Clara’s Grocery Games

I love grocery shopping. Seriously, it’s therapeutic for me. The other day after work, I found myself aimlessly wandering the aisles of The Fresh Market for roughly 10 minutes before I came to realize “I was at the grocery store two days ago, and literally do not need anything here”. I ended up picking up some tomato and herb couscous, and a new peppercorn grinder, but definitely could’ve lived without.

Likewise, the amount of times I stroll through Trader Joe’s with no plan or grocery list is equally disturbing. If I had a dollar for every time an employee in a Hawaiian print shirt asked me if I needed help finding anything, to which I would reply “no thanks, I’m just browsing!”, I would be able to afford a week long trip to the beach.

I get that some people absolutely LOATHE grocery shopping. I think these people are just going to the wrong places, at the wrong time. Seriously though. I do some shopping at Wal-Mart (because my mom hooks me up with a prepaid card there), and it’s not nearly as relaxing and enjoyable as my visits to FM or TJs. I always end up at Wal-Mart on a Sunday evening when the rest of the Athens population decides to do their grocery shopping as well. Kids screaming, buggies left abandoned in the middle of an aisle, check-out lines longer than the line for a bathroom at a UGA football game…miserable. In these instances, I simply tell myself to persevere and push through…and usually pick up a magazine for the wait in line šŸ˜‰

I’ve gotten a couple requests to create a post that details some of the usual items I pick up when I make a trip to the store, and this weekend I finally remembered! My pantry and fridge weren’t completely empty, so this list is by no means exhaustive, but it does give a good idea of what I’m picking up week after week. I usually make one trip to Wal-Mart (cringe), and get some basics before heading over to Trader Joes, Fresh Market, or Kroger Marketplace to pick up more of my “fun purchases” and meats.

TRADER JOE’S HAUL
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What I got:

a bag of the cutest little organic Barlett pears: for oatmeal, cereal, and toast toppings
organic 3 grain tempeh: to be cut into cubes and baked up for easy lunches at work
brussels sprouts: …these are a weekly buy, because I love them roasted, if you didn’t already know
wild arugula: I don’t usually get arugula, but I was oddly craving the extra flavor it gives, and will be great for a mixed salad
romaine heart: I’ve been chopping a couple leaves up as a salad base for the last few weeks. Love the crunch and sturdiness!
blueberries: a staple, always have to have berries in the fridge
sliced white mushrooms: eh, why not? Salad toppings, balsamic glazed with onions, thrown in black bean burgers, the options are endless…
“trader joe’s and the organic carrots of many colors”: OKAY. Mainly bought these because I’ve been looking for the multicolored carrots for FOREVER, but then with a name like that, how could I possibly pass them up?!
a bag of minneolas: a mix between a clementine and a grapefruit, these are super juicy, have a great citrus taste, and are perfect as salad toppings or a snack
raspberries: another staple
reduced guilt chunky guacamole: well, avocados were finally ripe this week, but after getting a tub of this last week and quickly falling in love, I had to pick up another. The only downside is that it browns pretty quickly. Which really just means I have to eat it faster…not too hard to do, honestly.

WAL-MART HAUL

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What I got:

– Sabras basil pesto hummus: the result of being a little snack-hungry while shopping.
3 pack of mixed bell peppers: to slice up to snack on, throw in a salad, a possible Mexican quinoa bake. I love peppers, which is funny, because a year and a half ago you couldn’t pay me to eat one raw. One of my favorite snacks now!
green seedless grapes: I buy a bag, wash it, and throw it straight in the freezer for an easy and healthy evening snack to kill my sweet tooth
bananas: typically eat half a banana before I workout in the AM for some quick carbage, and snack on the other half at a later time in the day, or the next morning
lemons: necessity
garlic: another necessity
roasted verde salsa: I’m hoping to attempt to make that infamous white chicken chili recipe sometime this week, and picked this up as its called for in the ingredient list!
a perfectly ripe avocado: to throw on my salad later in the evening, and to use the other half with some toast + egg, obviously.

 

 

That’s not all…

In addition to what I picked up, I already had some staples in my pantry or fridge that didn’t need to be restocked. Here’s a few other items that I regularly stock up on week to week:

– plain non-fat greek yogurt (Chobani, Oikos, or Siggi’s)
– eggs
– vanilla unsweetened almond milk
– almond butter or peanut butter (brands change from visit to visit, honestly, but I’m hooked on TJs creamy almond at the moment)
– kashi go lean cereal
– purely elizabeth granola
– quick cook oats (it’s a tub with 30 servings!)
– apples, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, any type of fruit is fair game!
– broccoli, baby carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, kale, butternut squash…the veggie list goes on and on, and depends on what I’m cooking up that week!
– pistachios or almonds
– whole wheat english muffins or rye bread
– coffee and/or tea
– deli turkey
– salsa
– tortilla or flatout wraps (great for cutting up and baking to make chips!)
– salmon
– shrimp
– boneless, skinless chicken breast
– feta cheese
– quinoa, couscous, lentils, or similar grain
– canned chick peas, black beans, cannelini beans
– red onions

 Hope that helped to give a little insight into what I’m buying week to week. Some people don’t prioritize having a fully stocked pantry as much as others do, but I’ve found that it works for me. Making sure I have plenty of healthy foods available at home helps to limit the number of aimless wandering trips around Fresh Market that persuade me into thinking I need to buy balsamic glaze, half a pound of Greek orzo pasta, and a box of their extra crispy cookies. And if you ever see me walking around Fresh Market or Trader Joe’s with a look of confusion, I’m not lost, and probably not looking for anything in particular – just wandering šŸ™‚