THM-Friendly Pantry Cooking

Have you ever thought about what you would eat if you didn't have fresh food handy?

Or have you ever thought that you rely on the drive through or ordering pizza too often?

I think so many of us have experienced this mindset – the thought process that we *need* to eat out because we don't have the time or energy required to make a healthy, on-plan meal.

My goal from the very beginning of my Trim Healthy Mama journey was to make sure that THM was always my EASIEST option – my default, if you will. And since I've learned how to make so many easy THM meals, I've tried to pass that knowledge on to you – I never, ever want someone to write off THM because of a misconception about the time required to make an on-plan meal!

Yes, sometimes it's amazing to take just a little extra time and make a yummy casserole or a more involved Trim Healthy Mama recipe. Those definitely have their place! Those recipes are comforting and absolutely perfect for a cold winter night!

But what happens when you plan to make a recipe, then find out you're missing an ingredient? Or find out that you don't have time to make the recipe you intended?

Or even right now, with barren grocery store shelves – are you able to make good meals with what you have on hand?

We may not always have time or ingredients for a gourmet meal, but we DO have the capability of making yummy, on-plan meals at the last minute!

This system has saved me SO many times – I organize my pantry ingredients into baskets (one for each meal) and I can grab a basket and throw the ingredients in a pot for a quick and easy meal at any time!

I've gotten so used to making these back up meals that when I went to the grocery store today and saw so many cleared shelves I did not panic at all! I have dozens of meals at my fingertips!

My favorite pantry meals are SIMPLE -usually just canned goods and seasoning to make a quick and easy meal with very little effort.

I've included just one recipe below, but I have a free printable with three other recipes if you need more inspiration! You can snag your free download at the bottom of this post!

One of my favorite pantry meals is a super easy THM-E :

Santa Fe Quinoa –  quinoa (at least 1/2 cup per person), one can of black beans, one can of chicken breast, one can of corn, one can of mild Rotel, and a small baggie with at least 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of chili powder (add more seasoning to taste if desired; if you have more than two servings of quinoa you'll likely want to add more).  (THM E)

I organize the ingredients for each recipe (including the recipe directions) into bins like these:

Then, when I have to rely on these last-minute meals I can just grab a basket and throw the meal together in just a few minutes!

Sign up below for the free printable – I hope it helps out!