One of the things I am working on now is how to keep my kitchen properly stocked and functional. Fill up the cabinets too much and you won't use what you have or it will go bad. We know what happens when you don't have enough....although I can say that I have come up with some pretty awesome recipes while trying to substitute missing ingredients. (And there have been massive failures, but we don't need to go into those yet).
I like to keep a wide array of spices and herbs around. The best are garden fresh herbs, but I tend to kill things, so unless my Mom is supplying me with fresh stuff, we used dry. It is my goal to start a garden this spring. We'll see. I use a lot of parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage; paprika, chile powder, cumin, coriander, tumeric, ginger; allspice, cinnamon, cloves; bay leaves, chili flakes, and dill on occasion. It's important to know that some spices need to be heated in oil to really become potent. Experiment a little - it's fun! I LOVE garlic as well, but I have found out that I am allergic to that, so I stay away now. That's sad.
Other things that I keep in my cabinets are rice, potatoes, onions, coconut milk, and an array of canned/jarred veggies (pumpkin and tomatoes are really helpful!), and beans. I am afraid of BPA and other "stuff" that may be lingering in cans, so I am trying to move more toward things that are in glass jars rather than cans. Actually now that I know about my yeast allergy, I should be staying away from all of that stuff! (Is that really feasible?) I also have some brown sugar, regular sugar, agave nectar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, and some type of flour or flour blend.
For grains, I like to experiment, so I rotate what I have. I really like quinoa, (a complete protein!), so I have a bunch of that on hand. I also keep dried lentils and recently split peas. I also use dried beans a bunch too. If you are using dried beans it's really important that you prepare them properly. (They have toxins on the surface and need to be soaked for some time AND boiled for a little while before they are ready to cook). I also typically have a bunch of pasta on hand...I'm hoping to try and make some of my own next week - I'll share how that goes!
Lastly, in my fridge I always have my Earth Balance "butter", my Spectrum Canola Mayo, Dijon mustard, eggs, and some sprouted beans and/or grains. Usually I keep some Almond milk around too, but not always. In my freezer I generally have enough meat for a broth, and any other "good" quality meat or fish I find on sale. I also have an array of frozen veggies, meat stock, and leftovers that I can pull from.
When I shop I pick out whichever veggies and fruit meet my needs for the week and any other specialty items I may want to have around.
I *try* to keep my kitchen as sparse as I can...it doesn't look like it, but I try to remove all of the extra stuff that is around. I have a one year old that often ransacks my cabinets though...and yes he can open the child safety things on the doors. So alas, my kitchen still looks disorderly....oh well!
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