Grocery Shopping

Not having a vehicle to drive can be very challenging to say the least, especially when the nearest grocery store is 2 miles away. But it does motivate me in a way to get some extra miles in on my daily walk. Since I can’t carry a cart load of groceries home on my back I only buy 2 or 3 days worth of groceries. This is also a good thing since we don’t like to keep a large supply of food because of our gypsy lifestyle. We could get a call and in two days be headed to the next town. It’s also not the most frugal lifestyle. I purchase the smallest container of each item available. It keeps me from carrying a heavy load and keeps me from having a lot of perishables I may have to throw away if we were to leave tomorrow.

I try to buy products with the least amount of ingredients. I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) and MSG, although that is not always possible. I don’t buy anything that’s fat free, or sugar free, unless it comes that way naturally. I’ve never lost weight by eating fat free or sugar free anything. And I don’t like artificial sweeteners. It has been shown that some artificial sweeteners can interfere with normal body processes. Sucralose, for instance, has been shown to impair thyroid function, and the body does not recognize artificial ingredients as food. These food-like substances are metabolized differently by the liver. They actually need to be detoxified. It is best to avoid artificial foods. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/43858-unhealthy-foods-avoid/#ixzz0tmL1xBwr.

Here are popular items on my grocery list and why.

Corn tortillas: they can be used for breakfast tacos and fajitas or eaten by themselves. I can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 3 minutes on each side for crispy tortillas that are a lot less fattening than tortilla chips and have few ingredients, usually corn flour, water and salt.

Nature Valley Granola Bars: No hfcs, and contain less sugar than most yogurt. It’s a great alternative snack to candy bars or potato chips because they are sweet and crunchy. They’re great to take on road trips, to.

Egglands Best Eggs or similar product: They are higher in Omega 3’s and better for you. I eat the whole egg, too. If you just eat egg whites you’re losing most of the nutrients of the egg. Egg whites contain far fewer nutrients. The only thing that could justify their consumption is their attachment to their companion yolk. (http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html) Eggs are very versatile to cook with. I can make omelets for breakfast or dinner and add any of the following ingredients: bacon, ham, sausage, salmon, green pepper, mushroom, tomato, zucchini, onion, cheese. We also like to make breakfast sandwiches with eggs, sausage ham or bacon, veggies, and cheese on an English muffin are easy to make and can be taken with you when you’re on the go.

Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural ham or turkey: No nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients, no MSG, no hormones. I buy lunchmeat because my husband can’t take anything that must be heated to work since he is usually up tower in the windmills all day and doesn’t have access to a microwave. So he eats a lot of sandwiches. I can use it to make breakfast as well. You can cut it up and throw in omelets, throw it on a muffin or biscuit, or just eat it as a side piece of meat instead of bacon.

Whole grain English muffins: I use these to make breakfast sandwiches or just toast them and eat them with jelly.

Lucerne spreadable butter: It comes in an 8 oz container, and takes up little room. And its spreadable. In addition to spreading it on toast I use it to sauté vegetables, toss it in with green beans and some spices, and make garlic toast. Since I don’t eat it that much I don’t justify buying imitation butter at all. I don’t believe in anything imitation.

Extra Virgin Olive oil: I only use olive oil to cook with. I never buy cooking sprays for two reasons. They’re not supposed to be used on non-stick pans. They create a sticky residue that’s hard to get off if you do. And I don’t like to have extra containers in my kitchen that I’ll have to use up or throw away. Olive oil works just fine for cooking and has Vitamin E and Omega 3s. If I just need a hint of coating I use a cheap basting brush I got at the dollar store to spread the oil across the pan. I also have found small bottles of olive oil at Dollartree.

Triscuits: They only have 3 ingredients. Whole grain wheat, oil, salt. How much simpler can you get than that. Other crackers have a whole paragraph of ingredients, most of which I can’t pronounce, and if I can’t pronounce it I don’t want to eat it.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Preferably Kraft or Tillamook. They have the best flavor. Cheddar cheese goes great with Triscuits for a mid-afternoon snack. It can also be used in my breakfast menus. And sprinkled on baked corn tortillas and heated up with a variety of toppings. I like sharp because it gives me a good flavor when I’m cooking.

Black Beans: Are a great source of fiber and protein. I use them as a side dish for meals, and a topping with cheese and other ingredients on a baked corn tortilla. Again, read the label. I only buy the kind that say black beans, and whatever spices they use. If there is anything else like sugar or calcium chloride I don’t get it.

Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice: I don’t buy this often. It has yeast extract, aka MSG, but if we’re staying someplace for only a few days these work great in a pinch and the MSG is not at the top of the list of ingredients. Just heat in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have brown rice. Regular brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook and is hard to get perfect. When I find a brand that has no MSG I will let you know.

Birdseye or Green Giant frozen vegetables in steamer bags: Steams right in the bag in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. I only buy the bags whose ingredients list is: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. If it has added salt or sugar I don’t buy it.

Greek yogurt; plain: Its thicker than regular yogurt and can be used as a replacement for sour cream on dishes and in sauces. I use it on my fajitas, tacos, and baked potatoes, and in my jalapeno white sauce for my fish tacos. It can also be mixed with ½ tablespoon sugar, agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup and ½ teaspoon of vanilla and used as a dip for fruit. I do not buy flavored yogurts due to the fact they have too many sugars or are sweetened with NutraSweet. They also have artificial colors and flavors. I would rather take acidophilus pills, which travel better anyway.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Chicken can be used in a variety of recipes. Any leftovers can be thrown in a salad, on a tortilla, or made into a sandwich the next day for lunch.

Waterfront Bistro frozen fish: They have plain and pre-seasoned. We like the Chili Lime Tortilla Crusted Tilapia. I use it to make my fish tacos, which my husband requests quite often. I use several other varieties and flavors as well. I believe this brand is exclusive to Safeway.

Fresh vegetables: My favorites are tomatoes, green peppers, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, cucumber and zucchini. I try to include veggies or fruit in every meal. I add green pepper and/or tomato to my breakfast sandwiches. I add lettuce, tomato, avacados and/or cucumber to sandwiches. I pick a couple different veggies each week and cut them up as soon as I get home and put them in zip loc baggies so I have them handy to grab and snack. If I bought a whole lot of vegetables I would be throwing away most of them at the end of the week. I have mentioned before that I like the pre-packaged salads. I am starting to re-think this. I’ve heard some bad things about them. Like the ingredients they use to wash their lettuce and some contain more bacteria and contaminates than we care to talk about. It’s less expensive to buy a head of lettuce and cut it up yourself. Throw it in a zip loc bag and you have a prepackaged salad. I mainly liked the ones that had the dressing and everything already included. But I can easily make a homemade dressing that is a lot healthier and I can make as much or as little as I want. I will post recipes on another blog.

Fruit: My favorites are watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, peaches, and apples. Fruit is always part of our breakfast. Any fruit that is on the verge of going bad gets cut up and put in the freezer for smoothies, if I have a blender handy.

Carol Shelby Chili kit: Occasionally we get a craving for chili, especially on those cold nights. I like this kit because you can make it as hot or as mild as you want and the only items on the ingredient list are spices like chili powder, onion powder, masa, etc. No MSG or artificial flavors. Just add a pound of ground beef or turkey, an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and water.

Chips: My husband loves to have chips to accompany his sandwiches at lunch. Who doesn’t? The only chips I buy are Natural Ruffles potato chips and Fritos. They both only have 3 ingredients on the label.

Spices: I get most of my other spices at the dollar store or at Wal Mart. I don’t keep a lot in stock. Mainly garlic and onion powder, lemon pepper, salt and pepper.
I love tacos, and I used to buy the complete taco dinner, till I realized MSG was one of the first items in the ingredients. Most stores sell small packages of spices near the produce or on the Mexican food aisle for about $1.50. I get chili powder and cumin here. I make my own tacos or tostadas out of corn tortillas. I also get fresh spices like oregano, basil, and rosemary in the produce section for about $2.29 a package. I like to plan my meals that use the same ingredients where I will use most of these up within a week. Like pizza and spaghetti. Fresh basil tastes wonderful cut up and spread over a pizza on top of the sauce.

Whole Wheat Flour: Speaking of pizza. I love to make my whole grain pizza crust and add my own toppings. I can usually find a bulk section at one of the grocery stores where I can buy as much or as little whole wheat flour as I want. So this works out well if I just need 2 or 3 cups. Yeast is also sold in small packets. The only other ingredients are olive oil, salt, sugar and all-purpose flour which I can also find in the bulk section, and I use as well in my hash browns.

Vanilla: I do not buy the imitation variety. Vanilla tastes great in coffee with a little bit of milk and sugar or Agave nectar. I use it to make my yogurt dip for fruit, and to make French toast with milk, eggs, and a little sugar.

Whole Grain Frozen Waffles: I only buy these because my husband likes them and I don't travel with a waffle iron. I buy the ones with the least amount of artificial ingredients. They do make an easy, quick breakfast if you're in a hurry.

Maple syrup: I prefer Grade B maple syrup, but its not always easy to find. So I settle for the Grade A. A small bottle will not last long for us so I don’t worry about having to use it up. I will not buy the pancake syrup. Too many artificial ingredients.

Natural Peanut Butter: Most name brand peanut butter is nothing more than peanut flavored shortening. I can’t believe people feed this to their kids. Add the added sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup and you have a really unhealthy snack. Natural peanut butter however is a healthy snack providing vitamin E, phosphorus, niacin, magnesium, and fiber. I like it on celery sticks, crackers, apples, or just a good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It is very filling and tasty. Just don’t eat too much. When you first purchase it you will want to stir the oil into the peanut butter and then I store mine in the fridge to keep it from separating. Natural peanut butter should only have two ingredients: peanuts, salt, unless you get the salt free variety.

Jam or jelly: When we find a store that sells local made jam or jelly we try to buy a small jar of it. We recently bought some Plum jam. The only ingredients: Plums, water, lemon juice, pectin, sugar. And it doesn’t last long.

Milk: Make sure it’s hormone free. I usually end up buying a gallon, because it’s usually cheaper than a half gallon. Can someone explain this to me? I love milk. I drink it by the glassful. I also put it in my coffee along with ¼ teaspoon of vanilla instead of store bought creamers which are full of all kinds of artificial ingredients.

Coffee: I like the Millstone or similar variety. I can buy as much or as little as I need and I can grind it fresh in the store. It tastes so much better than the kind that has been sitting on the shelf for weeks after grinding.