Grocery Store Hero
Who: You and your list
What: Make grocery shopping great again
When: You need to restock and refuel
Where: Any grocery supplier—but I’ll give you my favorite spots.
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Despite how many times I go to the grocery store I always manage to forget something I went for. Even when I write things down or make a list on my phone, some items still manage to escape my cart. I know never to go grocery shopping hungry, but what do you do when you just don’t know where to start?
When I got a new cookbook for my birthday this year I was determined to be smarter about cooking and grocery shopping. But on my first look-through of the cookbook it was a little discouraging to see that I was missing the majority of ingredients for most of the recipes. But on the second look-through I managed to find out that all I needed was a solid inventory to start with. Instead of buying for each meal, buy for all of your meals. Hang in there, I’ll explain.
This particular cookbook is super intuitive and organized which makes grocery shopping and cooking much easier. I’m no professional home chef nor do I consider myself “a foodie“ but after using this cookbook I am much more organized when I go to the store. Not only has this helped the experience, but it’s much better on the wallet. Hopefully this post will allow your grocery shopping and meal-prepping experience much more enjoyable.
Start with the basics
This cookbook was super helpful because it laid out all the basics you needed that allowed you to cook many of the meals ranging from breakfast to dinner. (It’s called Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. A sequel to Run Fast. Eat Slow.) Really reading the book as a book helped me prepare for many of the recipes. It tells you what ingredients will serve which recipes, which helps the buying process.
Since getting this cookbook, I’ve tried to improve my kitchen inventory to prevent unnecessary trips to the grocery store (or at least limit them). Some of the main items I’ve stocked up on are:
Spices
Grains (pasta, rice, quinoa, lentils, etc.)
Oats
Various nuts, seeds, etc.
Oils
Canned beans
These are items that have pantry longevity, so even when you’re not using them you don’t have to worry about expiration dates. However, I find myself using these for almost every meal. Having these items in bulk allows you to make many meals without having to go to the store each time. Spices are going to be the most expensive addition to your pantry, but well worth it. Pro Tip: Buy the larger sizes in spices you really like (for me it’s paprika, cayenne, garlic salt and cumin) and organize your spices so they are easy to access.
Plan your produce pick-ups
As we’ve been told since we were small, we must eat our veggies. It’s never been an issue for me, so I enjoy going to pick up my veggies for meals. Instead of just hitting the store to peruse the produce section, plan your meals and take the season into consideration. Having a good idea of what meals you’re going to make that week will guide you to how much and which produce you’ll need. Knowing which ones are in season will make a big difference in your spending. Do some research for which produce are in season so you’re not spending too much on lower quality produce. Pro Tip: I like to make A LOT of roasted veggies on Sunday to use in power bowls and as sides throughout the week. They have a ton of flavor and are tasty for days to come.
Not your Mom’s meal-prep
One bandwagon I’ve never been able to get on is meal-prepping (in the general sense). I need more variety in my meals to make chicken, rice and broccoli for the entire week. Ugh I couldn’t even make it to Tuesday if that was the case. That’s not to say that meal-prepping isn’t a smart way to plan and prep meals, especially for grocery store budgeting. One thing I’m trying to improve is knowing what meals to make for the week and making sure I have all the necessary ingredients on Sunday. Having a good stock and making those roasted veggies (above) make this much easier throughout the week. Pro Tip: Spend some time during your weekend to think about what meals are complementary and use many of the same ingredients. For example, smoothie quinoa bowls are a great breakfast item to use last night’s leftover quinoa (this is also from my cookbook).
One thing I’ve added to this process is a guided grocery list. This (hopefully) will help me (you) remember all of my items I need and prevent unnecessary spending at the store. I made this list for those reasons. It has a meal-prep section at the bottom so I can remember which meals I plan to make that week, too.
Feel free to download it and use it yourself! (Shameless plug—I put many of my own lettered items on Instagram here.)
As I said, I’m no professional. Much of this is just from trial and error—mainly having no direction until sticking to a guide. I’m just getting the hang of this, but I’ve already seen an improvement in a few things: 1) getting the most out of leftovers, 2) less painful grocery store experiences, and 3) better meals. If you’ve found this is helpful, share your experiences in the comments below!
If you’re not on my personal Instagram where I share many of my creations, you can see how they turn out there. And to give you a taste, here are a few of my favorite meals/ snacks so far:
honey granola (great for snacking and a boxed-cereal substitute)
sweet potato hummus (next time I’m going to attempt my own pita chips)
bison chili
thai quinoa salad
honey quinoa bowl (breakfast bowl topped with fruits and nuts)
My favorite places to shop for things are:
Giant or Whole Foods for produce (There is a new Giant right by my apartment and it’s been the most pleasant shopping experience)
Trader Joes for cheeses, chips, spreads, etc.
Harris Teeter for spices