Today I am linking up with Shay & Erika for this month's edition of Let's Look. A fun monthly post where we take a peek at some random little things in our lives. Today's topic, What's in our grocery carts.
Let me tell you, this is a fun one for me because grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do. Some of you may think I am crazy, but I have never done Instacart. I can't fathom someone choosing my produce or meat. Maybe I'm just extra particular about it, but I would be so mad if I spent money on groceries and the berries did not look good or the chicken looked fatty. So I take myself every weekend, usually Saturday mornings and do my grocery shopping.
Maybe it's my love of food and cooking, but I also find inspiration in the aisles as I shop. It really does bring me joy! Now a disclaimer, when I had a baby and an 18month old that wanted the race car shaped grocery cart I did not enjoy grocery shopping as much. That was a much more stressful time. So in that season of life, I would have pursued Instacart if it was a thing. Then as my kids grew up, it was fun to take them along and teach them how to make healthy choices in a grocery store and how to read food labels.
Ugh I can't stand how cute my little helpers were!
Now as teens, they are usually still in bed while I am shopping.
For me my grocery shopping starts at home. I have a list on the side of our fridge that everyone knows to add to if they need something. Whether it be a food item or household item it goes on there, so I don't miss it. Between my work schedule and the kid's schedules I don't have time for multiple trips. It's typically Target and Wegmans every Saturday morning and if it wasn't on the list, it's not happening until next week. Unless of course I can order it on Amazon! LOL
So, I plan my meals for the week and write out what ingredients I need to make those meals. I plan 5 meals a week and usually cook Sun-Thursday nights. We usually go out to eat or order take out one night and clean out the fridge/leftovers another night. I am not super scheduled on what I am cooking what night- it usually depends on what we have going on with sports or how late I will be home from work. I usually do my more labor intense meals on Sundays & Mondays. My family is not a fan of most crock pot meals. They say it all tastes like mush. Maybe I haven't found the right recipes, but crockpots are no for the most part here.
And that concludes my structured part of the post. The remainder will be pictures of random stuff I buy each week that are staples in our house.
Now the other staples are obvious fruits, meats and veggies for dinners and lunches. I am not sharing those, but rather some of the packaged items that are must haves or help make life easier.
So, in no particular order, here we go. Frist up are these healthy oatmeal bites. Clean ingredients and a tasty little afternoon treat or something sweet after dinner.
This is my favorite snack to reach for if I need something after dinner or on a weekend afternoon. The sweet and salty of this popcorn is oh so good! And as a coconut fan, the coconut flavor is amazing. I cannot say enough about Hu chocolate. Clean ingredients and tastes great. One little square is all I need.
We don't do a ton of canned veggies, but these are ones that are in my cart and I always have on hand. Black beans are a great source of added protein on Mexican inspired nights. Garbanzo beans in all our salads and cannellini beans are great in soups.
And after years of working in Target and other retailers, my cupboards and fridge are very well organized.
Grillo's pickles are our FAVORITE! The sweet and spicy are the best snack! The sandwich slices are perfect for sandwiches and the pickle salsa is a Summer staple for me.
On my health journey this year, I have made a change in how much protein I eat each day. This cottage cheese is hands down the best one in my opinion. It has the best texture and 19g of protein per serving. I like to sprinkle with salt & pepper and dip bell peppers in it. Paul has his with blueberries and honey.
Hummus. I love all kinds. Spicy and Garlic are my favorite.
Paul and I love olives. We will add to a charcuterie board or just snack on before dinner or add to a salad. Some kind of olive mix is always in my cart.
I swear by these juice shots. I take them a few times a week throughout the Fall and Winter season, and they have really helped with my immunity. I have not been sick the past few Winters and I thank these for helping my keep healthy.
**Disclaimer. I wrote this post last weekend and started feeling terrible on Sunday and have the flu....but I still stand by these juice shots!
Luke is also trying to get in some extra protein, so we buy these by the case. I also use them in a pinch while travelling for work or spending the day at a sports meet or tournament.
My favorite yogurt. I mix with powdered peanut butter and cinnamon and add blueberries and granola. A delicious, high protein breakfast or snack. I also mix with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips for a sweet treat!
I love sparkling waters. I vary the flavors I have on hand each week, but usually have at least 2 options. I drink 1-2 per day.
These are my kids' latest obsession. A "better for you soda", if there is such a thing. When I look at the ingredients, they are a lot better than Coke so I call it a win. This is their favorite flavor. I just wish they came in a mini can.
We all love these protein balls. You just add almond butter or peanut butter, along with honey and water. I make a big batch every Sunday for our week.
These waffles are my favorite when I need something quick before a morning workout. Add a spread of peanut butter and I am ready to go!
This microwaveable rice is a huge timesaver during the week. We love our "bowl inspired" dinners so rice is often a base. Our grocery store has jasmine, brown rice and cauliflower rice as options. They are always in my cart and always in my freezer!
I do love fresh flowers! I added these tulips to my cart on my grocery store visit last week. I am typically pretty good at sticking to my list, except when it comes to flowers.
I can't wait to see what others share. I am a sucker for grocery hauls and Costco hauls. I am always on the hunt for food inspiration!
Have a great Wednesday friends.
See you back here tomorrow. We are celebrating a very special day. It is World Down Syndrome Day!!!!
Hope to see you then, there is always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve
I loved seeing things you pick up typically on your grocery hauls, I am jotting down those rice steamables and Amy's soups to pick up soon! I bet those pickle chips would be so good too! It's so funny you mentioned the crockpot not being a hit around your house because my hubby hates any crockpot meal I make, haha! I love them though so I'll make myself something for the week to eat for lunches/dinners, and then just make him something else. We don't have any kiddos to feed though (we're just cat parents for now!), so it's easier for me to do that. I would probably skip it altogether too if I had any kids and they didn't like the crockpot stuff, haha.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful rest of your week! :)
Make Life Marvelous
We do our own grocery shopping too and I typically go on a weekday morning otherwise our local store is a madhouse. I will stop mid-week if I have to but try really hard to only go once a week and have grilled it into my family that if they don't put it on the list it's going to have to wait a week unless they want to stop and get it themselves (which they sometimes do!). We really don't use our crock pot much at all except for soups and even then the only thing in the broth all day is the veggies and perhaps meat but I don't add the pasta/rice until just 30 minutes or so before eating. I do have a lasagna recipe that comes out good in the crock pot too but I can't put it in there until noontime for our 5 o'clock meal or I think it's too mushy... plus lasagna is easy to throw together in a 13x9 pan and then pop in the oven anyway.
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