A Trip to the Grocery Store: What's In My Cart

Not the most exciting post, but something to share....and we all have to do it.  I will admit that grocery shopping is SOOOOO much easier now that the kids have pre-school. I plan my trips so that I only have to go to the store once every week and a half or so. I am not a couponer at all, I know I could save a lot of money if I tried, but I don't have the energy or time to devote to that sort of thing, and honestly, there are not usually coupons for the things I buy when I want them. Besides, I have things I would rather do, like stay up-to-date on TMZ current events.  So groceries make up a big part of our monthly budget.

I always meal plan dinners. (Breakfasts and lunches are up for grabs). Every week I pick ~7 meals to make.

I start my list with the staples I get every single time. Then I add all the ingredients I will need to make the planned meals. Next I add things we might need for breakfasts and lunches and anything else. Finally, I re-write my list to organize it by aisle. I always start in the produce section, then meats, dairy, and then the inner aisles. This helps me get in and out of the store quickly. And I am a pathetic creature of habit.

The staples:
2 gallons 2% milk, 1 gallon skim milk
Whole Wheat Bread
Instant Brown Rice
Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup ( the kids looooove this)
Pita Chips
Hummus
Medium Fresh Salsa (L's favorite)
Baked Tostitos
Greek Yogurts
Busch's Reduced Sodium Black Beans
Lots and lots of fruit
Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage patties
Avocados (J's favorite)
1 1/2 dozen eggs
Deans Low Fat Cottage Cheese (it is the only brand I will eat)
Simply Apple juice

For this trip the planned meals were:
Chicken Fajitas, Mexican Rice, Beans
Chicken Piccata, Asparagus
Shepherds Pie, Salad
Mediterranian Pasta
Swedish Meatballs, Egg Noodles, Carrots, Cranberry Sauce (Ikea cafeteria craving??)
Fried Eggs, Toast, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Chicken Tikka Masala, Green Beans, Rice

And just for fun, I threw in some pink "sleeping beauty" roses for L. She is obsessed. And they were on sale.