Potatoes, onions, fresh parsley, lemons, barley, various dried beans, olive oil, and butter are ingredients I always like to have on hand.

almost 2 years ago, I broke my shoulder and couldn't drive for about 6 weeks, and depended on what I had or what I could ask people to bring in for food....and one of the things I missed most was bread!! LOL! I make my own and was relying on store bought crap once my own freezer stash was gone....so as soon as I could muddle through a one handed mix up and a one handed push together into a sort of loaf, I made bread! But because I couldn't steady the loaf while I cut it, I kept the electric knife on the counter.
Citrus juice of some sort, my bread, eggs, peanut butter, cheese, something green to dump some EVOO and balsamic on potatoes to stick into the oven and some frozen shrimp to toss on the greens and I'm good...Oh and coffee and Scotch! Wine would be nice but it's hard to open with a broken shoulder.

Salad, pinto beans, chicken, broccoli, Italian sausage, ham, pork roast, eggs, butter, jalapenos, serranos & assorted dried chile peppers, green chiles, Bell peppers, onions, carrots, chicken broth, canned tuna, Tabasco, habanero sauce. Plus Rotel tomatoes/ salsa...i.e., Tex-Mex ingredients. We've not been eating much beef because it has been too expensive so I'm not including it here.

I've been trying to eat low-carb so my usual staples of pasta, lots of rice and some potato have been pretty much off the menu.

I grow my own garlic but you can get California garlic...Kirkland California granulated available at Costco and on Amazon. I prefer to get a granulated garlic because granulated doesn't tend to set up into a garlic brick the way that powdered garlic can. I only resort to the dried stuff when I'm feeling too lazy to use fresh cloves.

A broken leg? That is awful news! I broke my wrist last January and that was plenty inconvenient. A busted leg has to be about 10x worse. But I was glad that if I had to break something, it was during the deep dark of Winter. Wishing you the best of all recoveries!

Beans! Love beans! Bread, olive oil, butter, peanut butter, crackers, jams... etc...

Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I have my granddad with me. He can't use a knife well, so I do most of the cooking. Since he can't chew many foods (he is too stubborn to get new dentures,) most of our veggies are frozen. I hate it, but the freezing makes them softer. Even the fresh stuff I get out of my garden has to be cooked to death lol. I try to take some out of the pot before it's done, but it's too much effort for most dishes.

The good thing is that he also likes beans, although, if he had his way, it would only be navy beans :-|. I got him to try a few others. Now, almost every soup is lentil (I almost regret it). He did also try garbanzos (he was with to my Italian grandmother for how long? and he would never eat garbanzos???!! Maybe she didn't care for them either.) However, he won't eat them in with anything, he eats them as a snack like nuts lol.

Speaking of nuts... I get them when they are on sale. A 10 lb. bag of peanuts lasts a good, long time.

We have an Amish store in the next town, so every 6 months I go and pick up enough whole wheat cous cous to last a good while. I would like more types of pasta, but cous cous is easier for him to chew. We also keep brown rice and wild rice in stock. Whole barley, and bulgar wheat are also in the freezer. I got him to taste quinoa, but it was too exotic for him lol. He won't even eat soup with broccoli in it - ... philistine! ["it doesn't belong in soup" he says.]

Always keep potatoes, but while I prefer baked, he likes them boiled (he can't chew the skins on russets at all.)

He has to have low-sugar fruit in a can, but I keep fresh fruit (there are only so many concessions I can make!)

He has to have a dessert every night, so to make it a bit more healthy than just pound cake, or plain doughnuts, I make a (mostly) whole wheat zucchini bread that he likes and freeze it in half-loaves.

Staples can be tough when 2, or more, generations not raised in the same immediate family are under the same roof.

Always onions, garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, Romaine, arugula, apples ... other fresh veggies/fruits depending on what’s in season. Right now that would include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Louisiana navels, Meyer lemons (from my tree), mixed greens, arugula, chard, dill, chives, thyme, rosemary & parsley (all from the garden)

From the freezer -- corn, peas, boneless chicken breasts, pancetta, Aidell’s chicken sausages, serranos, Yasso Greek yogurt bars

From the fridge -- yogurt, orange juice, milk, half & half, white cheddar, feta, goat cheese, butter, eggs.

From the pantry -- olive oil, peanut oil, a variety of vinegars, whole wheat pasta, canned tomatoes, beans, chicken &veggie stock, Rain Coast tuna, peanut butter.

When dh is home there’s always some kind of bread ... pumpernickel or a French boule.

For while you're laid up, you can get frozen cooked quinoa at Trader Joe's and I think rice too. Or you can ask one of your angels to make them for you. Easy enough to reheat. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and steam, or zap.

For my own household, I'm taking "every week" seriously, because there are things I always buy, but so much is seasonal or monthly or whatever. Chicken, ground meat (bison or beef), orange juice, bananas, whole grain bread (likely home baked), slicing/sliced cheese (type varies), arugula, salad greens, little tomatoes (cherry, grape, pear, jewel, sunburst, etc.), scallions, cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers, mushrooms (most often cremini and oyster), onions, carrots, green beans, asparagus (matchstick), garlic and celery but I don't usually have to buy them every week, parsley, basil, mint, (the herbs I use the most are the ones that I haven't been able to grow!), apples, berries, kale or spinach or chard. That's basics, not including for anything special, or what looks good, or is seasonal. Eggs, butter and milk less consistently, but I always do have them in the fridge. Ditto cottage cheese. I don't buy pasta, condiments and other such pantry items on a regular basis. When I don't have heavy shopping, I stock up.

Lots of good wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

It's hard for me to think past my own pantry and freezer, since I produce so much of my own food. Beef, pork and chicken are always in the freezer, canned vegetables, fruits, pickles and jam, and a nicely stocked "root cellar" which is really a nicely cool room on the back of the house which contains the geo-thermal heating system.

Staples that I use every week? Eggs, beans, whole wheat flour or wheat to grind for bread. Coffee isn't really a necessity, but I sure want it, LOL. Brown rice, small amounts of red meat. Truthfully, I could live the rest of my life without eating chicken, although I don't dislike it, I just don't care. Broth or stock, potatoes, onions, garlic, definitely vegetables. I'm not a fan of fruit, but some pears and cherries would be nice. Salmon or other local fish, I used to eat shrimp but have read so many bad things about the shrimp industry, the slave labor and children used for peeling the things, the environmental problems. Now I buy shrimp only unpeeled, raw and labelled "wild caught USA gulf shrimp".

Annie

To me a staple food is what you have on hand constantly and then things like fresh veggies, fruit and meats are the fill-ins. So staples for me would be seasonings and salt, leavenings, flour, cornmeal, sugar, rice, beans, coconut and olive oils, coffee, tea. Fill-in fresh items would be eggs most definitely, milk or almond milk, butter, cheese and yogurt. If I had to do without meat I would if I had to but I really would miss the bacon so I'll add that. (Not only for breakfast but to season beans.) If we are adding fruits I guess citrus would be the smartest choice. I like a variety but it's not real high on my list. Fresh veggies - I love them all but I can't decide on one that I would HAVE to have every week. Oh and garlic, onions and potatoes. Yes we buy bakery breads but if it were necessary I could also make it from scratch if I had to. To me all of these are what I can consider to be staples - all the rest would variate each week according to our fancy.

Fully stocked home food storage here.... enough for a year, by design. The same things I store are also the things I use each and every day. It's just normal and natural to "shop" at home first. Store what you use and use what you store.....

"The Seven Survival Foods" - grains, legumes, sprouting seeds, sweetener/s, salt, oil, and powdered milk (or substitute). That is considered the bullseye (or center) of your food storage "target", and everything after that is the so-called "gravy" - the things that improve upon the basics. That would be canned, fresh, frozen and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables; juices; pasta; meats, eggs, nuts and nut butters; baking supplies; seasonings/flavorings, jelly/jam, vinegars, condiments......

The reason for sprouting seeds is so you can have your own "garden-in-a-jar". We need fresh food to thrive because it's our best source for vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Especially enzymes, which are cooked out of prepared foods and blanched out of frozen and destroyed in freeze-dried foods. With sprouting seeds I grow sprouts, wheatgrass (and other similar grains) for juicing, and micro-greens. Add some pots of herbs growing in a sunny south window, and I have quite a bit of fresh produce in the middle of winter - far fresher than the produce found at the grocery store.

1. Eggs. I would suggest OvaEasy Whole Egg Crystals (100% real eggs) over powdered eggs, although I used LOTS of cans of powdered eggs over the years before finding OvaEasy. OvaEasy are well worth the extra cost because they have a longer shelf-life than powdered eggs, and they taste much better. A #10 can contains SIX 4.5 oz. bags, and each bag contains a dozen eggs, so you only need to open a packet that contains a dozen eggs, instead of a can that has 80-eggs. (I've purchased all my #10 cans at a reduced price when distributors have sales). While the price of eggs have been high, I've been using OvaEasy for most of my cooking and baking. Until the price of fresh shell eggs are under $1 again, I only purchase 1 dozen per month. I can even make "hard cooked eggs" with OvaEasy Egg Crystals. How clever is that ;-)? I also store Just Whites powdered egg whites, EnerG Egg Replacer, and use egg substitutes using water and chia seeds or flaxseeds.

2. Citrus Juice. I keep TRUE Lemon, Lime and Orange in storage. I purchase it in boxes that contain 32-packets. I also keep bottled/canned 100% juice and powdered juice products that reconstitute with water. I have fresh citrus in the freezer my sister sent before Christmas from Texas.

3. A large variety of frozen, canned, dehydrated and freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, meat, and cheese. I think freeze-dried foods are wonderful! I wish I would have found them years ago!!! I store, and use, a number of freeze-dried cheeses: Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Cheese Blend, as well as powdered cheese sauce mix and powdered sour cream. I even have cans of Yoder Bacon. White chicken pieces, diced beef, sausage crumbles, ham, creamed beef, ground beef, turkey, powdered peanut butter - canned tuna, salmon, roast beef, and chicken.

I can make stir-fry with freeze-dried vegetables and freeze-dried or canned meat: Asian Chicken Stir-Fry - http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+video+-+making+stir-fry+with+freeze-dried+foods&view=detail&mid=AC8BF0D88624AD32E8AFAC8BF0D88624AD32E8AF&FORM=VIRE1 

4. Dairy and non-dairy substitutes. (Grandma's) Country Cream Milk Powder is the best flavored for powdered milk products, Morning Moo's Whey-Based Milk Substitute is the second best. I've used powdered milk products exclusively since 1981. I purchase them by the bucket (enough for a year or more to keep the cost per gallon of milk lower), but I also have #10 cans in storage (which have a longer shelf-life). I can make nut milk with nuts in storage, as well as coconut milk with unsweetened coconut or powdered coconut milk, oat milk with oatmeal and oat groats, rice milk with rice, and quinoa milk with quinoa. So there's a secondary use for some of my grains in storage. I make my own dairy kefir (using powdered milk) and water kefir.

5. Fats. The fat with the greatest versatility and the longest shelf-storage life is coconut oil. Vegans use coconut oil as a bread spread. I use it for everything. I also have powdered butter (great for making my own mixes and "convenience" foods), and canned Red Feather Butter, canned and jarred ghee.

6. A pantry must-have are dried Golden Grill Hashbrown Potatoes from Sam's Club. For under $6 you have 52 servings of hashbrowns. I also store canned potatoes (whole, cubes, and slices) and dried and freeze-dried varieties.

7. Wide variety of frozen, freeze-dried, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables. I have freeze-dried broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, celery, carrots, corn, onions, green beans, green peas, tomato powder (an ESSENTIAL), potato flakes, diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, shredded carrots, cauliflower, soup blends. Fruit: peaches, apples, raspberries, blueberries, pears, bananas, strawberries, raisins, apricots, oranges, blackberries, pineapple, coconut.

8. Wide variety of grains/seeds/beans, and a way to mill your own flour. I also make all my own cereal (cooked and cold varieties). I have some gluten-free pasta in my pantry, but I can also make it from food storage.

-Grainlady

I forgot vinegar, mustard, ketchup, mayo and pickles.

Started to list things off in my head and realized I'd be writing a book here.

I'd be much better off making a list of things I didn't need each week... ;)

Oh, and I forgot peanut butter. It would be easy to make a long list, but the OP asked for staples we'd eat every week, not what we currently have in our pantry, so that shortened it, LOL. Some things I could manage to cook for a week without, like pickles or lemons, but not peanut butter, I have to have it a couple of times!

Annie

I broke my ankle in 1983 in San Francisco and had to rely on my roommate to prepare food for me, as it was next to impossible when I was on crutches, and so I can sympathize with your situation. My roommate did not care what I wanted and was only going to prepare foods the way he wanted to, which was sort of okay because he used Mastering the Art of French Cooking as his bible. I'm not a huge fan of French food (although my grandmother was Alsatian), but I was okay with what he made. However, I did get inspired to write down my own recipes for the foods I would have preferred to have had made for me, but this list has changed over the years.

On staple that has not changed is Mexican bean dip - I find a lot of uses for this, including burritos, tostados, tortas, migas, taco, and just as a side dish or a dip with chips. I also like various omelets, but mushroom is my favorite, and I like to eat a lot of fish and shellfish. Crab Louis is one of my favorite seafood dishes, and I could eat sushi several times a week. We normally grill fish at least once a week, and last week-end it was Ono, but my favorites are Ahi tuna and Alaskan salmon - in season.

My staples would be chicken, turkey, some beef and pork. Probably cheese too. I can do without it, but I would miss it's zing and quick protein. Must have eggs and lemons too! I need to have low sugar jam and mustards for cooking, along with EVOO and a selection of vinegars. I hate frozen or canned veggies, so someone would need to bring me something fresh-- salads or most any type of green veggie. I like broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans and zucchini. For longer storage, mostly sweet potatoes/yams. One thing that I must have is chocolate! Dairy isn't necessary and I don't eat legumes of any kind. Coffee, tea and mostly sparkling water are always on hand.

Adding in: coffee and tea, vinegar, mustard. Umm, wine. I seldom eat mayo or ketchup.

grainlady, thanks for the seven survival foods -- I'd have to test the dried egg things to see if I react badly to them or not. One reason I plan to have chickens when I move! I know I am fine with whole eggs, and I go through about ten a week. I do keep coconut milk here, and will occasionally want milk-milk (as milk or as yogurt). I use butter or ghee, but it takes me about three or four months to go through a pound package.

Fats - yes, to coconut oil, or to having some sort of healthy oil around -- I do use various types regularly. And there is plenty of coconut oil here.

Citrus juice - I use a lot of lemon, lime and grapefruit, at the moment all fresh.

Potatoes - I have a load of them from the farmer's markets I went to shortly before my accident. They are dwindling, but very good. I'll check out Golden Grill Hashbrown potatoes. Sound good to me!

I have canned beef and pork (a friend and I put up); I have several packages of sardines (bought), I have canned cheese. I'm not really jonesing for the canned cheese, however. Not something that falls into the category of want to have every week/frequently. (Actually, the milk doesn't fall into that category, either...) Will have to check out freeze dried cheese. Maybe that tastes better. I still mean to order the tomato powder.

Haven't really had any real urge for grains, beans/legumes or seeds. (And I have them here - grains being rice, wild rice, quinoa, and oatmeal)

Seeds for sprouting micro-greens or just plain sprouts - great idea!!!

Sweeteners -- Haven't touched either my honey, the maple syrup, or the palm sugar I have here. Yes, I did eat some dessert things people dropped off, but just out of obligation, not out of desire. Not a "staple" I really do want to eat every week!

Hmmm.... every week

Oats, rice, beans, flour, nuts

evvo and coconut oil, salt, pepper, yeast, tea, herbs and spices

onions, garlic, carrots, celery, squash, something green, tomatoes canned, fresh or frozen, blueberries and/or other fruit, lemon

Plain yogurt, cheese, eggs, some meat or fish

something chocolate....

Staples I WANT to eat: soudough bread or rolls, ice cream, hot fudge, Hershey's chocolate and almonds with maybe some dried cherries, cheese, cheese and more cheese with good crackers, organic tortilla chips with avocados and other accoutrements, wine, coffee with cream and some type of liqueur. Good fresh oatmeal in cookies or cooked. Good pancakes with maple syrup. Chicken noodle soup. Hummus and pita.

Staples i DO eat: apples, bananas, oatmeal, yogurt with homeade jam, salsa, organic tortilla chips, low fat sour cream, rice, neufchatel cheese, cabbage, carrots, onions, celery or green peppers, beans, (usually refried and hummus at least) canned tomatoes, coffee, half and half or condensed milk, cottage cheese, fake sausage, bagels or english muffins, muenster cheese, sometimes goat cheese crumbles, low acid orange juice or some other type of juice, flavored soda water, canned seafood. Various frozen veggies. Parmesean cheese. Wasa crackers.

Grainlady, I am so impressed and intrigued with your food storage system. I have a whole ton of questions, but don't want to bog you down with them, so do you have any recommendations for websites or books that can provide additional insight into setting up a similar system? And where do you buy your freeze dried food? Thank you!

Edited to apologize for the thread hijack!

Bread, butter, beef, potatoes, rice, scallions, fruit.

Never mind which fruit. I like them all except annona.

If I were living alone, my only requirements would be eggs and cheddar cheese. OK, maybe roasted low-salt mixed nuts. An occasional carton of really good vanilla or honey yoghurt, like Clover Organic. I'd freeze English muffins so I could take individual ones out once in a while for a cheese toastie.

Since I'm not living alone, I have a very full refrigerator/freezer, plus a loaded-to-the-max upright freezer. My DH is a very appreciative eater [smile].

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so there's several services that deliver regular groceries as well as specialty and artisanal items, including great ready-to-eat salads. There's also some excellent take-out services that pick up food from restaurants that don't normally deliver, and bring it to your doorstep.

But if I can get out of the house (I too broke my leg once, no fun at all) I prefer to eat out. There are really great restaurants at all price levels out here.

Last week I sent around a snippet of a blogger's food review of a new neighborhood place, to my friends. It's really a bar with specialty cocktails, although it's hard to know that from the obscure name. But the cook who's doing the limited bar food menu has put some real passion into his dishes, according to the review.

I said, "Trust the Bay Area to have a bar where the chef makes his own hand-made pasta, LOL!"

Meats - (chicken, beef, lamb), salad makers - (lettuce, cukes, spinach, carrots, broccoli), more vegetables, pumpkin seeds and flax (to make flour), eggs, goat cheese, nuts and dairy free chocolate chips. All must haves here we use week to week.