Keep the pantry full of essentials

There is nothing more depressing then opening up your cupboards and not having what you need to put a meal together. I've said it many times: A well-stocked pantry is a gal's best friend.

I mean it — you have to have your pantry stocked. And don't forget that in today's world, a pantry is more than a cupboard of dry goods. It is also your fridge and freezer.

I've given you the tools for dinner in the form of Menu-Mailer (see savingdinner.com for sample menus) and my books, "Saving Dinner" and "Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way." Still, I get a lot of e-mail asking for a Menu-Mailer for lunch and breakfast. I've thought about this a lot and tried to think how I handle these two meals because I don't make up menus for those meals. It finally dawned on me that the key again is that well-stocked pantry. Here's how I do it and do it easily and healthfully, without resorting to junk food.

I pack my kids' lunches for school like many families do. So I keep on hand things for those lunches. First the non-perishable tools: plastic spoons, napkins, little containers, blue ice packs for the lunch box (frozen and ready to use) or lunch bags, if you use them.

I buy in large quantities, usually taking advantage of sales. I have one big drawer I use for wraps and bags: one holds my rolls and the larger gallon zipper-topped bags and the other holds all my zipper-topped bags. I have quart sized, sandwich sized and snack sized bags. There are back-up boxes in the pantry.

Next, I consider the actual pantry itself. I pack rice chips (like a thin toasted rice cake), healthy ginger snap cookies and a case of bottled water. I buy all of this weekly or semi-weekly, and these things stay on my perpetual shopping list so I am sure to pick them up.

In the bread basket are whole wheat bread, whole wheat bagels and fruit leathers (I get the natural ones without the sugar).

Then comes the fridge. Again, this stuff is all on my perpetual shopping list: string cheese or cheese twists (cheddar & mozzarella together), individual yogurts, ranch dressing (ugh — this is where I cave to kid pressure), baby carrots, celery sticks and apples. I also have whole-wheat tortillas, cream cheese and homemade muffins (not all the time). I don't pack it all. I choose a few things each time, and they take me five minutes to pack, tops. Sometimes I will have the kids help; sometimes they are doing other things to get ready for school.