Advice for grocery shopping

My favorite thing to do is have a spreadsheet and keep ideas with basic ingredients for that meal so when I shop I know what I need to have for sure. Ive just recently started working on a virtual recipe book that I’ll be able to print of for my daughter when she older which I’ve been recommended to all my friends who cook but I’m gonna try and link one of the sheets that has a couple of the easier recipes. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S7RQAECeyCIZuU8D2FPH3HkTZfQO8Ul9HCH6Veu9vII/edit

Honestly, being pretty poor most of my life actually was the best thing for my cooking skills. To this day, I almost exclusively buy from the circular, then Google "[Available/on-sale protein] [available/on-sale veg] recipe". Then, if I'm missing spices, I buy those from a discount place. I tend to like BudgetBytes as a starting point for recipes (especially quick, one-pot ideas), although I usually up the spices quite a bit. I also really like Love & Lemons' recipes - good variety and inspiration.

Learning how to meal prep and adhere to a grocery list is definitely one of the hardest skills to learn. Instead of one meal, how do you feel about spreading meals over a few days. It can help take the mental pressure off. If that doesn't sound good to you I like to season ground beef and then use it for tacos one night and then if there's leftovers I can then add some beans and veggies and make a chili to mix it up. Or will cook a bunch of chicken lightly seasoned and then I can either cut it up or shred it for various recipes. I also make pizza almost weekly because it's like the one food I can guarantee my kid will eat. I'll buy store pizza sauce and then blend in like a cup of whatever mixed veggies I have and call it a day. Do you have other cooking appliances like a pressure cooker or slow cooker? Those two can really open up more options that are pretty quick and easy.

Try a cookbook! I think constantly googling recipes is exhausting. I recently purchased skinnytaste meal prep cookbook and it has bulk recipes that last for a few meals as well as meal plans for the week that go with the recipes which makes shopping easier. Takes all the guesswork out and the meals are healthy and tasty!

@Chrissy we have a pressure cooker, crock pot, and air fryer and I would love to spread meal over a few days I’ve tried it before and couldnt keep up with it. I honestly have no clue why I struggle so bad with it😬

So I used to keep a paper magnetized to the fridge and would write down whenever I ran out of an ingredient. As for meal ideas I use supercook which gives you ideas based off what u have in stock in your kitchen and TikTok. If I want something with a specific ingredients I look it up mostly TikTok or just add them to a bookmark folder for later as they pop up on my feed

Here’s a list of my main groceries that I feed my baby from the following stores- Costco: mushrooms, asparagus, bell peppers, feta cheese, mozerella balls, waygu ground beef, siete tortilla bread, kerrygold grass fed butter, avocados, cucumbers, lemon, frozen wild caught salmon, wild caught shrimp Sprouts: trimona a2 yogurt, all of the Westbrae no salt added canned beans/lentils, Bonafide beef&chicken bone broth, amylu meatballs and breakfast sausages, frozen edamame, frozen veggie mix, sprouts brand frozen hash browns, Actual Veggies frozen french fries, Sprouts brand no salt added marinara sauce, Simple Mills pancake mix, turkey breast, grass fed beef liver, rolled oats That’s the gist of it with other variety of veggies like eggplant, squash, spinach etc With these I make diff meals usually with a protein and then sides like the beans, edamame, cheese and fruits & nuts Aldi I get chickpea pastas Today she had shredded chicken breast quesadillas with sweet potato fries

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots are typically cheap with the longest shelf life. I just cook for my husband, my 1 year old, and myself. 1 pan meals are a life saver whether I bake it or use a large cast iron skillet on stovetop. Frozen veggies are a go-to also for the price and shelf life. I created a group called Happy Tummies for any and all conversations about food for this app. I love to share my personal recipes and more. Maybe scroll through for some inspiration but keep in mind I usually cook extra so I have meal prepped lunches.

https://www.peanut-app.io/share/xQDKtrDAMCb