My Arch nemisis...........
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My Arch nemisis...........
| Wed, 07-12-2006 - 2:31pm |
Shopping. Weird, I know. But this is how it goes. I go shopping every saturday. But I get there, and I end up buying things I don't really need, etc. Mostly because I don't plan out what we are having for every meal for the next week. And I wonder if that will make a difference? I really want to be focusing on fresher foods, but it gets so HARD to know, what you will feel like eating for the next week. So I'm so lost and confused. I was thinking about trying to do ediets.com because they have a shopping list you can print out every week. But, I really don't have, or want to spend the money on it.
What do you guys do for food? Do you just buy the same thing every week? Any ideas to try would be great!!!
Tami
257/226/195

I always have a hard time with grocery shopping, but one thing that I have found works is if you buy frozen veggies. I keep frozen spinach and my favorite bell peppers in the freezer at all times so that I can give whatever I am eatting a veggie boost. I also make a list of dietary staples that I can make many different meals out of like chicken breast and ground turkey, low sodium chicken broth and whole wheat pasta are a few things. So mostly when I go shopping it is just for ingredients to go with my healthy staples.
Laura
What I like to do is have the basics, like frozen chicken breasts, pasta and sauce, cheeses, tortillas or bread, yogurt, milk, and salsa always on hand (these are MY basics :) ). Then, I usually check the sale ads and decide what other meats we might want for the week, such as lean steak or pork chops and buy those. I also always stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, but those I buy every 3 days or so because I like them really fresh. If you are looking to eat healthier, get some canned or frozen fruits and vegetables that have no sugar added and get some lean meats you can keep in the freezer. You can always throw together a quick chicken dinner for cheap if you have those things on hand. If you have a food diary or journal, look back to see what you usually eat often and stock up on that, too. I like to make big meals and freeze portions, too, like vegetable beef stew and chicken enchilada casserole. Then I have my own "frozen dinners" ready to go whenever I want or need them.
Staci
I more or less buy the same things. i keep a list of my favorite ww friendly staples, and that is the base of my shopping list. some of the things i like - freezer - Boca burgers, frozen mango, winter time frozen blueberries and strawberries, frozen chicken tenderloins, salmon patties for the fridge, eggs, summer time i buys enough fresh fruit for several days to take to work (kiwi, strawberry, blueberries, cantaloupe eating the berries earlier in the week since the kiwi and cant will last longer)laughing cow cheese, diet coke, salsa (several different flavors. in the pantry, whole wheat pasta, 100 calories snacks (usually two cookies and two snacks) healthy choice soups, low sodium chix broth and popcorn. i do alter it some but there is plenty of variety.
Sue
295/139/160
Sue
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Hi Tami,
I know what you mean! When I don't have a basic plan in mind, shopping can be such a waste of time and money. And if I don't have the healthy stuff available, I fall prey to the first pizza commercial I see all too easily!
What seems to work best for me is pretty much the same as Staci's plan (in fact, Staci's staples list looks really familiar, LOL). I try to look at the ads and then sort-of plan meals (not necessarily all the meals I'll have each day, but a variety of meals that I *might* make during the week), to be sure I have all the ingredients on hand for them. This is even better if I do it after going to the farmer's market-- so many inspirations!
Shopping on the weekend for a whole week can be difficult on fresh fruits and veggies, though. Frozen are very good (and still healthy, of course), but can you make a quick trip during the week to replenish? That way, you might feel less locked-in to a strict plan, too.
Just knowing I have options generally makes the whole dieting thing easier for me... although I've known folks who ate the same menu day after day for weeks, lost weight, and were perfectly happy. And I confess that my own plan now includes keeping some low-cal entrees in the freezer at all times. Our local grocery seems to always have one brand or another on sale for $2-$2.50 each. I know those days will come where I just can't face cooking or packing a lunch or thinking about what to eat AGAIN... better to have no excuses!
Misha
There goes.. I predict this will be very long.
There are certain items that I cannot run out of. And when I see that we're about to run out of a certain item, I just write it down. I do this as soon as I notice it, I just take out the shopping list and add this item so that I don't get lost afterwards when I'm trying to remember everything at the end of the week.
The items that I cannot run out of
Hi Tami
I also keep many of the same staples the other ladies listed.
Take care,
Jessica
My long term goal ticker:
Shopping for food is hard for me too. I'm not very good at meal planning for a whole week, so I usually go grocery shopping at least twice a week. Lots of frozen chicken, frozen vegis, and big bags of pre-cut salads. Plus, we usually have at least a gallon of salsa in the fridge at all times. The hardest thing for me is fresh fruits because I'm kinda lazy. By the time I get home, I don't want to have to cut up everything into snack size portions like I should, and then I forget its in the fridge so it winds up going bad. Then I get upset 'cause I just wasted $$ on fruit I didn't use. Just this morning, I had to throw out half my strawberries because they sat in the fridge too long and got moldy. Grrr! Its the reason I like getting frozen vegis. I can cook as much or as little at a time as I like, and they don't have a chance to get icky. Another "snack" type item you might try stocking up on--carmel flavored rice cakes. They are great for something sweet and crunchy, and reasonably healthy.
Katherine
349.2/340.2/145 Mini-goal: fit into size 26 jeans (probably around the 10% mark)