Mastering the Art of a Well-Stocked Pantry: Practical Tips for Purposeful Gatherings

Written by Natalie Herr

The Art of Gathering Series

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Picture this: It was a Saturday afternoon in January and I was scrambling. The temps were falling and I had to get to the grocery store. My daughter and I had been under the weather earlier in the week, and I was out of my normal routine. We had planned to have friends over for dinner that night; something we had put on the calendar weeks ago. I didn’t want to cancel since we were no longer sick, but at that moment, I wished we had nothing on the calendar. It was going to take what felt like a Herculean effort to get the groceries and make the meal and get the house ready for our friends. I desperately wished I had planned ahead.

Have you ever felt this way? Like me, you might also feel stuck at times between a desire to practice hospitality and the practical burdens of actually doing so. As a follower of Jesus, I know that opening my home to strangers and friends is one of the most compelling ways to love others and share my faith. As in every Christian faith practice, Jesus is our example for this. As New Testament scholar Robert Karris puts it, “Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal” in the gospels.There’s no doubt that eating together is a central practice for the Christian. But sometimes, in our endlessly busy world, it feels like too much. Opportunities for hospitality don’t usually come when we are at peace, prepared and full of energy to serve. It’s usually the opposite, right? So what if we helped our future selves a bit?

Now, I’m not here to give you a life hack or magic bullet to easy hospitality (the house won’t clean itself, sorry), but I do think that we can give ourselves a hand by keeping a strategically stocked pantry. A stocked pantry is one way to remove the obstacle of what to feed people when they come over. It makes it just a teeny bit easier to say yes to an impromptu gathering. It also gives us the freedom to let our guests linger into mealtimes.

I like to keep an option for each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on hand and a few snack options to choose from. This comes pretty naturally to me these days in a house with five children! I understand that keeping a ton of extra food around is not feasible for every budget, so I’m not suggesting you go nuts and build an underground bunker for your groceries. Work with your budget, even if that means just keeping an extra few cans of beans and some rice.

A little goes a long way!

Natalie Herr

Five Practical Tweaks to Make Your Pantry Ready for Gathering

Under the “pantry” umbrella, I’m also including the fridge and the freezer. I’ve put together just a few ideas (organized by meal) to get you thinking about what you could keep on hand to simplify your hospitality. You’ll notice that most aren’t too fancy- hospitality doesn’t have to be! And don’t forget to buy more than you would for your own family- you’ll want to have about double the amount of food that your family eats so that you can have enough for your family as well as your guests. Also keep in mind any dietary needs that you might need to be prepared for, like your kid’s best friend with the peanut allergy or your friends from small group who are gluten-free.

One last thing to consider is the idea of “deciding once,” which we can thank Kendra Adachi for. To simplify things even more, you can decide once that whenever you have guests for dinner, you’ll make the same thing- tacos, lasagna, doesn’t matter what it is. You just decide once and stick with it! You don’t have to serve a new meal every time you have someone over (preaching to myself here!).

Alright, friends, on to the meal ideas! I hope they inspire you to add a few items to your stocked pantry.

Breakfast

Oats, nuts and dried fruit. These are great pantry staples for feeding a crowd. You can make traditional oatmeal with a few toppings, a tray of baked oatmeal or even something like breakfast cookies!

Frozen pancakes/waffles and breakfast meat. A store-bought box of waffles or pancakes works great, or make a double batch from scratch and freeze the rest for another time. Don’t forget the syrup!

Smoothie ingredients. This works well for breakfast or a snack, and especially in the summertime. Frozen mango, protein powder and almond milk are our staples.

Eggs. When in doubt, you can always scramble up every last egg in the fridge!

Lunch

Bread, sliced cheese and a carton of tomato soup. These are items you can always find at my house – great for feeding lots of kids on short notice. 

Blocks of cheese and crackers. The benefits of the charcuterie board cannot be understated. These days, it’s acceptable to throw just about anything on a cutting board and call it a lunch! To the cheese and crackers, I like to add whatever fruits and veggies I have hanging around or olives and nuts from the pantry.

Snack Time

Hummus and veggies. Hummus (or any other dip you like) usually lasts quite a while in the fridge and works with almost any veggie.

Nut butter and produce. We like apples, bananas, celery, carrots and cucumber for this.

Popcorn. This is a super easy one! Lasts forever in the pantry and perfect for an unexpected afternoon playdate. 

Applesauce pouches/fruit cups. Shelf-stable fruit is a great allergy-friendly option!

Dinner

Canned beans and rice. Simple, cheap, allergy-friendly and versatile! Beans and rice can be a meal in themselves or can be used to stretch a smaller meal further for more guests.

Pasta and marinara sauce. Another simple choice that can really stretch. I like keeping frozen meatballs on hand, too, to go along with these.

An oven-ready freezer meal. If you’re a freezer meal person, try making an extra portion and throwing it in the freezer especially for guests. The oven-ready part is important- you don’t want something you’ll need to wait to thaw.

One last thing to consider is the idea of “deciding once,” which we can thank Kendra Adachi for. You just decide once and stick with it! You don’t have to serve a new meal every time you have someone over (preaching to myself here!).

Natalie Herr

Treats and Extras

Popsicles, shelf-stable cookies, a box of sparkling water, a bag of chips… the sky’s the limit here. You might need to find a hiding place for these, though, so they don’t get eaten by accident. (Ask me how I know.)

Coffee and/or tea. Even when the cupboards are bare, we can usually still manage to offer a cup of something warm in the winter or cool in the summer. I’m a tea person, so I like to keep a variety of black, green and herbal teas on hand.

There you have it!

I know these ideas aren’t revolutionary. In fact, I hope that they are pretty basic so that they’re easy to remember and put into practice. Sometimes, we need strategies to help us get out of our own way and get to the table. Life and ministry are happening as we open our pantries, grab those meal ingredients and welcome folks into our homes. Let’s not miss out on all of that because we don’t feel ready or don’t have time to stop at the store. Let’s offer up what we have to share in worship and see what God can do with a cup of tea or a bowl of popcorn. 

May God be glorified as we practice hospitality, and may many experience the love of Jesus by sitting around our tables.

May the God of Peace…, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:21

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A Simple Charcuterie Guide

What a perfect time to start honing your charcuterie skills! I have just the right thing to help you feel ready and confident while you gather. I created this simple and beautiful charcuterie guide for you. In my opinion it’s cute enough to display and then it would always be available for you! Plus, I am always honored to offer you practical content for purposeful and life giving time around the table. Check it out by clicking on the graphic below!

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