Make grocery shopping a breeze. Kelly Cornelius, RD Style.
Step-by-Step
1. Make a List of Ingredients Based on Dinners for the Week.
You will want your favorite recipes on hand for this. Example: spaghetti dinner. You know you will need dry pasta, marinara sauce, plus a protein (meatballs) and a vegetable. Hint: I always buy enough so that I have leftovers for lunch the next day. That way, planning dinner & lunch is done in one go!
3. Plan your breakfast staples.
If you’re like me, you have a few favorite breakfasts that you stick to as part of your routine. For some, breakfast has traditionally included either bacon and eggs. For others, it’s oatmeal or other hot cereal. A well-balanced breakfast has 3 of the 5 food groups mentioned above. Example: whole wheat toast with nut or seed butter and banana slices, served with a glass of soy milk. This meets 4 of the 5!
2. Make a List of Snacks.
Plan snacks around your own eating habits. I enjoy smaller meals plus 2-3 snacks per day. You might only have 1-2 snacks. A well-balanced snack has at least 2 of the food groups. Example: greek yogurt with berries.
4. Fill in the list with other staple items you never want to run out of.
Milk. Bread. Dish soap…those things that you especially don’t want to forget at the store! It helps to have a pre-made checklist of these items so you can scan the pantry quickly and add them to your grocery list.
pro Tips
Organize Your Grocery List
Follow the above steps and build your list based on the set up of your grocery store. It is best to have a template to fill in with the aisles (or categories) in order. Example: pasta is in aisle 4 and broccoli is in the produce aisle. They will be on different parts of the list even though you are serving them with the same meal. This is because you want to order your list so that you don”t have to backtrack to multiple aisles! (Hint: They have apps for this!)
Block Out a Day & Time for List Making & Shopping
Example: “I will make my list Friday evening after work. I will shop Saturday morning.” You can even make an event out of it! Stop at your favorite coffee shop beforehand, or, if you have to take your kids with you, get them involved. Tell kids which items to grab and make a game out of filling up the cart!
Methods & MORE
Many of us have the choice to grocery shop in person or online. Shopping at local farmers’ markets and small businesses gives back to your community. Sign up for community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes in your area and you will always have access to produce in-season.
Buy items that you go through quickly in bulk quantities. Rice is a common one. Pay attention to how quickly you use them up.
You also have the option to buy canned, frozen, and shelf-stable goods from chain grocers and online retailers. You can shop yourself, select curbside pick up, or have groceries delivered straight to your door. Foods in all forms from all places can be part of a healthy diet.
Did you know frozen fruits and vegetables are flash frozen at the peak of freshness and retain their nutrients? You can also buy no-salt-added canned goods!