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Grocery List *For Louie (and Kath lol)* sorry everyone else!
So, this is obviously not what I buy EVERY time I go to the grocery store, Duh. This is the complete list of food that I buy on a rotation as of now in my life...just so you can maybe get inspiration for the kinds of foods to think about for yourself.
Couple of things...I pretty much do as much from scratch as possible. But I just can't do beans from scratch. Too much effort and planning ahead involved in a lifestyle that is very on the go. So I buy canned. I also buy pre-made dough (but not frozen!!) for making pizzas, calzones, and the like. I chop all veggies and fruit by hand, I grate all my cheeses, you get it. The extra prep work means I save money.
Also, I barely use my freezer except for pesto sauce cubes and veg stock that we make and freeze, extra bread, or ice cream. Either homemade or Trader Joes brand of ice cream, or a brand that has a few ingredients as possible :-) I get frozen fruit sometimes for smoothies too. Otherwise, it's a sad vacant space...haha
Anyways, here goes!
***
1% milk
1/2 & 1/2 (can use this for my coffee and cream sauces)
low fat cottage cheese
blocks of: high quality parmesean, sharp cheddar
rotations of blocks of: gruyere, gouda, or feta, depending on what's cooking!
chevre (goat cheese)
cage free eggs
Greek yogurt
red bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
sweet potatoes
red potatoes
spinach
broccoli
carrots
avocado (my favs)
asparagus
brussel sprouts
zucchini
red/yellow onions
garlic
corn
mushrooms: large ones for stuffing, and regular whites, and creminis
romaine lettuce
cauliflower
black beans
white beans
peas
kidney beans
chickpeas
lentils
tofu, firm
apples
bananas
blueberries
strawberries
red grapes
oranges
peaches
pears
cucumbers
various pastas, wheat and regular (penne, orzo, linguine, bow tie are favs)
tomato paste and sauce, to make my own with
pine nuts
dry roasted salt free: almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts
Kashi 7 grain crackers
natural peanut butter
strawberry jam
yellow raisins
tahini (to make hummus!!!)
lemons/limes
cracked wheat sourdough bread
high fiber tortillas
brown rice
jasmine rice
cous cous
quinoa
coconut milk
cinnamon graham crackers...low fat
salt free tortillas chips
honey wheat pizza dough
cheerios
stone cut oats
Ingredients I always have on hand:
flour
sugar
butter
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sesame oil
rice vinegar
salt/pepper (I don't use the salt much at all)
baking soda/powder
a good supply of dried herbs/seasonings, favs: chilli powder, cayenne, curry, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon
Things we get from our garden (but that I used to buy):
tomatoes
dill
parsley
chives
green onion
swiss chard
jalapenos
oregano
basil
Aaaaaand that's it! If we want sweets, I bake. (Or we get ice cream) If I have a craving for something "low brow" like Ruffles sour cream and onion chips, I get em. (and I love them!) But essentially that's what DH and I eat, plus bacon for DH, and from time to time I'll make him a pork loin or chicken breast.
We drink drink water, coffee, tea, wine and beer, haha.
And we feel really satisfied and good 95% of the time. The other 5% we go out to eat, and enjoy an indulgent meal at a favorite restaurant.
I hope this epic list was helpful, not too overwhelming?? I have a few recipe ideas for you too, if you want them. :-)
Re: Grocery List *For Louie (and Kath lol)* sorry everyone else!
You are a saint for writing that all out branz! It's been copied, pasted, and printed. I feel good that most of the stuff on the list are things we already enjoy, but not in near enough quantities. I think the only thing I'd have a problem getting would be the tahini. Speaking of the devil, I love hummus and bought some this weekend and DH was really icked out by it. But I told him to try it on some veggies or pretzel sticks and lo and behold, he finished the rest of the tub 2 days later. I didn't even get to enjoy any! Silly boy!
I'd love some of your favorite recipes! I always worry that I'm not feeding DH enough. I'd be totally fine eating a good salad with tuna or beans and some cut up veggies and dip, but he'd probably starve.
Was your H a different kind of eater before he met you and if so, how did he adapt? I'm proud of DH for trying new things since he came from a very 'country-fried' lifestyle. He really enjoys brussel sprouts, black beans, pistachios, hummus, and one of is favorite meals is meatless tacos where we substitute yellow or Mexican rice for the beef. But it's taken 5 long years to get to that point.
Do the creep.
Hi Louie, sorry I was MIA. Just started my new choreo gig this week, so been swamped plus I have a call this weekend! Meh.
Anyhow...not a problem! That list looks ridiculously long when I look at it now, haha, but I'm glad you think it will help!
And that's so funny about the hummus, my DH was weary at first too, but now he's hooked. He absolutely loves it! In fact I need to make some so we have some good snacks.
If your DH doesn't fill up on the food you are cooking it's possibly because he is dehydrated a little. Does he drink a full glass of water before/during the meal, and eat slowly? My Dr. told me that one. It seems to help. But also, I feel like when I cook, if I have a "colorful" meal, I feel more satisfied.
Meaning like, if I'm cooking a stir fry, I will make sure there is literally red, green, yellow, purple, etc. ingredients in the dish. And all those ingredients are fresh vegetables, and you can fill up on them, and feel full. The kind of foods you eat will make you feel fuller longer.
Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_foods to learn about whole foods eating, if you've never heard of it. :-) Also, your DH may benefit from snacking on nuts and fruits between "meals". It really is a better way of eating I swear! The days when I skip breakfast or I don't snack throughout the day, I am crankier, and less motivated.
As for H eating differently; we both have changed out diets greatly since we first met. First off there was a time where I ate meat. I was selective but still. And when I first when veg I didn't know how to nourish really, or how to make much besides pasta dishes and quesadillas!
My H grew up in a meat family; they're Polish and Italian for crying out loud. But he quickly adapted because he felt healthier and happier with the kinds of foods we were beginning to eat, and I think that if your H can just try to go into this open-minded, and supportive of you, that will in turn make the changes easier for him. Besides, you guys are still going to be eating meat occasionally, so it's not like he has to give it up entirely. He'll probably appreciate it more. You're not punishing him; you just want him to live til he's 120, that's all!!
So, I guess DH and I have both adapted our eating, and find we are both happier this way. Every now and then he craves something like meatloaf or sheppards pie (but like, with beef) and I tell him to cook it himself :-)
Recipes to follow once I get some work done! ;-) Promise promise.
Oh branz, you are totally my Nestie Bestie. Thank you so much for taking the time out of a busy (busy!) life to help me!
DH has been supportive, but I talked to him tonight nonetheless. I wanted to make sure he wasn't starving and that he was open to eating what I was. He said of course and that he wasn't picky anyway. Haha. I told him I had decided that most of our meals will be meatless, and when I do serve meat, I'll only have a little and give myself a bigger portion of something else, like roasted vegs. Seems to work fine so far since I already had Hamburger Helper planned for yesterday -- I had about 1/2 cup of it and my main dish was a good spinach salad with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red cabbage, mozz cheese, and chickpeas. Was good!
I went to the grocery store and actually used your list! I got a bunch of veggies and hummus for us to snack on and use in meals, but fruits were a little harder. DH likes green grapes, I love plums, and everything else was gross and mushy. Disappointing.
Your list made me remember all the foods that I like that I never think of, like cottage cheese, nuts, PB, and graham crackers. TY for helping me make better snacking choices!
Do the creep.