A shopping list for a stress-free return to work after vacation

After the holidays, it's time to get back to routine: you unpack, get back to work, and often find yourself faced with a nearly empty refrigerator. Shopping for groceries is the first step to reorganizing your kitchen and facing the following weeks with greater peace of mind: there's no need to fill your shopping cart haphazardly, but rather choose versatile ingredients that allow you to prepare simple, balanced, and tasty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Before heading to the supermarket, it's helpful to check what's left in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to avoid unnecessary purchases and create a thoughtful shopping list. From fresh produce to shelf-stable ingredients, here's what to buy to keep your kitchen ready, even on the busiest days.

How to organize your return-from-vacation shopping

When you return from vacation, the temptation is to buy everything you need, but good homecoming shopping starts with organization.

The first step is to check your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to see which ingredients are already there and which need to be purchased.

It's also a good idea to think about your weekly meals: breakfasts, quick lunches, family dinners, and any emergencies. Choosing versatile ingredients helps you avoid waste and always have a solution on hand: pasta with a quick sauce, a full salad, a vegetable frittata, or a one-pot meal made with whatever you have at home. A well-thought-out list helps you shop more consciously.

Not just for the return trip expenses

Here's a series of kitchen essentials that always save you when you feel like you're out of supplies. But first, a few important notes.

• You won't find biscuits, snacks, or bread, because you can make anything with flour, milk, oil, and other basic ingredients.
• There aren't even fruit juices for the same reason because if you have, for example, oranges you can make a juice or invent centrifuges from anything, having fresh fruit and vegetables.
• You won't find ready-made meals because with what the lists provide you can easily cook anything in a short time, from eggs to risotto to baked fish with potatoes.

In general, we recommend buying only the essentials and occasionally new supermarket items that pique your interest, but don't fill your cart with unnecessary items, knowing you probably won't use them or that they'll expire soon. Always remember that with just a few ingredients, you can create extraordinary dishes without being a master chef and without spending a lot.

And now, here is the list of essentials you should buy at the supermarket.

The basic pantry: the ingredients you should always have

• short and long pasta
• rice
• farro
• cous cous
• orzo
• this
• lentils
• beans
• tuna
• mackerel
• peeled tomatoes/purée
• extra virgin olive oil
• vinegar
• spices
• aromatic herbs
• dried fruit
• egg
• parmigiano
• piadinas
• bread to freeze

The article already proposes a division between fresh food, long-life food and freezer: I would make it more editorial by transforming it into a real guide to the "smart pantry"

What to get in the fresh counter

First, choose the ingredients that are essential for your breakfast: yogurt, milk, ricotta, and fresh fruit.

Then move on to the other meals of the day and choose your favorite seasonal vegetables and fruits; meat, fish, or plant-based alternatives; cheeses; cured meats if you like them; and herbs that can flavor your recipes, such as herbs, lemons, and vegetables for stir-frying.

• Egg
• Cow's milk or vegetable milk
• Yogurt
• Favorite seasonal fruit
• Lemons for seasoning
• Smoked salmon
• Meat
• Parmesan cheese to grate
• Bread (possibly frozen)

Long-life ingredients

Once we've left the fresh section, let's move on to ingredients that have a long shelf life. Stock up on canned legumes, tuna, and mackerel preserved in oil, because when you don't have time to cook, they'll be a lifesaver. Don't forget various grains for making pasta dishes, soups, and salads, and durum wheat pasta, because it's a must-have on our table. And then there's tomato puree for sauces and various dressings, and even preserves in oil, like sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and eggplant. Finally, everything a pantry really needs: flour and baking powder for every eventuality, sugar and salt, oil, vinegar, and spices.

• Dried legumes
• Flours and yeasts
• Tomato puree
• Extra virgin olive oil and seed oil.
• Sale
• Sugar
• Spices
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Coffee, tea, herbal teas

What to always keep in the freezer

We conclude with products to freeze, ready to pull out when needed. Minestrone is delicious when made fresh, but even frozen is not bad if made with top-quality vegetables and not pre-cooked. There are excellent ones at the supermarket. The same goes for vegetables. Maybe you love broccoli or squash out of season? Get them frozen. Always having fresh fish on hand is not easy, and as we often suggest, you can also cook excellent frozen fish. Always opt for the plain version, without seasoning and without pre-cooking. Finally, always keep sliced bread, breadcrumbs, and chopped vegetables in the freezer for a quick sauté.

• Minestrone (unseasoned)
• Vegetables (not seasoned)
• Fish slices
• Some legumes (edamame and broad beans)
• Savory pie bases (brisè or puff pastry)
• Breadcrumbs
• Sauté mix