What's in your cart?

[J-Mann]

The thought of this topic occurred to me as I was grocery shopping earlier tonight, as so many of us have all tried to help the Forum's very own burdensome load with tips for better eating.

So ... what's in your shopping cart? This was mine today, about halfway finished with shopping:



We stock as many fruits as is reasonable for a two-week period of time ... given the season, today was bananas, apples, plums, peppers and tomatoes.

Veggies are a staple of every meal -- we've got asparagus and spinach this time around, since we already have broccoli at home. We also cook with a lot of mushrooms and onions, and almonds and yogurt are great snacks.

What's missing from this picture: meat (we got several New York Strip steaks and several pounds of chicken breasts. We've got plenty of turkey bacon at home already, and we'll go to the Asian market for pork and fish. I also loaded up on rice and milk before heading out of the store.

We're not perfect eaters by any means -- you can see we do have lunch meat (all turkey) and cheese, and a lot of times I'll fry that up on buttered bread with some spinach and tomatoes for a quick grilled turkey and cheese sandwich. And we eat out probably twice a week -- once out, and once getting take-out delivered to the house.

Still, we do OK. This trip will be enough to feed two people for two weeks -- $239.

So ... what are the staples in your cart?

[KCDem]

Yesterday's grocery haul for the week:

5 lbs brussel sprouts
7 grapefruits
4 yams
1 lb portobello mushrooms
2 onions
3lb pork shoulder
1lb Ahi tuna
3lb chicken breasts

[bullmoose88]

Lean red meats. Skinless chicken breasts. Salmon. Tuna steaks. Occasionally ground beef. Turkey. Rice. Tomatoes. Peppers. Onions. Broccoli. Avocado.  Lettuce. Mexican blend cheese. Beans. Sometimes deli meat. Not perfect. Will have soda, juice, seltzer.

[memphis]

J-Mann, do you only go to the grocery once every two weeks? I go 2-3 times per week. I'm very fussy about having fresh food. Also, I see you shop at a Hood Market?

[Ban my account ffs!]

The humble bragging is unbearable. 

We all know j-mann ravaged the little debbie section moments after snapping that picture.

[J-Mann]

The humble bragging is unbearable. 

We all know j-mann ravaged the little debbie section moments after snapping that picture.

Oh, I'm a horrible eater if I lose control. I'm also 6'2" and 180 lbs naturally, so I don't get too concerned about lapses. They have those little powdered sugar donuts all over the store, and it is damn hard to pass them by over and over again ... because if I get a bag of them, I will eat the entire thing in one sitting.

J-Mann, do you only go to the grocery once every two weeks? I go 2-3 times per week. I'm very fussy about having fresh food. Also, I see you shop at a Hood Market?

Yeah, we stock up for two weeks. Occasionally, we'll need to pop back in for something we forgot or ran short of, but the idea is to have everything we need at the house for extended periods.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I shopped today, but I didn't get that much as I'd already shopped before in this week's sale cycle, so I was at the store mainly because I was taking my sister shopping. (She's unable to drive.) 1oz of vanilla extract (I'd noticed Saturday while baking that I was almost out and while I don't expect to need any this week, it was on sale), a loaf of whole wheat bread, and 4 dozen eggs (a three-day sale with 1 dozen for myself and 3 dozen dropped off at a local food bank on the way home).  I'll get some milk, fresh fruits, and veggies Wednesday when I go shopping for myself, but anything beyond that depends on what's on sale.  I typically buy stuff in quantity on sale when I can.  I won't need any cereal for a while.  I got 16 boxes of monster cereal (8 Count Chocula, 4 Franken Berry, and 4 Boo Berry) last week that were half off after Halloween and that should hold me until at least March 2015 in the cereal department, as I also have some Cheerios (bought earlier on sale) to go thru as well.  If for some reason I end up going thru it more slowly than expected, or if I get sick of monster cereal, then some kids will be getting monster cereal from the food bank next spring.

[sentinel]

Yesterday's grocery haul for the week:

5 lbs brussel sprouts
7 grapefruits
4 yams
1 lb portobello mushrooms
2 onions
3lb pork shoulder
1lb Ahi tuna
3lb chicken breasts

5 pounds of Brussel sprouts? you cray

[traininthedistance]

I walk to the grocery store, so hauls tend to be fairly small and frequent, just what you can carry.  Also, we tend to not buy veggies there except in winter and early spring since we signed up for a CSA this year and get more than enough of them all summer and fall long- at prices that are at least as cheap as you can find in our mediocre local C-Town.  The house is currently overflowing with potatoes and squash and cauliflower that needs to be eaten.  With that in mind, this was my most recent trip:

1 quart 1% milk
1 pound bacon
2 lemons
1 box orzo
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 pound feta

We cooked up the orzo, lemon, and feta with some CSA spinach for dinner on Sunday (and leftovers for lunch); (some of) the bacon and alfredo went together with already-on-hand mushroom tortellini and CSA kale yesterday.  Probably going to get some chicken breasts for tonight and serve them with roasted squash and cauliflower.  Exciting life, innit?

The main problem with our diet is that we tend to neglect getting fresh fruit.  Other than that it's reasonably healthy, I think.

[King]

Lately I've been keeping the menu simple due to lack of time.

I'm plenty stocked up on frozen chicken breasts, frozen vegetables, pasta, rice, and instant mashed potatoes. I have a bunch of different marinade mixes as well. I put the chicken with a marinade in frozen in the crockpot before I leave in the morning and then when I get home all I have to do is make the sides. Yesterday I had BBQ Chicken with mashed potatoes and brussell sprouts. Today I'm making sesame ginger chicken, so i'll probably have rice and broccoli with mushrooms. Those are easy balanced meals.

If I get home and want something other than chicken, I'll just eat out and save my chicken meal for lunch the next day.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

On a typical week:

Assorted Fruits (what ever looks best)
Romaine Hearts
Tomato
Red Onion
Garlic Cloves
Mushrooms
Fresh Vegs - broccoli or cauliflower or asparagus - brussel sprouts
Cans of chicken and tuna for lunch
Applesauce for lunches
Olives
Some organic cereal for Mrs. Grumps
Lactaid
Yogurts
Fishes - always salmon and icelandic cod, and whatever else looks good
Chicken
Steak (for me)
Whole grain bread
Coffee
Eggs
Butter
(I always make sure I'm well stocked with good olive oil and kosher salt and fresh ground pepper)

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

lettuce
Tomatoes
Greek yogurt
Milk
Turkey bacon
Eggs
Brussels sprouts
Peanut butter
Almonds
Pickles
Onion
Chicken breasts
Beer

I always have good olive oil, olives and feta cheese on hand.

[TNF]

It wasn't my week to buy groceries, so I'll get back to you at the end of the week.

[IceSpear]

Mine would be Bushie-esque, except that I can use an oven.

[GaussLaw]

Mine would be Bushie-esque, except that I can use an oven.

Yeah, I buy a lot of Stouffer's/Bertolli's oven-baked stuff, and supplement it with vegetables, fruit, and usually some hot frozen rolls with butter.  Bushie's diet sounds eerily familiar to what I ate in college.

[KCDem]

Yesterday's grocery haul for the week:

5 lbs brussel sprouts
7 grapefruits
4 yams
1 lb portobello mushrooms
2 onions
3lb pork shoulder
1lb Ahi tuna
3lb chicken breasts

5 pounds of Brussel sprouts? you cray

They're just so easy to make and they stay good even after I cook them. They last me all week for dinner and lunch I bring in to work.

Also the above cost me $57 which is actually high for my weekly grocery bill. It's very possible to eat healthily and cheaply. I would guess I would spend this much by going out to eat three times. I usually only try to go out to eat once a week. And when I do I usually go to nice place, maybe a $40 meal. But yes, I usually only allow myself to spend about $80 per week and I leave my wallet at home most days so I'm not tempted to eat out.

[memphis]

Pork shoulder is an extremely tough piece of meat, full of chewy connective tissue. There's a reason people bbq it over a low heat for 12-24 hours. Pork is very cheap meat. For less hassle, just get the tenderloin. They sell it at Aldi for $3.99/lb.

[Lief 🗽]

5 lbs brussel sprouts

FF

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I don't do my own shopping except for when I need snacks or whatever, so it usually consists of:

Coke Zero
Gum, usually fruit flavoured
Ramen noodles
Cereal, usually sugary
Potato chips
More Coke Zero cuz I drink the entire bottle before I actually finish checking out (disclaimer: i don't actually)

[Lief 🗽]

I don't do my own shopping except for when I need snacks or whatever, so it usually consists of:

Coke Zero
Gum, usually fruit flavoured
Ramen noodles
Cereal, usually sugary
Potato chips
More Coke Zero cuz I drink the entire bottle before I actually finish checking out (disclaimer: i don't actually)

RIP R2D2.

[Dave from Michigan]

I picked up a few items at the store yesterday

4 pound jar of peanut butter   7.59
10oz of spinach                        .98
1 pound of ground chuck  3.99
1 12 pack cans of Cherry Coke  3 12 pack cans for 10 dollars plus 3.60 in deposits.
2. 12 pack cans of Mello Yello

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I picked up a few items at the store yesterday

4 pound jar of peanut butter   7.59
10oz of spinach                        .98
1 pound of ground chuck  3.99
1 12 pack cans of Cherry Coke  3 12 pack cans for 10 dollars plus 3.60 in deposits.
2. 12 pack cans of Mello Yello

Can someone explain this to me? 

[memphis]

I picked up a few items at the store yesterday

4 pound jar of peanut butter   7.59
10oz of spinach                        .98
1 pound of ground chuck  3.99
1 12 pack cans of Cherry Coke  3 12 pack cans for 10 dollars plus 3.60 in deposits.
2. 12 pack cans of Mello Yello

Can someone explain this to me? 

Michigan wants to make sure that people recycle and don't litter (and if they do so homeless people will pick up the cans) so they charge you 10 cents per can at checkout which you can get back when you bring them in for recycling.

[J-Mann]

Yesterday's grocery haul for the week:

5 lbs brussel sprouts
7 grapefruits
4 yams
1 lb portobello mushrooms
2 onions
3lb pork shoulder
1lb Ahi tuna
3lb chicken breasts

5 pounds of Brussel sprouts? you cray

They're just so easy to make and they stay good even after I cook them. They last me all week for dinner and lunch I bring in to work.

Also the above cost me $57 which is actually high for my weekly grocery bill. It's very possible to eat healthily and cheaply. I would guess I would spend this much by going out to eat three times. I usually only try to go out to eat once a week. And when I do I usually go to nice place, maybe a $40 meal. But yes, I usually only allow myself to spend about $80 per week and I leave my wallet at home most days so I'm not tempted to eat out.

Where do you typically do your shopping? I'm still trying to find the "best" place for me in Kansas City. I used to shop at HyVee when I lived elsewhere, but I was disappointed in the one KC HyVee that I found.

Michigan wants to make sure that people recycle and don't litter (and if they do so homeless people will pick up the cans) so they charge you 10 cents per can at checkout which you can get back when you bring them in for recycling.

HP state

[memphis]

Have you tried Aldi, J-Mann? Their prices are unbeatable and because the stores are small, you can be in and out in 15 minutes. They're awesome!