Money Saving Pantry Items

These items are versatile, don’t spoil easily and have nutritious qualities.

Raisins - A healthy snack or tasty mix-in for pancakes, breads, homemade granola, homemade trail mix and cereal. Raisins are also a sweet addition to salads, pastas, and rice dishes, or as a stuffing for chicken breasts or pork.

Garlic & Olive Oil – these two items go hand in hand. Almost any food that you prepare will require both these tasty ingredients.

Soups / Broth – A can of soup or broth (try using low sodium versions) can be added to fresh veggies, pasta, rice or roasted chicken and provide excellent flavor. Some soups are also used as bases for casseroles.

Pasta Sauce - A jar of pasta sauce dresses up noodles, naturally, but it can also spice up cooked veggies, jazz up chicken cacciatore-style, or cover ready-made pizza crusts or English muffins for instant pizzas.

Tuna – Beyond a sandwich, tune can also be added to noodles and veggies for a tasty pasta dish or it can be added to a bed of lettuce with olives for an excellent salad.

Oatmeal – This can be your staple for breakfast, but you can also use it when baking cookies, muffins or homemade granola.

Rice – Similar to pasta, rice is one of those versatile staples. Have rice with stir fry, in casseroles, as side dishes (think rice pilaf) or with curry.

Beans – Think black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, garbanzo beans…the list is endless! Beans are packed with protein and are great in chili, Mexican dishes, salads, homemade soup (think Minestrone), side dishes and even dips (think hummus)..

Pasta – Everyone likes pasta and these days, whole wheat pasta is readily available for a healthier option. The possibilities with pasta are endless, think spaghetti, linguine, macaroni and cheese, lasagna and stuffed shells.

Source: Yahoo! Food A Part of Shine