After a long day of work, it can be tempting to pick up takeout rather than to cook a meal at home. Get more use out of your kitchen by keeping a few simple and versatile ingredients on hand.

Healthy, home-cooked meals are often better for you than eating out. They don’t have to be all that complicated to make either, especially when your fridge and pantry already contain some important staples. To help make more easy and nutritious meals at home, ensure that you always have:

1) Eggs

Not only are eggs delicious and healthy, but most chefs and home cooks will agree that eggs are easily the most versatile food you can keep in your kitchen. They can be used in all sorts of breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes. Eggs are also widely used in desserts and sauces. Whip up an omelette, fry up an egg to put on pasta or rice, throw together some egg salad sandwiches, or poach an egg on top of some greens – you’ll never run out of meal options if you always have some eggs.

2) Milk

If eggs have a contender for versatility, then it has to be milk. Milk is a key ingredient in mashed potatoes, custards, soups, sauces, casseroles, and all sorts of baked goodies. You’ll also want to keep milk on hand if you enjoy eating cereal and oatmeal, or if you like making smoothies. Most types of non-dairy milk can be substituted in the place of regular milk in a variety of recipes.

3) Leafy greens

Keeping leafy greens in your refrigerator is a great way to make yourself eat a little healthier. Low in calories and high in important nutrients, leafy greens such as kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, and collard greens are easily the most useful veggies to have around. If you’re ever in need of a quick and easy meal, snack, or side, then just mix up a salad. You can also stir your greens into pasta, put them in a sandwich, or blend them into a smoothie

4) Chicken

If there’s any meat you should always keep in your kitchen, then it has to be chicken. Chicken is easily the most versatile animal protein, so much so that just about every country has their own unique chicken recipe (such as Indian tandoori chicken, American fried chicken, and Japanese chicken yakitori). Chicken can be baked, broiled, sautéed, barbecued, grilled, and roasted. It can be added to stir fries, pasta dishes, salads, fajitas, or simply paired with rice. Plus, just about anyone can learn how to properly cook chicken. 

5) Extra-virgin olive oil

Finally, any kitchen that you hope to get use out of needs to be stocked with extra-virgin olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil is a great source of healthy fats that is used extensively in cooking, from marinating fish and chicken to sautéing vegetables. It is often used as a key component of salad dressing, and it can also be drizzled over soups and pasta.

There are probably many simple recipes you’ll be able to make with these five ingredients and with whatever else you happen to have in your fridge or your pantry. Keep your kitchen stocked with eggs, milk, chicken, leafy greens, and extra-virgin olive oil, and you’ll quickly run out of reasons not to cook.