Pantry Items: 

Chicken broth

From Target: Swanson Natural Goodness Chicken Broth Can - 14.5 fl oz $.99

From Fresh Thyme: Pacific Foods Broth, Low Sodium Chicken, 32 WOZ $3.99

Baking Soda

From Target: Arm & Hammer Fresh N Natural Baking Soda - 12oz $1.09

From Fresh Thyme: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Pure Baking Soda, 16 WOZ $.99

Whole Milk Yogurt

From Target: Stonyfield Organic Smooth & Creamy Whole Milk French Vanilla Yogurt - 32oz $3.69

From Fresh Thyme: Stonyfield Organic Smooth & Creamy Whole Milk, Plain Whole Milk 32oz $4.79

Balsamic

From Target: Morani Organic Balsamic Vinegar $4.29

From Fresh Thyme: fresh thyme Organic Balsamic Vinegar, 16.9 WOZ $4.99

Apple cider vinegar

From Target: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar - 32 fl oz $6.29

From Fresh Thyme: Bragg apple cider vinegar 32 fl oz $5.79

I chose these pantry items because I thought I would use these pantry items a lot. I like to bake and often times recipes call for baking soda. I chose the whole milk yogurt because I love yogurt, it is a simple breakfast and can be added to make a more delicious and nutritious snack. I chose chicken broth because I thought about making stocks or simmering other ingredients with the broth to increase the amount of flavor it has, rather than just using water. Apple cider vinegar can be used for many different things for cooking, getting rid of fruit flies and for making hair and skin healthier, I thought it would be a great addition to my pantry. Finally, I thought that balsamic would be a good dressing for salads and also to use as a liquid for other things to simmer in and add more flavor. 

Estimate the cost of the item(s) in the recipe you prepared, e.g., if you purchased 2 lbs of brown rice for $2.89 and used ¼ lb, the cost would be $0.36.

If I were to use the yogurt for breakfast portions, the total cost of each serving would be about $.40-.60. Buying the big container would be cheaper than buying individual cups with one serving each, all pricing at more than $1

• How will the pantry item(s) you purchased affect the total cost of future meals?

The pantry items I purchased in bulk like balsamic and apple cider vinegar and baking soda will decrease the amount of money I spend. I will use these to create new and different flavors instead of going out and purchasing other things to create those flavors. 

What is a pantry staple, and what are the benefits of maintaining a personal home food pantry?

These could all be considered pantry staples, anything on the pantry list provided could be considered a staple. It is important to have a good and full pantry, it allows you to have a lot more options when cooking. It goes along with the saying mis en place, if you have everything together and accessible to you, it allows much more creativity and utilizes the ingredients around you. 

Were you surprised by anything in this exercise?

• Will it influence your shopping or eating patterns in the future?

I wan surprised that with some items there was a big difference in price, almost a dollar. With other items it would be a similar cost at both stores fresh thyme and target. I thought overall Fresh Thyme would be more expensive because it has that co-op/organic feel but that wasn’t necessarily the case. It really depended on what was being bought. 

In the future it would be beneficial to make a list of things I need and compare the prices before going to the store so I am more strategic and purposeful with my purchases, It will also help me waste less and appreciate the ingredients more knowing how much I spent and if I got the best deal on the product or not. 

Do you think building or expanding on your personal food pantry would be a worthwhile goal? If so, what do you need to do to accomplish that goal? 

I think expanding it slightly would be beneficial. I don’t want to over purchase and buy everything on the pantry list because not all of it would be used and would over clutter the small storage area I have. I think that adding pantry items can make cooking a little less daunting when I don’t know what to make. It helps when you already have recipe essentials at your disposal. I need to decide what is most essential to me in the pantry and buy them while looking at what the best deals are.

The item I chose to purchase was the apple cider vinegar because there are so many uses for this ingredient and it lasts a long time and only needs a small amount used at a time.

The cooking project I did was creating a yummy yogurt bowl! I didn’t use a recipe, I just used the whole milk yogurt, I thinly sliced 1 full apple, half of a pomegranate, I added a pour of granola, a small handful of almonds, a small handful of cranberries, a small pour of chia seeds, a small spoonful of peanut butter and a squeeze of honey. 

 The process was easy and enjoyable. It only took me a few minutes to put this dish together. It is my go to snack or breakfast. It changes every time I make it but I love how easy and how much variety can be added based on what ingredients I have on hand. This left me very satisfied and feeling full and I felt like I had several different food groups in this simple and yummy dish.