As a home chef and working mom, I am always looking for hacks to make shopping and cooking easier while sourcing clean and delicious ingredients. I recently sat down with Kate Lecroix, PR powerhouse and founder of She is Stocked, a non-profit organization that helps women save money on their grocery bill and invest the savings.
What are things you consider pantry essentials?
My top 10:
Grains
Legumes
Canned Tomatoes
Coconut milk
Spices
Oils
Flours
Nuts
Vinegars
Baking products
How do you like to shop? Large amounts/seasonal/local? And do you have storage/shelf life suggestions?
I recently discovered a way to shop seasonal produce and local meats through local company, Pinemelon. I also buy shelf-stable items in bulk online or with local weekly sales.
I think your work really helps people become functional cooks on a budget. What is your advice for frugal shopping and satisfying culinary results?
As I review my tips and tricks that got you to save $100 per family member per month, I have a handful that stand out, and these are my top five:
- Meat does not belong at every meal or in abundance at all. The best thing about social media is the proliferation of free vegetable recipes for every ingredient under the sun. Adding a grain or doubling up in vegetables makes meat take a back seat.
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You can really make a pesto out of nearly anything. Carrot tops, lemon peels, kale…it’s all right there waiting to be blended with garlic, nuts, and cheese. Do not spend money on fancy pestos.
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Learn to love beans. They can get you and your family through a week of meals without feeling like you are just eating beans.
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Speaking of stock, make all the stock you can. Chicken, beef, parmesan, and vegetable stock are all so easy. Take the time to do this so you have plenty on hand to deepen the flavor of simple dishes.
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Grow some herbs. Right now I have basil and chives in my windowsill. And though winter has just begun, I know tending to these plants will save me a bundle and really round out my simpler meals.
Satisfying culinary results don’t have to be expensive. America’s current kitchen sweetheart, Alison Roman, has a pasta that uses tomato paste and shallot. It’s about high flavor without the high price tag. I love to use orzo (cool in the summer) as a blank canvas and mix in roast vegetables or ricotta. Think salt, fat, acid…as the great Samin Nosrat says.
What about food allergies?
For people who have allergies there are alternatives available. For gluten intolerance, Tinkyada makes an incredible GF pasta. For nuts and oil allergies, there are alternatives as well. No one has thought this through more than Boulder’s own Elena Groberman who runs @elenaspantry.
Power Pantry plan:
Set aside $50 every quarter to replenish your pantry. Create a checklist under categories spices, sauces/condiments, nuts/seeds/fruits, legumes/rice, noodles, oils, vinegars, flours/grains, baking good, and canned goods.*
My biggest hack is that I have a mounted chalkboard in my kitchen that lists what I have in my freezer so I can pull a protein or a stock (or homemade potstickers or taquitos!) to make a meal.
My meal to impress anyone for under $10 is a glossy carbonara and a grapefruit panna cotta with a mint sprig from my garden.
Glossy Carbonara:
Ingredients:
4 oz. dry spaghetti
3 large egg yolks
2 oz. pancetta or guanciale
1/2 cup of Parmesan (crumbly)
Black pepper to taste
Kosher salt for boiling
Method:
Prepping everything saves you from scrambling as it all comes together quickly at the end:
- Brown meat, set aside. Separate yolks, set aside. Shred cheese on box grater (smallest hole) or use prepared crumbly cheese, set aside.
- Generously salt water and boil spaghetti (al dente), save 1/4 cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside. Let pot cool a bit.
- Away from the heat, put pasta back in pot. Pour eggs, meat, little splashes of pasta water, pepper and parm atop and stir. Serve immediately.
*I made a free checklist for anyone who wants to track their pantry items in need of stocking. There are several blank lines below each category that allow you to personalize your pantry…I just tried to cover the basics.
Visit Stocked.Substack.com/P/The-Pantry-Checklist for the Powerhouse Pantry Restock List.