Grocery Run

Today three out of four kids and I got a little lot of shopping done. (It took us about three hours. We ate breakfast before we left and before we made it back home, we had to break open some LARABARS for a snack.)

While we didn't have to completely restock our kitchen, we were out of many things. This will be our biggest grocery outing for July and each week will pick up more fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, and staples that are low.

Here are pictures of some of what we got:

My favorite fruit is watermelon - hands down. I wish we could get one once a week, but we have at least two a month. Kroger had grapes on sale $0.99/lb, and it's about time! I didn't get any fresh vegetables this time except spinach. We eat spinach for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. We eat it raw in salads, on sandwiches, and in smoothies. We cook it with mushrooms, onion, and garlic to eat anytime of the day. With six people in our house, there' s no need to buy eggs by the dozen (unless of course the unit cost is less for a dozen than for this five dozen box). We eat Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat Classic bread. I hope to soon start making some fresh loaves for us.

We purchased quite a bit of frozen vegetables. This way I don't have to worry about wasted vegetables. Those frozen greens are a first time purchase. I usually buy those fresh but this means I have to cook them within a day or two. Sometimes, I just don't feel like it. We love beans around here, too. One thing I have gotten used to is eating greens without cornbread. I don't know if I'll ever get used to eating my beans without cornbread though. As you can see, we LOVE cheese, and I use real butter. (Yes, I count the points for these things!)

We got some cereal, which I try to limit us to eating one time a week (a whole box at a time). We eat only brown rice and the kids love it. (Thanks to our rice cooker!) Tortilla chips and salsa make a good lunch when accompanied by cheese and fruit. We make our own snack mixes using pretzels, nuts, and candy. Earlier this month, I made a granola with almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds that the kids and I enjoyed making and eating. I really think nuts are a good snack.

When it comes to meat, I usually buy beef and chicken. This doesn't mean we don't eat pork though. Our pork is usually good 'ole bacon. To change things up I might get center cut pork loin chops. I buy ground beef and turkey that is 93% lean as pictured (except for those frozen turkey sausages above). When buying beef, I look for cuts that have no more than 8 grams of fat per 4-ounce portion (eye of round, top sirloin). Again, this is not always the case, but more so than not. Although I love chicken wings, I rarely buy them at the insane prices I find at the local stores. We stick to breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. We also love seafood; I usually pick up shrimp for lunches at least twice a month. Being from the south, other oddities find their way in our basket as well - turkey necks (fresh and smoked), pig tails (just the other week for my husband), pig feet, etc. I don't like buying things I can't count points for though.

Whew! This was a long post (at least it seemed that way to me as I typed a little here and read a bit from Slow is the New Fast.) Hopefully, I won't be making a grocery run until this time next week.

What foods do you find yourself buying time after time? Are you hesitant to try new things or do you simply like to stick with what works?