Basic Pantry: Start here if your shopping list usually consists of frozen dinners and hot dogs.

Here’s what I’d try to have on hand at all times:

• Frozen veggies, especially spinach, mixed veggies, and a stir-fry blend. When they’re on sale, buy like ten bags and stick them in your freezer for later.
• Some kind of fresh fruit. Whatever you like. If you like apples, buy apples. Try to get a variety, but I’m not the boss of you. If all you eat is apples, that’s still way better than no fruit at all. If you’ve heard that grapes are really sugary or something, that may be true, but I’m gonna argue that eating a few too many grapes is better than a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. So get what you like, and what you know you’ll eat. Pro tip: Try to keep track of what’s in season: I eat blueberries like I’m a grizzly preparing for hibernation when they’re in season.
• Canned or dried beans. Have several varieties on hand. Dried beans are more affordable, but can take more work. Canned beans are a wonderful shortcut for busy days. For dried beans, any type is fine, but if you would like an affordable “splurge”, consider Rancho Gordo https://www.ranchogordo.com/ as they have a great lineup of heirloom beans. I am especially fond of the Rancho Gordo Xoxoc Project, which supports Indigenous Mexican farmers.
• Grains, like rice or amaranth. Shout out to Cahokia Rice, https://www.cahokiarice.com/, Illinois’ own rice farm!
• Corn tortillas. You can freeze them, too, if you get one of those huge bags and don’t use it all up. They will, however, freeze into a solid block, so maybe break them up into smaller bags first?
• Cheese—BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT–don’t just get a block of the cheapest cojack you can find, or something equally wretched. We’re going to be using cheese as a condiment, so buy SMALL amounts of really flavorful cheeses. This is an area where you don’t want to cheap out, if you can help it. Get the sharpest, oldest cheddar you can find, but just like 4 ounces. Maybe a really good Italian parmesan. A log of small-batch chevre. If you get really flavorful cheese, you don’t have to use as much.
• Onions and/or fresh garlic. Unless you hate onions with a seething passion, a little chopped onion is frequently the difference between “sad” and “flavorful and delicious”. Don’t be sad. Buy some onions. If you don’t think you’ll use a whole onion, get bunch of green onions (scallions).
• Whole grain pasta. I don’t care what kind, as long as the label says “100% whole grain”. (Did you know that labels that don’t say “100% whole grain” frequently have a bunch of white flour? It’s messed up, but it is what it is.)
• Vinegar. Just a bottle of apple cider vinegar. Sounds weird, I know, but often a little bit of acid in a dish will make it taste great.
• Hot sauce (or whatever condiment you use all the time). If you’re into ketchup, or really love mustard, or think soy sauce is the nectar of the gods, get that instead.
• Quality olive oil. I don’t have time to argue about what the healthiest fat is, but I personally think that ten gajillion Greek, Spanish and Italian grandmas can’t be wrong. There’s a lot you can do with olive oil, it tastes nice, and it’s readily available. Try to read up a little about getting genuine olive oil because there have been some pretty crazy issues with adulteration in olive oils.

You could also add whatever your favorite veggies are to this list, or maybe a little meat, but that right there is the bare-bones “stuff I always have on hand” list. If you have this list, there are at least a week’s worth of meals there. Maybe not super-exciting meals, but if you’ve always got this stuff around, you’ll always be able to make a quick, healthy meal. (For example: Saute some spinach in a little olive oil, dump in a can of drained beans, season with hot sauce, serve on tortillas with a little cheese and maybe some salsa. Not Michelin cuisine, but cheap and surprisingly edible.)

For those of you that already cook a bit, you probably already have a pretty solid list, but here are some things to consider:

1. Can I get a “better version” of something I already buy? If you buy white pasta or bread, switch to 100% whole grain. If you are using packaged processed stuff, like jarred pasta sauces, can you make a healthier version yourself?
2. Can I adapt things to add more leafy greens? This is like the easiest Health Hack ever. Just add spinach. Making scrambled eggs? Throw in a handful of fresh spinach. Quick meal of canned soup? BAM! Spinach. Chili? I PUT SWISS CHARD IN MY CHILI LIKE A BOSS. Cheese quesadillas? Sauteed spinach and red bell pepper–YOU FANCY NOW.
3. Is there a way to add fiber? Fiber=vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. So maybe you add garbanzo beans to your grandma’s chicken soup recipe, or you make banana bread, but take out some of the oil and use apple sauce instead, or use whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular white flour. There are zillions of little substitutions like this.
4. Can I add flavor AND nutrition at the same time? Instead of smothering something with cheese, maybe you can use just a little cheese, and a little chopped green onion (or another delicious herb). Try adding a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley or cilantro to stuff. Maybe instead of a heavy sauce you could use fresh salsa.