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Feel like I'm in the rut of buying same items every grocery trip. Of course, milk, eggs etc. will always be on our lists....but when I get home, see the same items as the last time.
I try hard to vary vegetables...new sauces etc.
JUST started reviewing recipes so that I'd prepare something new every week...that helps a little.
Do you buy the same items over and over, without a lot of variation?
I really love to try new foods, flavors etc....but perhaps I don't spend ENOUGH time
reviewing meal plans, that's something I never learned to do. It's just me now...that's a factor I guess.
Feel like I'm in the rut of buying same items every grocery trip. Of course, milk, eggs etc. will always be on our lists....but when I get home, see the same items as the last time.
I try hard to vary vegetables...new sauces etc.
JUST started reviewing recipes so that I'd prepare something new every week...that helps a little.
Do you buy the same items over and over, without a lot of variation?
I really love to try new foods, flavors etc....but perhaps I don't spend ENOUGH time
reviewing meal plans, that's something I never learned to do. It's just me now...that's a factor I guess.
I usually buy the same items on my grocery list but for me it is because I have always eaten healthy so I try very hard not to deviate from the usual and customary basics, milk eggs, Greek yogurt. The treat (and the "splurge") for me are fruits and vegetables which come in to season otherwise I am making do with the frozen veggies and fruits. Also, like you, it is just me now.
I usually buy the same items on my grocery list but for me it is because I have always eaten healthy so I try very hard not to deviate from the usual and customary basics, milk eggs, Greek yogurt. The treat (and the "splurge") for me are fruits and vegetables which come in to season otherwise I am making do with the frozen veggies and fruits. Also, like you, it is just me now.
Maybe I'm looking at it wrong then. I buy and cook with healthy foods in mind. Only have a few frozen entrees for "emergencies". Usually a lot of fresh vegetables lunch and dinner.
The only deviation is a snack or two.
Seems important to allow yourself foods you crave if done so in moderation.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Yup. I'm in the same boat. I do, however, look at the weekly flyer and hope that something new (to me) will interest me. And sometimes it does -- and, since it's in the flyer, it's on sale, so win-win!
Yup. I'm in the same boat. I do, however, look at the weekly flyer and hope that something new (to me) will interest me. And sometimes it does -- and, since it's in the flyer, it's on sale, so win-win!
Yes I get one type of chicken every month, fish, also a large tub of plain yogurt, & English muffins for breakfast, eggs jelly etc. I do try & collect a large variety of spices, herbs & sauces, so the same old chicken is a different meal each week. The fruit & veg vary, as I try to buy whatever is in season & on sale. We also love all veg, so no worries there.
I've said this before (in relation to other questions), but my shopping list is derived from a "weekly" (7~10 days normally) meal plan. The reality of how everything works is sorta like this:
Meal list (front-loaded with the fresh veg that just doesn't keep) is at the bottom of the shopping list and hangs on the fridge for my wife to review what she might like for dinner any given night.
That same list is just a notepad document on my computer, and I'll go in and edit out the one-off stuff after the 2nd or 3rd dinner (I delete the eaten dinners then too).
During the week, I'll listen to ques fro my wife for things she might like to eat, and note other things that seem good/interesting.
I tend to do my list on Wednesdays (day of the new sales fliers) and shop on Thursdays (fewer people), so I fill in meal gaps based on what's on sale.
The entire list is 100% driven by meal planning through. If I don't need it for a meal (or a planned treat), it's not on the list. Over the past ~2 decades since I started working on eating a healthy diet, I've collected a fairly large library of recipes, which I index with an app (pepperplate, not bad enough for me to look for alternatives, but not great).
In the grand scheme of things, our meals fall into a fairly consistent protein/veg system. Chicken and carrots, beef and broccoli, pork and brussels sprouts... nearly never do we have bread, potatoes are rare, rice is sorta common but not having any kind of starchy carb is the most common. I try to make a vegitarian meal weekly too, so the protein is just a veg based.
Beyond that, I just go with the flow. Some weeks we will eat 3~4 dishes that are asian-based. Others we will get stuck on chicken. We don't have "theme nights", but that seems to work for a lot of people. And our diet has ZERO restrictions, which has worked fine for keeping weight down over the past ~17 years (took about 3 to lose weight in the first place). So pizza is made and eaten, bagels too. Heck, there are nights when dinner is a glass of milk and a fudge pot (brownie in an 8oz ramekin).
There are a LOT of studies out there about people who have the most stable weights tend to eat the same things a lot. So don't be put off from that path. To a large number of people, food is simply fuel and they buy/consume the most cost and body efficient options with little or no variation. Not for me, but I understand and respect that path.
I like to wander through the produce section and pick up new things, sometimes just a new type of apple is a nice treat. Occasionally I run into something I've never seen before and I will buy it, go home read up on it, maybe find a recipe and buy whatever else I need to fix it the next day. (I pass three grocery stores on the way home from work)
I also like to check the clearance items, sometimes they're dud, but sometimes they're pretty good but didn't sell well because people here seem reluctant to embrace new foods. I get some interesting sauces and condiments that way, aioli, piri piri, fig balsamic vinegar, Kashmiri Rogan Josh sauce (that I just picked up), pickled green tomato relish, to name a few. I picked up a box of licorice tea a few months ago that I really enjoyed too. It's a fun inexpensive way to add new flavors to my meals and it helps me decide if I might think it's worth splurging full price on similar flavors in the future.
I've said this before (in relation to other questions), but my shopping list is derived from a "weekly" (7~10 days normally) meal plan. The reality of how everything works is sorta like this:
Meal list (front-loaded with the fresh veg that just doesn't keep) is at the bottom of the shopping list and hangs on the fridge for my wife to review what she might like for dinner any given night.
That same list is just a notepad document on my computer, and I'll go in and edit out the one-off stuff after the 2nd or 3rd dinner (I delete the eaten dinners then too).
During the week, I'll listen to ques fro my wife for things she might like to eat, and note other things that seem good/interesting.
I tend to do my list on Wednesdays (day of the new sales fliers) and shop on Thursdays (fewer people), so I fill in meal gaps based on what's on sale.
The entire list is 100% driven by meal planning through. If I don't need it for a meal (or a planned treat), it's not on the list. Over the past ~2 decades since I started working on eating a healthy diet, I've collected a fairly large library of recipes, which I index with an app (pepperplate, not bad enough for me to look for alternatives, but not great).
In the grand scheme of things, our meals fall into a fairly consistent protein/veg system. Chicken and carrots, beef and broccoli, pork and brussels sprouts... nearly never do we have bread, potatoes are rare, rice is sorta common but not having any kind of starchy carb is the most common. I try to make a vegitarian meal weekly too, so the protein is just a veg based.
Beyond that, I just go with the flow. Some weeks we will eat 3~4 dishes that are asian-based. Others we will get stuck on chicken. We don't have "theme nights", but that seems to work for a lot of people. And our diet has ZERO restrictions, which has worked fine for keeping weight down over the past ~17 years (took about 3 to lose weight in the first place). So pizza is made and eaten, bagels too. Heck, there are nights when dinner is a glass of milk and a fudge pot (brownie in an 8oz ramekin).
There are a LOT of studies out there about people who have the most stable weights tend to eat the same things a lot. So don't be put off from that path. To a large number of people, food is simply fuel and they buy/consume the most cost and body efficient options with little or no variation. Not for me, but I understand and respect that path.
Thanks for your post...yes, I thought I'd need to focus on meal planning more...
I like to wander through the produce section and pick up new things, sometimes just a new type of apple is a nice treat. Occasionally I run into something I've never seen before and I will buy it, go home read up on it, maybe find a recipe and buy whatever else I need to fix it the next day. (I pass three grocery stores on the way home from work)
I also like to check the clearance items, sometimes they're dud, but sometimes they're pretty good but didn't sell well because people here seem reluctant to embrace new foods. I get some interesting sauces and condiments that way, aioli, piri piri, fig balsamic vinegar, Kashmiri Rogan Josh sauce (that I just picked up), pickled green tomato relish, to name a few. I picked up a box of licorice tea a few months ago that I really enjoyed too. It's a fun inexpensive way to add new flavors to my meals and it helps me decide if I might think it's worth splurging full price on similar flavors in the future.
YES, I've done this too....but will focus more on that, thanks for the reminder.
It breaks the same same and you might find something you REALLY love...
Licorice tea? Sounds interesting!
I like the fig balsamic dressing/sauce...
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