i really need help |grocery shopping|

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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!

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