I'm a creature of habit when it comes to certain things in my life. One such thing in particular: My grocery list. Whenever I sit down to compile our weekly needs, there are always a few automatics that I write down, even before I check the 'fridge or pantry. I just know we'll need them at some point in the week ahead because, well, I personally cannot go without them. Take a look:
1) Avocados
Whether we're eating Mexican food or not, avocados are a must-have for healthy fats. If I'm not turning them into
Kale Guacamole, I add them to salads and sandwiches. Or I chop them up for my girl as part of her meal. I mean, what's not to love about an avocado? Except for their price. They can be expensive, at least up here in Michigan.
2) Whole Wheat Bread
3) Peanut Butter
4) Yogurt
5) Fresh Fruit
Whole Wheat Bread: While I'm not loyal to one brand, I pick a loaf based on price and ingredients. From toast to French Toast, to burger buns and sandwich tops/bottoms, we go through whole wheat bread like it's our job. I seriously need to try making it in my bread maker...honestly not sure why I haven't yet.
Peanut Butter: Or any other kind of nut butter, really. But mostly peanut butter. Don't even try to keep me away from it. I consume peanut butter on the regular, and while I prefer to
make my own, I've been known to pick up a fun jar from the store, especially if I've never had the particular brand before.
Yogurt: Lately, I've been buying whatever is on sale. Usually going with Greek-style, typically gravitating toward Chobani, Oikos and Stonyfield. But whenever I'm at my local Whole Foods, I pick up a jar or two from
Traderspoint Creamery, shown above. Words cannot even begin to describe how delicious this stuff is.
Fresh Fruit: I start with bananas and berries, then I gravitate toward the apples. Then the citrus fruits and go from there. I gotta, gotta have fresh fruit in the house for smoothies, cereal and snacking. Lucky for me, I live in an area where fresh fruit is bountiful in the summer months. Can't wait to start buying my "candy" from the Farmer's Market!
6) Hummus
Like peanut butter, I almost always
make my own. Especially now that I've discovered
affordable tahini at Whole Foods. But if I'm out of tahini and can't get down to Whole Foods, then I'll buy some from the store. Crackers or veggies? Still can't come to a verdict on which is a better dipper. I eat the stuff on sandwiches, too. Also a delicious option.
7) Chicken
8) Fresh Salad
Chicken: Chicken on the grill. Chicken salad. Chicken on a salad. Chicken in my pasta. Chicken, chicken all the time. And it goes on sale all the time at my local big box, which makes it easy to stock my freezer. Don't get me wrong, I don't shy away from pork and beef. It's just that nine times out of ten, if there's meat on my plate, it's probably chicken.
Fresh Salad: My local big box makes the best, most delicious fresh salads—and they aren't that expensive, which is awesome. I buy one for around $4 and eat off it all week long, adding things to it as I go. (I've even been known to use the greens on my sandwiches.)
9) Oatmeal
I buy a big 'ol container of old-fashioned oats, and for those mornings when I don't have time to make a bowl from scratch, I have instant oats on hand to get the job done. I'm a huge fan of
Better Oats, shown above. Such great varieties, not many ingredients. Generally speaking, this is one item I can scratch off the list before I even hit the grocery store...sometimes my stock is up from week to week, depending on my breakfast adventures. But if it isn't, you betcha it's on the list and eventually in my cart.
10) Eggs
OK, so we're egg freaks over here. Eggs for dinner? Not at all uncommon. Plus, I bake with them. So we're almost always in need. But here's the thing, I prefer my eggs without the feather:
If you
follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this picture. But, seriously...why is there a feather in a brand-new egg carton? Gross. Creepy. Odd. Unless, of course, it means whomever finds it wins a prize. I snapped a pic, put the carton back and grabbed another. I just, I couldn't. You've seen Food, Inc. Right?
Question: What items are always, always on your grocery list?
