I start innocently enough, scanning cookbooks for new recipes I want to try out. A simple croissant bread pudding for two, a twist on onion soup by Thomas Keller in Bouchon, lamb steaks with rosemary and port and roasted gnocchi . Then I add in requests from the peanut gallery, my spouse. His gourmand cravings will range from fountain hot dogs to steak. The latter always gives me pause. What bits exactly am I biting into? Even the skinless butcher franks made of organic grass fed beef still are going to have bits in them. I have seen footage of just what bits, and uhm, I'll just have the fries please. I digress, back to the menu. Throw in a couple of old go to meals like corned beef (from a Sunset recipe 1994) with roasted rainbow carrots, check for seasonality, budgetary constraints, and I'm set.
I list each day's lunches to be packed for my husband, dinner and sides, and desserts every so often (if I am in the sweet tooth mood or buttering him up for something like a new IPad). From there each ingredient is listed unless found in the pantry or freezer. Now I break down the ingredients by store. It would just be too easy if I could pop into one store and be done, but no. I hit the big box store (Costco) for my paper goods and cleaning products, a pharmacy type store for sundries, a pet food store for the cats and bird needs, a produce store for well, you guessed it, produce, and the rest finally at the market with the meats and butcher I prefer. All of this has to be planned geographically to save on fossil fuels, and planned for refrigeration needs as I only make one trip. No stops at home in the middle. My motto is: If it isn't on the list then you don't need it! All of this organized shopping came in handy when I worked loads of hours. Now I am an at home wife so theoretically I could hit a store every day, but old habits die hard.
I will go to great lengths to not run to the store. I ran out of olive oil last week, a crisis in my kitchen. Even then I just wouldn't go until shopping day. Rather, I used it as an opportunity to become better acquainted with grape seed oil. The grape seed oil is more neutral in flavoring, can take higher temperatures without burning and, well, was on hand.
Lest we forget, their are rules for food procurement. The biggest rule is don't forget to bring your own bags! Recently, I ran out of my reusable bags before hitting the grocery store. The check out clerk asked if I had bags (loudly if you ask me), the the bagger asked twice more, quite incredulous at the thought that I may need a paper bag or two of theirs. Customers behind me in line seemed to silently voice their disproval at my lack of green thinking. I wanted to announce that my car was loaded up with bags already filled to the brim with organic, unpackaged stuff, but I just hung my head and whispered paper please.
Another guideline is to avoid amateur hours. When you grocery shop with me, you are shopping with the big boys! The after work shoppers dally reading labels, leave carts in the middle of the aisle, and are too chatty. The after school shoppers have little mini consumers in training pushing miniature shopping carts and clogging up the aisles while moms put back all the goodies their offspring have thrown on the floor or in their carts.
Right now I have the luxury of going on a week day early enough to avoid both. During the holidays I was forced to shop on a WEEKEND and thought I would burst a blood vessel. The lines, the screaming children, the lack of choices from everything being picked over, all took a year or two off my life expectancy. I was in line to check out during the holiday week, balancing on my cast, when a woman behind me asked if she could go ahead as she was on a tight schedule. Don't get me wrong, if the person behind me has only a couple of items and I have a full cart, I always offer to let them go ahead. Just common curtesy. This women had way more than me, was half my age, NOT WEARING A CAST, and quite pushy about it. When I pointed these things out she said the entire rest of the line had let her jump ahead so what was my problem. I did let her go just to have the opportunity to publicly use my sarcastic wit aloud. Just saying there are easier times to shop.
I know it is the oldest shopping rule in the book, but it is true, never shop hungry. I have emptied grocery bags at home dazed by the items I purchased for no reason other than they looked so yummy. Marshmallow mix kit, lemon curd, almond flour, spices that I have never heard of therefor must be tried, just bits I didn't need but at the time I couldn't live without. Then they sit in the pantry until well after the expiration date as a reminder to not repeat history so I suppose they weren't a complete waste.
All of my planning, research, scheduling are for not if I fail to remember the most important rule of shopping. Bring the list. Now as soon I remember where my glasses are, I'll be able to read that list. After I remember where I parked to get the list from the car.....This could take awhile.
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