Kitchen Ready

There are a few fundamental ingredients and a few items of basic cookware that will allow you to cook a variety of dinners on the fly without having to go to the store for a long list of groceries.  Here are my basics:

Pantry Basics
Canned tomatoes - crushed, chopped, whole - whatever
Pasta - have a variety of shapes
Cous cous
Rice
Chicken Stock - low sodium is best, that way you can control the salt
Beans - chick peas, black beans
Lentils - any kind
Olives - green, black, dried, cured, have a variety
Dried Fruit - prunes, apricots, raisins, figs
Spices - basics + mixes - pumpkin pie mix is great on pork, hellew, get creative.  My go-to: cumin, corriander, garam masala, smoked paprika.  Just buy a couple of new ones every couple months and you'll have a full spice cabinet in no time.  Be sure to use them up, turn over should about a year.

Freezer Basics
Peas - duh, almost better than fresh (I said almost)
Brussels sprouts - flash frozen, they can be amazing
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs
Ground turkey
Whole chickens
Variety of bread - well sealed or ziplocked - will keep for a few weeks nicely - easy go-to for crostini, bruschette or even just warmed up for pasta night - to serve heat directly in a hot oven (don't defrost first.)

Equipment Basics
With the following four items you can cook almost anything!!

1 - chef's knife - I have a Henkel 10" - the better and sharper the knife, the less likely you are to cut yourself

2 - big all purpose pot - for stews, stocks, braising, boiling pasta, etc. - I like the 8 quart All-Clad

3 - non-stick skillet - for searing, sauteing, and cooking eggs of all sorts - I like the All-Clad 10"

4 - baking sheet - get one of those sturdy sheet pans, good for baking, roasting, broiling, etc.