Home cooks can shop locally but cook globally with canned goods like chickpeas, crushed tomatoes and coconut milk.

As a full-time freelance food writer, I give a shot to check that my grocery bills are reasonable.

How do I bridge the gap between high-end dining out and eating more modestly but still deliciously at home?

a photo of a woman shopping for groceries in the grocery store

Photo:Getty Images

Here are the seven staples that I buy nearly every week.

Chickpeas

I always like to have a littlehummusin my refrigerator.

I prefer itextra garlicky, with plenty of lemon and cumin.

Its no wonder that I need to buy them every week!

Almond Butter

One of my favorite snacks is apple slices dipped in almond butter.

Its a great way to combine a juicy McIntosh with a little bit of rich-tastingplant protein.

I buy the biggest bags I can find at Costco because these chewy fruits are seriously versatile.

Pasta

Though I often make my own pasta sauce (see No.

We celebrate this fact by taking a daily tea time withMoroccan mint tea.

Coconut Milk

My husbands latest culinary obsession is makingmango sticky rice.

That means that we go through a lot of rice, pandan extract and coconut milk.

I tend to buy six cans at a time at my nearest Asian market.