

There are different varieties of olive oil. Here is a brief explanation from http://www.healthydaily.com/

Extra virgin - considered the best, least processed, comprising the oil from the first pressing of the olives.
Virgin - from the second pressing.
Pure - undergoes some processing, such as filtering and refining.
Extra light - undergoes considerable processing and only retains a very mild olive flavour.

best priced at Aldi or Sam's Club

Next post: You may be using toxic plastic to store your food...
More food options coming, too!