It’s always such a shame when you reach for some food in your fridge or pantry to find that it’s gone bad. Even if it wasn’t expensive, you feel guilty throwing it away because, at one point, it could have provided sustenance to you, or even to somebody else who needed it. But if you are a busy individual, you probably run into this issue: if it were up to you, you’d do all of your grocery shopping for the month in one trip, but doing so often results in buying more food than you can get around to eating before its expiration date. Though I’d love to say that I lead a life full of all Farmer’s Market fresh meals, that’s just not the case. I don’t have time to get fresh produce every few days. I need a little more utility from my foods than things that turn moldy or begin to wilt after a few days. And I am just too busy to grocery shop often enough to stick to purely fresh foods. Fortunately, there are some foods that are not only healthy, but can also be used to make many things, and almost never go bad – or at least probably won’t before you eat them, or even in your lifetime. Here are healthy foods that almost never go bad.
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Raw beans
Whether you want pinto beans to make tostadas, kidney beans to make chili, or black beans for some hearty black bean soup, raw beans are a great non-perishable choice. When raw (aka in their rock-solid form) they can last almost forever. You just need to soak them to hydrate them and prepare them for your recipes. Until then, they won’t age.
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Oats
Oats are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and can be used for your traditional bowl of oatmeal with honey and milk, as well as in oatmeal cookies, or even in smoothies to add texture. You can even make savory oatmeal by putting a poached egg with some avocado and hot sauce over your oats. They fill you up for hours and, when left raw, take ages to go bad.
