What’s In My Grocery Cart?

Heyyyy all you cool cats! I’ve got a treat for you today, and it goes by the name of…

But befooooore we get to that, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I’m on spring break this week, so I decided to head back home for a couple days of rest and relaxation, and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL here on Saturday and Sunday! I ended up going on a 10 mile run around my hometown on Saturday afternoon, which is one of my favorite things to do when I come back to visit. I know, I’m crazy. There’s just something about being able to take in so many memorable surroundings (at a slower pace than driving) that brings me such joy and contentment. I’m a sucker for nostalgia, obviously. I spent Saturday night out with some high school friends in Chattanooga to top off a great Saturday.

Sunday was yet another beautiful sunny day spent walking a portion of the same running route from Saturday before honoring the life of my best friends grandfather.

It’s great to run around and have things to do and see on some weekends because it makes me appreciate the slower ones like this, where I have no where to be and no timeline to follow. Being in Asheville with a very condensed friend group over the last half a year, I’ve come to realize just how go-go-go I had been on weekends in the past. I remember the first Saturday I woke up and didn’t have anything to do and literally didn’t know WHAT to do! What a problem to have, right??

On those slower weekends, I eventually found myself falling into a usual weekend “routine” I guess you could say, and it’s made me realize just how much of a creature of habit I am.

• Friday nights after my internship usually consists of happy hour and/or dinner out before getting back home at a reasonable hour for a good night of sleep, otherwise known as one of my top priorities now. Ha! Really though, if I don’t get at least 7 hours I’m cranky, crabby, and way more likely to eat everything in sight the next day.
• Saturday mornings start off slow with some Pioneer Woman on Food Network, breakfast and coffee. Sometimes I’ll usually get a little done for the blog or new recipes. I break around midmorning, lace up my running shoes and head out to a local park where I pound out some miles by the river. At one point I would (literally and physically) run into the same little old man Saturday after Saturday, it was the cutest! Saturday afternoons are pretty lazy and are either spent getting some work done for my internship or just wandering around town before either whipping up dinner or heading out for dinner and drinks with a friend or two!
• I always look forward to my Sunday mornings spent at church, because I always leave feeling refreshed and inspired by the message given. I’m thankful for my clinical preceptor for pointing me towards Biltmore Baptist! I run home after church to throw together lunch before spending Sunday afternoon grocery shopping for the coming week!!

Grocery shopping is truly one of my favorite hobbies. Like, I love it. I could spend a whole day wandering aisle after aisle of Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Fresh Market. Shoot, I still enjoy grocery shopping even when time (and my bank account) don’t allow for some leisurely perusal of the bulk bins and artisan nut butter jars. While I would love to do all of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods, that definitely isn’t my reality. I rely heavily on some more affordable places like Trader Joe’s, our local Ingles, and even Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart. Asheville also has a huge farmer’s market that I try to make it to for some fresh and local produce! Regardless of where I shop, grocery shopping is my chance to recharge and restock on foods that I know I’ll get to enjoy during the coming week. 

I love taking a little peak inside the cart of other shoppers while I’m there. Is anyone else like this? I promise I’m not trying to judge or rate how other people are choosing to fuel their body as a future RD, I’m just genuinely curious about what other people enjoy eating!! This very act even led to me finding out about what is now my new favorite Chardonnay. Soooo yeah… 

Recently, I’ve had a couple people ask me questions along the lines of “what do you buy at the grocery store?” and “what are some of your pantry staples?“, so I figured this would be a great opportunity to compile a more comprehensive list of what I reach for when I walk into the grocery store on Sunday afternoons. I created an easy downloadable and printable list, so feel free to print it out and use it as a starting point for your own grocery trips! It is a comprehensive list, meaning I don’t buy every single thing on this list every week!! For example, when I have to load up on oats, I buy a huge 30-serving tub of oats that will last me at least a month!

That being said, I hope I didn’t leave anything major out! I tried to include foods and products that I personally buy week after week. That’s not to say that there aren’t other great products out there! Like I said, I’m very much a creature of habit, so I do admit I can get in what some may call a “rut” and buy the same things time after time. Regardless, I hope these benefit at least one or two of you the next time you are making your grocery list or looking for some more inspiration!

Click to enlarge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are some of your grocery store staples? Do you have any favorite places to shop?