Versatility and simplicity are great for a wardrobe, but also for your pantry and fridge! If you stay flexible and have some key ingredient categories on hand, you can limit grocery store trips. We’ve put together a list of meals with easy to swap ingredients, so you can keep meals easy, interesting, and nutritious. 

• Bowls: You can turn just about anything into a bowl using rice, quinoa or pasta, but don’t even need a grain here, meat, tofu, eggs or beans can be a hearty base. Add veggies, fruit, and/or cheese. An interesting but delicious combo is chicken or tuna, quinoa, avocado, tomato, scallions or basil, with lemon juice and EVOO. 
• Omelettes: Again play around with meat, beans, veggies, cheese or just varying spices and herbs. 
• Wraps: Tortillas and wraps can be more versatile than a loaf of bread. Fill a tortilla with meat and roasted veggies or salad, or make classic PB&J, bean burritos, or toast it to dip into hummus.
• Cheese: This is a reminder that adding cheese makes anything better! Get a few different varieties to totally change up a dish (think gorgonzola vs cheddar).  
• Crusted meat, fish or tofu: Add texture to a protein using prepared Italian or Panko bread crumbs, or you can even make your own from stale bread or cereal. Add cheese like parmesan into the crumble, or add a BBQ or teriyaki glaze or dipping sauce. 
• Fruit: Use a variety of fruits to give your meal some bright flavor; think fresh squeezed orange on chicken or berries on oatmeal. Grapefruit and avocado ‘salad’ is a great option to add a fresh side to a meal without needing many ingredients (but could still top a bed of spinach; and you could swap grapefruit for orange or raspberries). Make a simple dressing with EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 
• Pizza: Have fun with toppings and combos. There’s classic cheese or veggies, but also bacon & pineapple or goat cheese & fig spread. While you can buy it ready, you can make your own dough or even make pizza on pita bread or bagels! 

A few helpful tips: 

1. Get things organized first. See our “Non-Perfectionist + Simple Guide To Tidying Your Pantry” post. If you get the food in your home streamlined, it will set you up for easier meal planning. 
2. Write it out. Start by making a menu for the next couple days or week, trying to use only things you already have. This will lend itself to making a shopping list.
3. Keep an open mind. Many of us can recall being hesitant about an interesting combination, only to have it become one of our favorite foods. If you can’t find an ingredient you want, pick a substitute or make do without it.
4. Have fun! If you’ve got some seemingly odd ingredients on hand, turn the situation into a fun family activity (think of the tv show “Chopped”).

The Versatile + Simple Mix & Match Shopping List

Meat or tofu: ___

Citrus fruit: ___

Other fruit: ___

Veggies: ___

Herbs:___

Wraps or tortillas: ___

Bread crumbs: ___

Cheese: ___

Grain, pasta or beans: ___

Pizza dough:___

Eggs: ___

EVOO: ___