DIY All-Purpose Seasoning + Pantry Supplies Storage Hacks

July 25, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 132 Comments

A perfect DIY All-Purpose Seasoning recipe, gluten-free, salt and sugar-free, that will spice up any dish! Plus some trendy hacks for traveling, transporting, storing and organizing all you small pantry cooking and baking essentials!

Young adults live a pretty nomadic life. Traveling back and forth from our childhood homes, college dorms, apartments, cross-country, overseas, we are always moving. Never settled, we basically live out of our suitcases. We can never “unpack” everything because we know we’ll just be packing it all back up in a few months (even weeks!). And I don’t know about you, but packing is not my idea of fun! Especially those smaller, harder to keep track of and organized, items.

As a food blogger and recipe developer, I tend to have some more interesting “small items” that need to be toted around, packed and kept organized. The small items I’m talking about are all those spices, herbs, extracts, stevia bottles, little bags of chocolate chips, nutritional yeast, active dry yeast, the list goes on and on! We can call them “pantry essentials” and just because I’m moving around from kitchen to kitchen, doesn’t mean I can just leave all these essentials behind.

That’s where getting a little “creative” with Creative Options comes into play! At my local Walmart I picked up the Stow ‘N Go Shoulder Tote and some Mini Sideways Utility boxes to help me out with my storage, organization, and travel “hacks” I had in mind. Using these typically “craft storage” boxes you might think is a little “outside the box”, but that’s the point! Cooking and baking are my crafts and these storage options work just as well for my pantry essentials! Whether you’re a nomadic college student, couch-surfing young adult, or just taking some time for extended travel, I think you’ll find my storage hack pretty nifty!

In the tote, you have a few different storage boxes that you can group your essentials by type (or not!). You can storage your spices and herbs alphabetically in the slots, pack all your sweeteners and extracts together, and keep your miscellaneous goodies in one place. Then just zip it up and take it with your where ever you go! It’s literally your own little “spice cabinet” with shelves on-the-go! I used to pack these little bottles by stuffing them in every little nook and cranny I could find in suitcases, bags, etc. Needless to say, there were some spills, butterscotch smelling pants and paprika dusted socks!

The mini utility boxes are my idea of “traveling meal prep flavor savers”! Say you’re going on a quick weekend trip and will be leaving your current “home base” for just a few days. You don’t need all your pantry essentials, but you need a few, maybe certain spices for a specific meal you know you’ll be making, in certain amounts, or your daily doses of cinnamon and turmeric need to be ready and on hand! Just place the specific spices you need in little plastic baggies and pop them in the small compartments of the box! Easy peasy and takes up barely any additional space and everything you need is right in one place! Grab and go! Food allergy plus, you have a set of safe spices and essentials, no cross-contamination or having to “borrow” tainted items!

I’m also going to share with you one of my favorite all-purpose spice blends I use almost daily! Since I don’t always have that other special seasoning, I have another go-to that uses many of my absolute favorite spices (the ones that always come with me)! It’s a great savory blend that goes well on chicken, fish, salad bowls, dinner bowls, beans, veggies, anything! The Fantastic 5 for when you need to add flavor without the salt, sugar, or any specific cuisine in mind!

DIY All-Purpose Seasoning