Grocery Shopping made Easy

Grocery list I mean? Mine almost always has the same items on it although I do switch things up every now and then for variety. I love to cook and create new recipes and combos, I mean really there are so many ways you can fix chicken and fish! A sample grocery list of mine looks like this:

This is just the basics, there are more items I interchange or purchase depending on my mood but for the most part these are my staples. Not on the list because I buy in bulk: oatmeal, eggs, egg whites.

The main reason I do not buy meat in bulk is 1-I hate thawing meat, I usually forget to thaw and then I have to microwave it to cook my meat for the week and 2-I haven't found that buying in bulk is actually cost effective and 3-I prefer to buy my meat from Trader Joes so that I know it's high quality. I buy what I need for the week so my meat is bought and cooked fresh. I am just funny that way I guess!

I like to keep my pantry stocked as well. I have enough spices to make any type of seasoning blend. One of the things my 12yo son likes to do is make spaghetti sauce from scratch so we keep an abundance of Italian spices on hand for him. I however love Curry so I have a couple of different powder curry's and cans of coconut milk for those moments when I just have to have chicken curry. You will also always find in my pantry Mrs. Dash seasoning blends, Pink Himalayan salt, sea salt, EVOO, coconut oil, various flours (almond, coconut, wheat, bread, gluten free. . .), non stick spray, and flavored extracts.

Do you have a basic shopping list you stick to and add or exchange items based on your mood for the week, or based on what's on sale? I find it helpful to have a basic list so even if I need to send my husband shopping I can just email this list and know he will have no problem getting everything we need.