Good morning. I hope everyone is staying warm and safe. Many of my friends in Atlanta and Birmingham have endured really scary situations with this winter weather…like having to spend the night in offices, 12-hour commutes to go just a few miles, being stranded in gridlock overnight, problems getting to their children and so on. I have been shocked to see it all. I know everyone makes fun of the way that Southerners react to the snow but the truth of the matter is that we are just not equipped to deal with bad road conditions down here. I am praying for the safely of everyone that’s been impacted.
Today I wanted to talk about what a weekly grocery shopping trip looks like for me. I have received quite a few questions lately about meal planning and food shopping so I want to do a series of posts about how that works for me. I did a major restock this week so I took photos of everything to share.
Before I get started, a few general things to share about my food shopping.
1) This week’s shopping was done at Trader Joe’s. I probably do my weekly shopping here once a month. Typically I go to Harris Teeter or Whole Foods but I wanted to point out that I spent the same amount this week at Trader Joe’s as I did at Whole Foods last week and got triple the amount of food. Not even kidding. I love Whole Foods but you sure pay for what you get.
2) I try to do most, if not all, of my shopping at one store. I don’t have time to visit multiple stores. The exception to this would be April-October-ish when I do a farmers market trip on Saturdays for local and seasonal produce and meats and then fill in the rest at the store. I would like to get better about going the the winter market but I’ve been a slacker this year.
3) I do so much better at saving money and eating at home more when I do one big trip each week versus having nothing and being tempted to eat out or stopping at the store every night on the way home.
So, here’s a week of groceries!
Meats
Smoked salmon, turkey burgers, chicken breasts and tofu. I also had a pound of coho salmon in the fridge that I picked up over the weekend from a crazy good sale at Whole Foods.
Fruits
Frozen fruit mix (for smoothies), mango, pears, bananas, kiwis, lemons, limes and apples.
Veggies
Shredded brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocados, frozen stir fry blend, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash and green beans. I got two spaghetti squash because they are so cheap at Trader Joe’s and they keep for several weeks.
Note: I already had kale, spinach and spring mix. Salad greens are ALWAYS a must for me to have on hand.
Nuts, Seeds and Soups
Walnuts, pecans, quinoa, soups. I also purchased whole wheat tortillas for wraps/quesadillas and whole wheat pizza dough for pizzas/flat breads but they went unpictured.
Sauces, Spreads and Canned Stuff
Artichokes, kalamata olives, peanut butter, dijon mustard, roasted red peppers, salsa, garbanzo beans, Island Soyaki sauce and hummus.
Cheeses
Goat, toscano, manchego and gouda. (For my nightly cheese snack, you know ;))
Chocolate
Chocolate chips and assorted chocolate bars.
From all of this food + what I already had on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry (I’ll do another post about those staples), I am able to make breakfast, lunch and dinners at home this week with tons of options and variations.
I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have any specific food shopping questions and I will address them in upcoming posts.
Do you do all your shopping at one store or multiple? One big trip or several smaller ones through the week?
