I love grocery shopping. Seriously, it’s therapeutic for me. The other day after work, I found myself aimlessly wandering the aisles of The Fresh Market for roughly 10 minutes before I came to realize “I was at the grocery store two days ago, and literally do not need anything here”. I ended up picking up some tomato and herb couscous, and a new peppercorn grinder, but definitely could’ve lived without.
Likewise, the amount of times I stroll through Trader Joe’s with no plan or grocery list is equally disturbing. If I had a dollar for every time an employee in a Hawaiian print shirt asked me if I needed help finding anything, to which I would reply “no thanks, I’m just browsing!”, I would be able to afford a week long trip to the beach.
I get that some people absolutely LOATHE grocery shopping. I think these people are just going to the wrong places, at the wrong time. Seriously though. I do some shopping at Wal-Mart (because my mom hooks me up with a prepaid card there), and it’s not nearly as relaxing and enjoyable as my visits to FM or TJs. I always end up at Wal-Mart on a Sunday evening when the rest of the Athens population decides to do their grocery shopping as well. Kids screaming, buggies left abandoned in the middle of an aisle, check-out lines longer than the line for a bathroom at a UGA football game…miserable. In these instances, I simply tell myself to persevere and push through…and usually pick up a magazine for the wait in line đ
I’ve gotten a couple requests to create a post that details some of the usual items I pick up when I make a trip to the store, and this weekend I finally remembered! My pantry and fridge weren’t completely empty, so this list is by no means exhaustive, but it does give a good idea of what I’m picking up week after week. I usually make one trip to Wal-Mart (cringe), and get some basics before heading over to Trader Joes, Fresh Market, or Kroger Marketplace to pick up more of my “fun purchases” and meats.
TRADER JOE’S HAUL
What I got:
– a bag of the cutest little organic Barlett pears: for oatmeal, cereal, and toast toppings
– organic 3 grain tempeh: to be cut into cubes and baked up for easy lunches at work
– brussels sprouts: …these are a weekly buy, because I love them roasted, if you didn’t already know
– wild arugula: I don’t usually get arugula, but I was oddly craving the extra flavor it gives, and will be great for a mixed salad
– romaine heart: I’ve been chopping a couple leaves up as a salad base for the last few weeks. Love the crunch and sturdiness!
– blueberries: a staple, always have to have berries in the fridge
– sliced white mushrooms: eh, why not? Salad toppings, balsamic glazed with onions, thrown in black bean burgers, the options are endless…
– “trader joe’s and the organic carrots of many colors”: OKAY. Mainly bought these because I’ve been looking for the multicolored carrots for FOREVER, but then with a name like that, how could I possibly pass them up?!
– a bag of minneolas: a mix between a clementine and a grapefruit, these are super juicy, have a great citrus taste, and are perfect as salad toppings or a snack
– raspberries: another staple
– reduced guilt chunky guacamole: well, avocados were finally ripe this week, but after getting a tub of this last week and quickly falling in love, I had to pick up another. The only downside is that it browns pretty quickly. Which really just means I have to eat it faster…not too hard to do, honestly.
WAL-MART HAUL
What I got:
– Sabras basil pesto hummus: the result of being a little snack-hungry while shopping.
– 3 pack of mixed bell peppers: to slice up to snack on, throw in a salad, a possible Mexican quinoa bake. I love peppers, which is funny, because a year and a half ago you couldn’t pay me to eat one raw. One of my favorite snacks now!
– green seedless grapes: I buy a bag, wash it, and throw it straight in the freezer for an easy and healthy evening snack to kill my sweet tooth
– bananas: typically eat half a banana before I workout in the AM for some quick carbage, and snack on the other half at a later time in the day, or the next morning
– lemons: necessity
– garlic: another necessity
– roasted verde salsa: I’m hoping to attempt to make that infamous white chicken chili recipe sometime this week, and picked this up as its called for in the ingredient list!
– a perfectly ripe avocado: to throw on my salad later in the evening, and to use the other half with some toast + egg, obviously.
That’s not all…
In addition to what I picked up, I already had some staples in my pantry or fridge that didn’t need to be restocked. Here’s a few other items that I regularly stock up on week to week:
– plain non-fat greek yogurt (Chobani, Oikos, or Siggi’s)
– eggs
– vanilla unsweetened almond milk
– almond butter or peanut butter (brands change from visit to visit, honestly, but I’m hooked on TJs creamy almond at the moment)
– kashi go lean cereal
– purely elizabeth granola
– quick cook oats (it’s a tub with 30 servings!)
– apples, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, any type of fruit is fair game!
– broccoli, baby carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, kale, butternut squash…the veggie list goes on and on, and depends on what I’m cooking up that week!
– pistachios or almonds
– whole wheat english muffins or rye bread
– coffee and/or tea
– deli turkey
– salsa
– tortilla or flatout wraps (great for cutting up and baking to make chips!)
– salmon
– shrimp
– boneless, skinless chicken breast
– feta cheese
– quinoa, couscous, lentils, or similar grain
– canned chick peas, black beans, cannelini beans
– red onions
Hope that helped to give a little insight into what I’m buying week to week. Some people don’t prioritize having a fully stocked pantry as much as others do, but I’ve found that it works for me. Making sure I have plenty of healthy foods available at home helps to limit the number of aimless wandering trips around Fresh Market that persuade me into thinking I need to buy balsamic glaze, half a pound of Greek orzo pasta, and a box of their extra crispy cookies. And if you ever see me walking around Fresh Market or Trader Joe’s with a look of confusion, I’m not lost, and probably not looking for anything in particular – just wandering đ
