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What’s in your Shopping Trolley?

by | Health, Nutrition & Food

Is doing the grocery shopping on your list of favourite chores or do you hate it with a passion?

Ascent Health & Fitness

For me, it all depends on the day .. some days it just needs to be crossed off the to do list and I race around the aisles as fast as I can.  Other days I don’t mind so much.  I check out some new products and even get some inspiration.  But I’ll be honest, with the convenience of the internet, I often order my groceries online and then pick them up .. time always seems to be a premium these days so I take the short cuts where I can!

Now to the more important questions .. do you shop with a list?  I’m a list person and go into a bit of a mind blank when I don’t have a list.  Invariably I will end up back at the supermarket 3 more times during that week to pick up the stuff I forgot .. actually I do that anyway!  So in an effort to save time I have a basic list of groceries that I need in a usual week and then I add to it depending on what I have decided to put on the menu.  Yes, I still plan my menu  weekly because we would eat toast every night if I didn’t!

Here is a list ( of course! ) of the usual suspects that regularly turn up in my trolley.  Yes, it’s long and no, I don’t buy everything each week.    As I said, it all depends on what I’ve planned on the menu. It’s the basics that I have on hand most weeks.

PRODUCE

FruitVegetables
  •  Apples
  •     Spinach
  •  Pears
  •     Tomatoes
  •  Bananas
  •     Broccoli / Broccolini
  •  Berries
  •     Sweet Potato
  •  Kiwi
  •     Onions
  •  Avocado
  •     Carrot
  •  Oranges
  •     Green Beans
  •  Cherries
  •     Corn
  •  Mango
  •     Green leafy   lettuce
  •  Lemons / limes
  •     Capsicum
  •  Watermelon
  •     Peas
  •  Dried fruits eg   dates, apricots but small  serves only
  •     Bok Choy
  •  Mandarins
  •     Zucchini
  •     Mushrooms
  •     Beets
  •     Potatoes

* This list is limited by season and your personal preferences and imagination!

LEAN PROTEINS

  •   Chicken / Turkey
  •   Salmon / Tuna
  •   Steak
  •   Mince .. chicken, beef, turkey, lamb occasionally
  •   Kangaroo .. not often, kids freak out
  •   Pork fillets or chops
  •   White fish
  •   Prawns
  •   Eggs

CEREALS / GRAINS

  •   Oats .. preferably traditional rolled oats rather than quick cook
  •   Muesli .. with no added sugar. Usually I make my own
  •   Rice .. brown, basmati, wild rice
  •   Quinoa .. an alternative to rice, cous cous, pasta

DAIRY

  •   Low fat milk
  •   Natural or Greek Yoghurt with no added sugars etc
  •   Cottage cheese*
  •   Ricotta cheese*
  •   Parmesan*
  •   Fetta*
  •   Mozzarella*                *depends on what I’m making

BREADS / BAKERY

  •   Wholemeal / wholegrain bread
  •   Wraps .. wholegrain, rye etc
  •   English muffins

BAKING

  •   Almond meal / Hazelnut meal
  •   Flours .. preferably wholemeal but you will still need white if you bake a bit
  •   Sugar .. sugar is sugar and no one sugar is better than the other so don’t fall for the expensive, exotic types
  •   Vanilla .. essence, beans
  •   Coconut .. shredded, desiccated, flakes

CANNED / PACKAGED / DRY 

  •   Canned tomatoes ( no added salt ), Passata
  •   Canned veg ( corn and peas are great to add to quiches etc )
  •   Canned beans ( kidney, white, baked )
  •   Dry or canned lentils ( be aware of different cooking times )
  •   Cous cous
  •   Pasta .. of your choice, preferably wholemeal
  •   Soups .. in winter. The fresh soups available now are great quick options, just watch the extra sald
  •   Stocks ( for soups, casseroles etc ) .. or make your own, Nigella!
  •   Canned salmon / tuna ( preferably in spring water )
  •   Rice crackers / rice cakes .. preferably plain flavour
  •   Raw nuts / seeds eg almonds, cashews, walnuts, pepitas, linseed, sesame, chia

With this list the possibilities for healthy, balanced meals every day are endless!

What regulars are in your shopping trolley?

Vic x