25 ingredients, 15 meals

We started our video, How to Stock Your Kitchen for Fast and Easy Meals, by showing what to buy and keep on hand for each MyPyramid food group - and then realized - we are going to lose our audience because it is too overwhelming to show so many foods - although we had a lot of fun listing the best items from each food group and we are probably going to make a fun handout using our list.So after watching our first take, my assistant and I decided that we have to come up with a master list of around 20 foods to buy and then show  at least 12 different fast meals you can make from these ingredients! That is a challenge!! I do admit to stretching the list to 25 items, but then I did come up with 15 different items you can make with those that everyone will like that are easy to prepare - we make them over and over here and my son can even make some of them.Here is our list of foods starting with whole grains, lean protein, fruits and vegetables and dairy (mostly fat-free except for Parmesan cheese which is used sparingly):

1. Pasta, whole grain penne
2. Brown rice
3. Tortillas, whole wheat
4. Lentils
5. Chicken, whole
6. Fish
7. Walnuts
8. Salad mix
9. Fresh spinach
10. Tomatoes, plum
11. Baby carrots
12. Broccoli
13. Butternut squash
14. Zucchini
15. Onions
16. Canned diced tomatoes, no added salt
17. Strawberries
18. Blueberries
19. Celery
20. Apples
21. Potatoes
22. No Salt Added Tomato Sauce
23. Fat-free sour cream
24. Yogurt – light vanilla
25. Parmesan cheese

The cost for all of those ingredients was just $63!! (This assumes you have staple cooking items like oregano, black pepper, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, vinegar, oil, soy sauce and sesame oil on hand. )And our list of meals - including 1 snack and 2 desserts:

1. Lentils and rice – plain, winter squash, onions
2. Lentils and rice – burrito or wrap
3. Whole chicken - Roasted with potatoes/onions, carrots, salad
4. Chicken salad – with chicken, potatoes, salad
5. Chicken - pasta, broth, veggies
6. Chicken with rice – arroz con pollo
7. Chicken stir fry – spinach, celery, broccoli, onions, carrots
8. Chicken rice veggie soup
9. Fish – microwave with zucchini and rice
10. Tortilla Pizza
11. Potato Pizza – potatoes with plum tomatoes, spinach, onions, parmesan cheese
12. Baked stuffed potato – potato with broccoli, ff sour cream, parmesan
13. Snack platter with apples, carrots, celery
14. Dessert with berries and yogurt
15. Apple sauce with vanilla yogurt

We feel this teaches many lessons -

• Making balanced low-fat, high-fiber meals that are based on grains, fruits and vegetables with minimal amounts of animal protein and fat - helps you get to requirements of MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines
• Buying more fruits and veggies is a great idea to add variety and color for all of your meals - note how we just have a few grains and lean protein items on our list
• You can save money, time and calories by cooking yourself versus going out to eat.
• You save a lot of money by buying less-processed food and it really doesn't take that much more time or effort to cook yourself - with our easy ways of course!
• Stocking your kitchen for fast healthy meals that save significant time, money and calories from eating out
• How to use planned overs
• Meal planning and list making
• Time saving tips
• Cooking tips

Stay tuned!