i really need help |grocery shopping|

beautifulreason

Well normally my fiance and I do not make grocery list we just go with a budget in mind and pick up whatever it is we want...and once we get home we realize we really didn't get anything far as for making actual meals.
We end up having more snacks then anything.

This week were going shopping and since I'm trying to diet & eat healthy I want to get enough food so that it would last atleast 3 weeks or so.

-do you think its a good idea to go to the meat market or butcher and get maybe like 100.00 worth of meat?
-how do I plan our meals? How do I keep it healthy and tasteful?
-what are some other sides besides...rice and mashpotatos we can have?

Please help any advice is good

warmachinejt

Here is what I usually try to get:
Tuna in olive oil (the ones that are expensive ) I buy genova
Eggs
Bacon (try the center cut from oscar mayer)
Fat Free organic milk
Natural Peanut Butter
Chicken breast boneless skinless
If you can afford it some steaks (the ones that over the $7 mark haha)
Brown Rice
No High Fructose Corn Syrup Whole grain Bread
No salt cottage cheese (if you can stomach it)
Some veggies like squash green peppers and broccoli
Maybe some nuts like almonds.
For snacks get protein bars or those oat bars like nature valley.

Oop after reading poster after me I remembered sometimes I get 2 packs of lean ground beef (92%) and 3 cans of beans. And I make a whole bunch of chili and put it in the refrigerator. It is very healthy loaded with protein and fiber.

These are expensive but eating healthy isn't cheap.

ChefJenn

i use my local grocery store website and make a shopping list and print it out
Like I use Kroger. I can view the weekly ad, then add items to my shopping list and then I can type in other items I need.
I tend to make my weekly dinners based on what meats may be on sale.
I also buy in meats in bulk and portion them out and freeze them and use as I need.
I also use coupons alot to save money and also by using them I batch together what side items I want to use with my meats.
I use couponmom.com
and if your grocery store has a card you can check out shortcuts.com and see if they are on there and add coupons to your stores card.

I also on Sundays plan out some meals for the week if I know what meats I already have in the house and then I know what I might need at the store.
I ALWAYS make a list. It helps so I can pair up meals and I dont OVER SPEND!!
I save 40-120 dollars a week by planning, coupons and buying in bulk so I dont have to buy meat every week.

~Chef Jenn~

alecta337

The problem with going grocery shopping for 3 weeks worth of food, is that theres no way you're fresh veggies will last that long. You can get all your stuff except veggies for 3 weeks and then go once a week and just go to the veggie section. Thats what I like to do.

callipygianchronicle

My strategy is a little different. I cook from a combination of pantry staples, fresh ingredients, and bulk meats. So what I’m outlining below is really more of a strategy, than specific grocery advice.

I buy my meats in bulk (almost always on sale) and store it in a deep freezer. I plan my meals based on these meats. The exception is wild salmon, which I buy on the day I plan to cook it. In my freezer right now I have multiple chuck roasts, a few whole chickens, ground beef from Costco, and six max packs of bone-in chicken breasts (boneless skinless are a waste of money and have significantly less flavor).

I plan our meals weekly. We are a small family of three. I make homemade chicken stock in our crock pot and make a large pot of soup twice a month. The soup gets frozen into smaller portions and is sued for lunches and quick dinners throughout the month. I do the same with chili, and pasta sauce—I make a lot and freeze in small portions. This makes cooking easier, faster, and a lot less expensive.

I don’t have energy to cook from scratch every day, so I try and cook in a way that allows me to make fresh, homemade meals without spending an hour in the kitchen after a long day. I made a vegetable gratin last week that serves 8. All of the leftover portions were immediately frozen. This makes for a quick side dish whenever I need it. On weekends I tend to roast a couple of chicken breasts and use these in salads and other dishes throughout the week.

If you have to shop every 3 weeks (and cannot go in between) make sure you are buying lots of frozen vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables that keep weeks in the fridge include apples, broccoli, carrots, celery. Onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and garlic will keep weeks in the pantry. Other basic pantry staples I keep on hand: brown rice, canned tomatoes, tuna, dried beans, pasta, rolled oats, peanut butter, butter, flour, sugar, kosher salt, olive oil.

fantm

I plan each week's meals on Saturday or Sunday, taking requests from hubby and son if they want. I figure out what ingredients I need and add them to the list. I always make sure to have fresh veggies at every meal, and make sure I'm stocked up on my healthy snacks and other foods.

I would recommend buying meats and fresh produce weekly so you're sure to eat them at their freshest.

beautifulreason

Thanks you everyone for your advice,I think tomorrow I will start by making a grocery list andd then look up a few recepies and try making a meal plan

Pebble321

Bri, I think you're on the right track, but I suggest making a meal plan first, then you know what to put on your grocery list!
I use a great app on my iPhone called MealBoard which lets me plan the week's meals then automatically generates a shopping list. Next I edit this to take out anything that we already have in the fridge, freezer or pantry.

I scan through magazines and websites when I want a change, and we also look out for bargains in the meat department or butcher.

I save heaps of money this way because I tend to buy what is on the list, and I eat more healthy meals because I have planned it out ahead. Sometimes I even get organised enough to enter my week's meals into MFP ahead of time so I know how many calories I have for snacks, drinks etc.

In case this sounds terribly rigid - it isn't! I find it easier when I already know what is for dinner the next day and the meat is thawing in the fridge already. And if we don't feel like eating something, or go out, or have leftovers, then I just change plans and cook that meal another day.

suzieqdiva

Great pointers from everyone. Thanks.

Initially I spent some time cleaning my pantry & now whenever I am using the last bit of something, it goes on my list. Costco is my friend & I do use items on sale as well. Though since I eat a lot of vegetables... it is best to make a trip to the farmers market. I have noticed the veggies from there stay fresher longer & are cheaper.. so I come back laden with bags of vegetables, ready to chop, make soups & stir fry's with & great fiber content.

I do love what Yolanda posted & am planning to use some of her suggestions. Thanks... great post!

Suzie

nickscutie

I grocery shop on the weekend for 1 week at at time, mostly for fresh produce and other perishable stuff. I keep a well stocked pantry of stuff I use for cooking and snacking as well. I will also buy and freeze meat and fish when it goes on sale and always have some chicken sausages, chicken breast, and some type of fish filet and/or shrimp in the freezer.

I plan my meals before I shop. How ever many days I will be cooking dinner (usually 6-7) I pick out the recipes i want to make, choose the day I am going to make it and buy everything I need for each recipe. This way there is never any figuring out what to have for dinner or even what day I want to make what thing. I consult my list the night before to check if I need to unfreeze anything for the next night or if I need to make a quick grocery trip if there is something i missed.

I also do the same thing for lunches, but less detailed. I decide if I am going to make sandwiches, if I want to make some chicken salad or tuna for the week, if I want to make a big pot of soup or chili to take for lunch.

This works really well for me, takes away a lot of stressing over making meals. Another great thing to remember is that if you are making soup, chili, baked pastas, enchiladas, casseroles, meatballs or meatloaf, etc. - always always make extra to freeze for another night. Huge time saver, or a good option for lunches without having to do much extra work.

I would also recommend that you don't let yourself buy more than like 2 new snacks at a time. You should be shopping more for meals.

In case this is helpful, here is what I usually keep in my pantry/freezer/fridge. Having these items usually means I can pull something together quickly if plans change or I did not get a chance to shop:
canned tomatoes, crushed, diced, whole
beans - black, pinto, kidney, garbanzo, etc.
canned corn
chipotles in adobo
diced green chiles
various salsas
fat free evaporated milk
canned pumpkin
rice and dry pasta
oatmeal - old fashoned and steel cut
chicken stock/broth
barley, lentils, other dry whole grains
jarred marinara sauce
reduced fat cheeses, shredded
light sour cream
hummus
tortillas
eggs
milk
fish filets
chicken breasts
chicken sausages - fully cooked
peeled and deveined shrimp
healthy frozen pizzas or pizza crust
ian's chicken nuggets and fish sticks
various frozen veggies
frozen shredded hash browns

writtenINthestars

Another fun and easy site you could use is Kitchenmonki.com.

You can search for recipes, as well as add your favorites and then plan your week/s. It will then generate a shopping list for you and you just go through and remove what you don't need.

It takes time to get it all in order, but if you are like me, there are 15-20 meals I rotate through all month so now I just pop something in here and there, and I have my list.

I will stock up on meats but only if I know I'll use them within the next two months. From what you originally stated, it sounds like just planning out one or two meals a day will help you on your shopping adventure....more foods to make whole meals with and less snacks

writtenINthestars

YOLANDA-totally random question...

When you cook large amounts and freeze them, what types of containers do you use? Do you just use freezer bags or have you found decent cheap tupperware that freezes well>?

I had bought some cheap tupperware that were specifically meant for going in the freezer, but they didn't work very well and the food got freezer burn....this was after trying all of the containers I got. I do find the freezer ziplock bags work well, but when I'm dealing with liquids like soup, or something like chili...I get a little ansy that I'm gonna have a mess in my freezer before it has time to freeze!

Just curious what containers you have the best luck with...

Valtishia

We generally buy a load of meat when its on sale.. then as one type of meat gets low we look for another sale. This way you always have some for meals.

As for sides, sometimes a nice salad is plenty. You could also do mixed veggies. Or go with rice and use it as part of the main dish rather than a side. For example, tonight my plate with consist of about 1/3 cup of rice, with a mixture of chicken breast pieces in no salt added tomatoe sauce heated with a little bit of light cream cheese and mushrooms all mixed together on top... then just add a salad on the side. My husband really loves when I make chicken breast pieces with mixed veggies in a pan with some honey, garlic and cayenne mixed up (basically homemade honey garlic) and put it on top of rice. Or hmm.. something I haven't made in a while, shredded cabbage on a plate with some pork tenerloin pieces sone up with some spices and some corn or peas on top. SOO MANY OPTIONS!! lol

callipygianchronicle

YOLANDA-totally random question...

When you cook large amounts and freeze them, what types of containers do you use? Do you just use freezer bags or have you found decent cheap tupperware that freezes well>?

I had bought some cheap tupperware that were specifically meant for going in the freezer, but they didn't work very well and the food got freezer burn....this was after trying all of the containers I got. I do find the freezer ziplock bags work well, but when I'm dealing with liquids like soup, or something like chili...I get a little ansy that I'm gonna have a mess in my freezer before it has time to freeze!

Just curious what containers you have the best luck with...

I actually prefer to use ziplock bags for liquid things (stock, pasta sauce, soups), because they take up a lot less space when frozen if you lay them flat while freezing. But I never fill them with hot or even warm things, just completely chilled liquid. But I also use plastic Gladloc containers (cheap and work pretty well), Lock-n-lock containers I got from QVC (break easily when frozen) and some really glass storage containers I got from Costco called Glasslock (really love these because they are BPA free, and do not stain or hold odor--but they are easily breakable).

But overall, I find ziplock bags to be the easiest to deal with. For leftover sides like the vegetable gratin I mentioned, I lay the portions on a plate or cookie sheet and place it in the freezer. When frozen, I wrap the individual portions in plastic wrap and put all of them inside a large ziplock bag. I reuse the bags when I can (never if they stored raw meat). But I don’t place being “green” above making it easier to feed my family healthy and fresh food.

MrsChasteen

I don't plan a menu, but I consider what foods I want to eat...I like to group my foods and then decide what I need. I eat fruit and cereal, toast, or bagel for breakfast, sandwhiches or soup with fruit for lunch, and a meat sometimes rice/pasta/or starch and at least two vegetables. This is some examples.
Meat
Hamburgers or hamburger steak
Chicken Breasts or Tenders
Pork Loin
Pork Chops
Salmon
Shrimp
Scallops
Sometimes we eat
Spaghetti
Meat with simple gravy over noodles, rice, or potatoes
Quesadillas
Soups such as vegetable, tortilla, or beef and vegetable
Homeade pizza
Vegetables
peas
brocolli
cauliflower
spinach
zuchinni and squash
carrots
brussel sprouts
turnips
mushrooms
Be sure to create recipes in myfitnesspal......so helpful.
Good luck!
P.S. Always have emergency meals for when you are exhausted. Ours consists of plain noodles with marinara or peso, grilled cheese, quesadilla, canned soup....simple stuff.

jenbusick

I have a notebook -- just one of those spiral-bound 70-page things students use. On one page I'll write down the margin the day of the week, Lunch, and Dinner, two lines for each day. I write down an entree and sides for each meal next to each day. Then on the facing page (the back of last week's menu) I write down the ingredients I need to make those dishes -- that's my shopping list.

That way I know that if I go grocery shopping once a week, I can make a weeks' worth of meals.

As for side dishes, the starchy ones I make are rice, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, twice-baked potatoes, cream grits and cheese grits, rolls/garlic bread/biscuits, au gratin potatoes, kernel corn and creamed corn, couscous, and pastas. But I can't eat much of those at the moment. I'd make potato salad and cole slaw, but nobody would eat them except me. Some folks like beans (like refried beans or ham and beans) as a side, but nobody in this family eats beans willingly.

Green salads are easy. Almost any vegetable can be steamed, but my favorites are broccoli, asparagus, peas, squash, and green beans.

Good luck!

pinkgigi

Wow, you all have great plans.

The key is really planning, it is not only easier but it takes the stress out of the day when you know what you are going to cook when you get home. I have to be really organised because of my children's activities, so I need to know when leftovers are needed for my son to get out the door close to when I get home. Also if there is only two of you in the house, it is easy to cook for 4 and have leftovers every other day.

For lunch, I have salads 4 times a week at work and one day I go out for lunch, but know what I'm going to have ahead of time. As far as preparing the salads is concerned, I grate some carrot on the weekend, and cut the corn off the cob and store it in a container. Then I make 2 salads on Monday that last for Monday and Tuesday and two on Wednesday. I takes just a few minutes, salad mix, some cucumber, capsicum and the carrot/corn mix (and anything else I have bought), add some dip for seasoning and I put a can of tuna on it at work. It is quicker and easier than making a sandwich.

Julie

CarbAvor

I LOVE FOOD.COM!!!!!!! You can look up recipes based on what you have in the fridge as well as diet restrictions or "healthy" or "less than 5 ingredients" or "crock pot" or whatever! Plus you can make meal plans and grocery lists there! It's all in 1 and really helps when I'm feeling stuck!!!

jenbusick

Another fun and easy site you could use is Kitchenmonki.com.

I like the look of that site!