Cooking healthy at home is easier than you think when you stock staples that are functional, healthful, and most of all, delicious. Having the right foods at hand when you need them can keep you from making fast-food runs or calling for pizza - plus, they can help you prepare a meal in the time it takes to pick up takeout food or wait for delivery. {relatedarticles}Take your family's favorite tastes into account and try to incorporate those flavors in your nonperishable foods and spices. For example, if you all love Italian food, then stock up on spices like garlic, basil and oregano. Italian-flavored tomatoes make a great base for stews and casseroles, so a few cans are a great investment. Other canned foods to have on hand are spaghetti and pizza sauces, salsas, and Asian-influenced sauces like hoisin, stir-fry and soy sauces. Beans make a cheap, nutritious fiber source - keeping canned and dried beans stocked can reduce your reliance on expensive meats in chilis and other dishes.
Other economical sources of protein are canned chicken, fish and shellfish. Whole-wheat pasta and brown rice make great fiber sources, too. Fast food can be found in the freezer when you add shellfish, individually frozen chicken breasts and frozen vegetables to the mix.{relatedarticles} Put everyone's favorite fruit, vegetables and yogurt in the fridge for snacks, and stock low-fat and fat-free dairy products, like cheese to sprinkle over those Mexican and Italian dishes you can cook quickly. A well-stocked pantry and fridge keeps healthy foods on the table and makes eating more economical.