Over the years I have learned that I only have myself to count on to ensure healthy, tasty veggie meals when cooking at home. I live with an omni boyfriend, so no help there! I have compiled a short list of staples that I keep around to survive!

Brown rice: Whether it’s boil in bag or bulk, I always have brown rice on hand. It’s great for a quick stir-fry, fried rice, steamed with veggies and soy sauce, or as a bed to a yummy Indian dish!

Prepackaged Indian Foods: I always have these on hand from the local Indo-Pak grocer. For about $1.99 you can pair this with rice and get two decent meals out of a pack! If you are vegan, keep your eye out for dairy / ghee. There is a wide array of veggie meals to choose from.

Canned beans: Always on hand. All kinds from adzuki to yellow split peas. I prefer Eden organic beans when I can find them…and I always rinse…I find the bean can residue to be a bit gross.

Frozen veggies: Perfect paired with the brown rice for an impromptu stir-fry. Depending on the mix, these can also be thrown in with canned tomatoes, spices and veggie broth for a quick soup.

This is by far a tiny list. But it has also saved my butt on a few hungry occasions! For new veggies on the go, working with minimal ingredients I’d like to recommend the following books: Meatless Meals for Working People (http://www.vrg.org/catalog/meatless.htm)by Debra Wasserman and Becoming Vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570671443/qid=1145278757/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-2053230-5545428?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)or Becoming Vegan (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570671036/103-2053230-5545428?v=glance&n=283155)by Melina Vesanto and Brenda Davis.

Hope this info helps!

Great post. I feel like I need to make dinner a big production sometimes when in fact it is not always feasible. And yeah, the rice, beans, etc has saved me lots of times too when I haven't made it to the grocery store. Thanks:D

can i add?
-dry pasta
-rolled or steel-cut oats
-jarred pasta sauce
-couscous
-nuts, seed, and seed and nut butters

great additions and also items I always have on hand! Except nut butters... :think: must go to the store!

i always have bread and peanut butter and dried fruit handy.. :)

My basic pantry staples:

*Brown rice, or some sort of whole grains
*pasta, including couscous
*Canned tomatoes (this includes diced, stewed, whole, tomato paste and tomato sauce)
*Canned beans
*Frozen veggies (I like to keep a couple of bags of blends and a few bags worth of single veggies so I have lots of quick variety available)
*Spices - the more the merrier! :chef:

Rice, beans, lentils, whole grain bagels, 'natural' peanut butter, soy milk, unsweetened applesauce, flour, bananas... etc

Rice, couscous (it's ready in 5 mins!), pasta, tinned beans, tinned tomatoes, spices, veg stock powder, carrots