I apologize to those who thought I was pulling an Oprah and actually giving away my favorite things. No such luck. But every Friday on KMS I will share some of my favorite things, starting today with …
Grocery goodies.
Raise your hand if you hate grocery shopping. I know, me too. It starts with compiling the grocery list itself, which is a painful chore. Every week, I ask Dr. G. what dinners we should plan on for the coming week and I’m usually greeted with a blank stare as if I was speaking a foreign language. So then I sit down, go through my pins in Pinterest and do a quick search through some of my favorite recipe blogs to see if anything jumps out at me, both of which can be pretty time intensive. The actual shopping experience itself is also rather unpleasant, especially at the grocery store we go to. It’s pretty much a zoo unless you’re there at 7am or 8pm. The aisles are always crowded because the employees are restocking the shelves as you’re trying to navigate through with your cart. And it always attracts a high volume of senior citizens, who just leave their cart in the middle of the aisle as they disappear to fetch something a few rows over, completely oblivious to the traffic jam they are causing.
Buddy likes to tell people that this particular store, “Makes Mommy crazy.” Um, thanks. But they really do have the lowest prices around, so every week I brave the chaos and try to remember my yoga breathing in a halfhearted (and usually unsuccessful) effort to keep my blood pressure down while I’m there.
But back to my Favorite Things.
No matter what may be on the menu for the coming week, you are sure to find these items in my grocery cart:
Gardein
Um, as you can tell, I have a slight Gardein addiction. I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly two decades now, and these are – by far – my favorite go-to, quick meal. The burgers are awesome, and I easily go through a bag of the seven-grain “chicken” a week (it’s so versatile – you can chop it up and add it to a salad or layer them in a taco or burrito). They also have amazingly good “Buffalo wings” that I love to make during football season.
Pumpkin
Ahh, pumpkin. Glorious pumpkin. I am embarrassed to admit how much canned pumpkin (note: canned pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie mix, which is loaded with sugar) I go through in a given week, especially in the fall. It’s a little mortifying how I stockpile cans right after Thanksgiving so I have enough to carry me through to the following fall, since it is nearly impossible to find pumpkin in the middle of February. I’m so obsessed that, starting on Sunday, I am imposing Pumpkin Madness week on my family (more to come on that). There is a definite possibility we may have a slight orange tint to our skin when the week is over. But it will be worth it.
Amy’s No-Chicken Noodle Soup
This is my old go-to lunch standby. On those days when I don’t feel like making a lunch for work, I pop a can of Amy’s into my bag and voila! Instant lunch. It’s a little high on the sodium, but it’s less than 300 calories for the entire can and pretty filling. Plus, it’s perfect for cold, snowy days or when you’ve got the sniffles.
Yogurt
My entire family loves yogurt. Mimi gets her Stonyfield Toddler, Dr. G. and I share Chobani (I am compeltely obsessed with the apple cinnamon, although I also eat a lot of the French vanilla), and Buddy – like most kids – will only eat his yogurt in a tube.
Is there a plural form of “milk”?
I am always embarrassed when I check out at the market will my FOUR various kinds of milk. Buddy and Dr. G. drink 2%. Mimi has a bit of a sensitive tummy when it comes to dairy, so we give her a mix of whole milk and whole lactose free. And a few months ago, I switched to almond milk and recently discovered the Pure Almond unsweetened vanilla milk. I am hooked – definitely one my favorite things. It has extra calcium, is low in calories (30 calories a serving) and is awesome in smoothies. I just wish it was easier to jam all four bottles in my fridge.
Nut Butter
Just like with milk, we always have about 4-5 various nut butters in our cabinet. Buddy, his taste buds having been compromised from bringing soy nut butter to daycare for five years, doesn’t like peanut butter anymore. And I’m afraid Mimi will follow suit. To top it off, soy nut butter is not cheap; it’s probably about $5 and we go through quite an excessive amount per week. But it does make for a quick and easy lunch for the kiddos. Dr. G., on the other hand, loves all-natural peanut butter and I typically eat almond butter and Peanut Butter Company Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, which I may (or may not) have been caught eating from the jar with my fingers on more than one occasion.
Annie’s Macaroni & Cheese
Friday night has somehow become “macaroni and cheese” night at our house. You know why this makes my “Favorite Things” list? Because it’s the one meal I make where no one whines, complains or pouts, and they eat it up and ask for seconds. Works for me.
Special K Protein Plus
I am not a huge cereal fan, but this stuff rocks. It fills me up and it pairs so well with the vanilla almond milk or with fresh berries. Delicious.
Other staple items:
- Instant oatmeal (I usually bring packets to work for a quick breakfast).
- Frozen breakfast items for the kiddos (waffles, pancakes, etc.) that can be eaten on the go or brought to school.
- Seltzer water – I am particularly obsessed with the Polar grapefruit flavor seltzer. A-ma-zing.
- Fruits and veggies – I rarely actually write down which ones I need (unless it’s something very specific for a recipe). I tend to just meander down the aisles and see what’s fresh. This drives Dr. G. crazy when he goes grocery shopping because he is very list oriented and doesn’t know what to buy, so then he comes home with barely any produce.
- Bread – We are huge fans of Nature’s Pride honey wheat bread. It’s relatively low-calorie and all natural, which is huge for us since Dr. G. has trouble with calcium proprionate, an additive in many breads that helps prevent mold and spoiling.
But this week, a few additional items made their way home with me, as you can see.
Yes, we are having a sleepover birthday party for Buddy tomorrow night with two of his best friends. Three boys for 18 straight hours. If the weather cooperates, Dr. G. was volunteered offered to “camp” with them in a tent in our backyard. We also have an exciting night planned of pizza, Lego building, a movie and – of course – sweets. But rather than birthday cake, they are going to decorate their own special cupcakes (and make some to bring home). Good luck getting them to sleep, honey [insert evil laugh here].
Question: What are your favorite things at the grocery store? And do you find grocery shopping as stressful as I do?
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review of these products. These really are the food items we purchase every week.
Sharp Cookey says
“Pumpkin Madness week on my family (more to come on that). There is a definite possibility we may have a slight orange tint to our skin when the week is over. But it will be worth it.”
This is funny….love your Blog !
Jessica says
Thanks so much! And I see you are a fellow pumpkin addict as well. We should start a support group 🙂
Sharp Cookey says
ha ! That’s funny, I like it only in the Fall….then I need a rest from it, are we still ok ? lol
Jen says
Just found pumpkin cereal bars at Trader Joes for the kiddos. I may have to sneak one or 5. Let you know if they are good.
Carole adkins says
We are total addicts of the Gardein products as well! Everyone eats them, I buy 6 bags a week! Also a huge pumpkin fan, waiting for pumpkin update xo, C.Adkins