What are your must haves?

I have lazy moments so I always have a bag of ready made salad and renees half fat Caesar dressing. Also cooked chicken breast frozen in 3oz packages.

Lean meat
a crap ton of fruit, yogurt and assorted dairy products.
ice cream
gluten free bread mixes for bread, pizza, cake cupcakes
dark chocolate
veggies

apples (It feels wrong if I go one day without an apple)
bananas
avocado
selection of veg, varied each week
some good quality protein like salmon and chicken
natural yogurt
quaker oats
milk
tinned tomatoes
healthy-ish bread

Feels weird writing this down on here!!
I always have a fully stocked cupboard of herbs and spices, they really help to add flavour without the calories.

Garlic salt
Olive oil
Fage Greek yogurt
Honey
Eggs
Steak
Chicken
White rice (none of that brown crap)
Bacon
Tequila
Wine

Must haves (preferably) at all times:

Spices:

Maldon Sea Salt
Normal Sea salt I don't need mortgage for
Savory
Thyme
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder (roasted)
Chilli Powder
Chilli Flakes
Pepper (freshly cracked, Im not a savage)

Condiments:

DILL relish - I can't mess with the sweet stuff
Mustard (yellow, dijon, deli AND some local spicy stuff)
BBQ Sauce
Hellmans
Low Sugar Heinz Ketchup (low sugar only not the low sugar/low sodium :sick: )
Jerk marinade
Hot Sauce
Franks Buffalo Sauce

Food:

Skim Milk
Eggs
Chicken (boneless thighs usually)
Ground Beef
Ground Turkey
Spinach
Frozen Fruit
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Cabbage
Frozen Peas
Turnip
Carrots
Potatoes
Cheese (feta, old cheddar, something "fancy", velveeta...not "or" I need all of those on deck)
Basmati Rice
Frozen Fruit (999 out of 1000 times - blueberries)
Bread/Wrap/Pita
English Muffins
Bacon - (preferably PC Old Fashioned Style Naturally Smoked Bacon)
Ham
Sweet peppers
Mushrooms

Chicken Breast
Rib Eye

Sun Butter
Egg whites
Protein powder
frozen berries
tomatoes
onions
Quinoa
Cucumbers
Sugar snap peas

• Condiments, herbs & spices:
garlic
Mrs Dash
garlic powder
Sambal Oelek (I'm kind of addicted)
Cilantro
Sweet Chili Sauce
Sriracha

I cook with such a range of spices (about 60 jars on the lazy susan right now) that I find it hard to answer your question.

But when I'm on an extended trip and need to get things to stock a kitchen for a couple weeks, besides coffee and milk, I usually get the following:

Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
curry
cumin
salt and pepper if there aren't any in the rental
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
small bag of flour
bag of pre-washed greens
some apples and/or oranges
a few onions
red, yellow, or green peppers
sliced ham or turkey
a jar or two of pâté or terrine (especially when I'm in France)
a few cheeses
canned diced tomatoes
canned beans
white or brown rice
hummus, if I'm somewhere it's available
the healthiest crackers they have
a couple bottles of wine (or, in France, a decent boxed wine)
a small bottle of brandy or whiskey (for seasoning the food or the cook)

Those are enough to make a number of good meals, especially if I stop by a butcher's and greengrocer's shops on the way home to pick up one or two further ingredients.

Kiwi
Strawberries
Grapes
Pineapple
Raspberries
Clementines
Carrots
Broccoli
Peas
Sweetcorn
Potatoes
Fruit Squash (lemon)
Nutri Grain Morning Bars
Cheesestrings
Stock cubes
Pork Chops
Chicken Breasts
Ryvita Crackerbread
Fat-free Milk
Porridge Oats

Bananas
Strawberries
Frozen Berries
Frozen Veggies
PB2
Whey
Fage Greek Yogurt
Pita Bread
Sara Lee Whole Wheat
Thomas English Muffins
Eggs
Turkey Bacon
Foster Farms Grilled Chicken
Chicken Tenderloins
Quest Bars
Unsweetened Almond Milk
TUNA
TUNA
Quinoa
Premade Brown Rice
Cream of Wheat
OATMEAL!!!
Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli
Asparagus
REESE'S PUFFS!

I absolutely MUST have some sort of cheese in the house to function properly. Chamomile tea as well. I also really really love strawberries, yum!

what i usually bring home from Shop Rite:

progresso soup that have less than 160cal per can
white mushrooms
fat free cheese
4c flavor packets for 500ml water bottles
pre mixed salad bags
canned fish
v8 juice
deli flatbread

Greek yogurt
Salad makings
egg beaters
vitatops
fiber one-regular and chocolate
berries
apples
some protein source (shrimp, chicken, 100 calorie steaks)

Spices, Cinnamon, Pepper, Rosemary, Lemon Pepper, Salt, Garlic.
meats, Chicken, Beef, Eggs.
veggies... broccoli, broccoli, broccoli.

I guess I should get a job because right now the person who chooses the food only gets what he likes and broccoli aint' it. I forgot until this post how much I LOVE broccoli.


How in the eff do you even spell brocolli? Broccoli? Broccolli? I forgot how to spell it. Wha? Oh well if it turns out to be necessary that I remain a stay at home mom, I can always just remember to order brocolli at restaurants. Every. Single. Time.

I'm so glad to find someone that shares my love of Broccoli (yes it deserves a capital letter) :flowerforyou:

eggs (we have chickens so these aren't store bought)
cheese
salt/pepper
olive oil

if I could afford to eat rib eye everyday (grilled at home) I would do it.