When I changed my eating habits to include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less meat and processed foods (see My Recipe for Losing Weight without Dieting), I had to change my list of grocery staples. I’ve received a request to share my list, because as my friend pointed out, when you’ve been buying the same items for 25 years, it’s hard to know where to start to do things differently.
So, I’ve broken down the items I use to stock my kitchen. These are not things I buy every week, but whenever they get low I make sure to add them to my grocery list.
By the way, I always organize my grocery list by categories (produce, meat, dairy, etc.) in the order those departments appear in the store I frequent the most. I’ve found it helps me to track whether I’ve bought everything. Plus, it’s so much less overwhelming than staring at a massive list of items in no particular order.
I’ve organized my staples list in a table with handy-dandy copy, save and print icons. (I am using a plugin, so don’t be too impressed. But be a little impressed, because I had to figure out what to do with it.)
You will see five icons above the table on the right side. The first icon is to copy to your clipboard, the second and third icons both allow you to save the table to Excel (where you can customize it), the fourth allows you to save it to a pdf, and the last button enables you to format it to print. If you do print, please note that when you are finished, you will need to hit the “escape” button to return to the blog post.
To see all of the columns/categories, you can scroll horizontally at the bottom of the table. You also can select how many rows you view on your screen by adjusting the number at the top left of the table. (I am geeking out right now.)
Let me know if you have any questions! Am I stocking the same items you are?
My Kitchen Staples
| FRUIT & NUTS | VEGGIES & HERBS | MEAT & FISH (pick 1 shellfish & 1 filet; pick 1 kind of each meat) | BAKING | SPICE RACK | CANS & CONDIMENTS | GENERAL PANTRY | FROZEN FOODS | DAIRY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananas | Onions (white, yellow or Vidalia) | Tilapia | White flour (King Arthur) | Salt | Cocktail peanuts (Planter's) | Oats (whole grain) | Green beans (Hanover) | Almond milk (Silk Light 40 calories) |
| Apples (Fuji) | Red onion | Salmon | White whole wheat flour (King Arthur) | Kosher salt | Cooking spray | Pasta (long, medium & small) | Baby peas | 1% milk |
| Grapes | Garlic cloves | Catfish | Vital wheat gluten | Seasonello | Baking spray | Brown rice (Della Organic) | Sweet corn | 2% milk (for coffee) |
| Oranges | Potatoes | Shrimp (raw, peeled) | Cornmeal (whole grain, stone ground) | Black pepper | Clams (chopped or whole steamers) | Arborio rice | Cauliflower florets (plain) | Eggs |
| Tomatoes | Sweet potatoes (yams) | Scallops | Instant yeast | Red pepper flakes | Crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso or Cento San Marzano) | Farro | Artichoke hearts (Birds Eye) | Egg whites (no dye) |
| Lemons | Broccoli | Calamari | Sugar | Garlic powder | Whole peeled tomatoes | Barley or quinoa | Winter squash (Birds Eye) | Low-fat sour cream |
| Limes | Red, orange, yellow bell peppers | Chicken (breasts, thighs or whole) | Dark brown sugar | Onion powder | Tomato paste | Chicken stock (Kitchen Basics) | Chopped spinach | Salted butter sticks |
| Avocado (if good) | Bagged spinach | Ground turkey | Powdered sugar | Paprika | Chiles in adobo sauce | Olive oil (regular Filippo Berio) | Butter spread with canola oil (Land O Lakes) | |
| Dried dates | Whole carrots | Beef (ground 93% lean, roast or steak) | Stevia In the Raw packets (for coffee) | Chili powder | Pumpkin | White balsamic vinegar | Mozzarella cheese (large ball, Miceli's part-skim) | |
| Dried apricots | Basil | Pork (loin chops, tenderloin, sweet Italian sausage, kielbasa or ribs | Baking soda | Cumin | Sliced black olives | Cider vinegar | Sharp cheddar or colby cheese block | |
| Raisins | Parsley | Baking powder | Dry mustard | Beans (black, navy, white kidney or chickpeas) | White vinegar | Low-fat cream cheese block | ||
| Almonds | Mushrooms | Cornstarch | Dried basil | Fruit spread (Smucker's Simply Fruit) | Salsa (Ortega Mild) | Orange juice with pulp (Florida's Natural) | ||
| Pecans | WHEN IN SEASON PICK 3: | Unsweetened cocoa | Ginger | Ketchup | Espresso beans (grind at the store) | Tortillas (burrito size, if I'm not making them) | ||
| Walnuts | Eggplant | Dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% cacao) | Rosemary | Barbeque sauce | Coffee K-cups, regular & decaf | Parmesan cheese triangle (check deli area) | ||
| Chia seeds | Zucchini | White chocolate chips (Ghirardelli) for my daughter) | Tarragon | Worcestershire sauce | Tahini | |||
| When in season: | Asparagus | Unsweetened coconut (sometimes in "natural" section | Thyme | Low-sodium soy sauce | Natural peanut butter | |||
| Bosc pears | Artichokes | Vanilla extract | Cilantro | Hot sauce (Frank's) | Red & white wine (my husband's homemade) | |||
| Nectarines | Corn-on-the-Cob | Almond extract | Light mayonnaise | Canola oil | ||||
| Mangoes | Kale | Cinnamon | Dijon mustard | |||||
| Melon | Butternut squash | Nutmeg | Pure maple syrup | |||||
| Cherries | Spaghetti squash | Allspice | Honey | |||||
| Strawberries | ||||||||
| Blueberries |
Cheryl L. Wiser "Chefffie Cooks"
Hey Andrea, great idea to share! I personally have a well-stocked pantry, up-right freezer, dual refrigerators. I cook big meals more often than not.
It can be overwhelming for some to know how or where to begin to stock up (not too mention the costs). I do frequently utilize BOGO’S (but one get one) here in Florida it is a common practice and the local grocery store chains are highly competitive. Being a wise consumer, I am up on it and will use coupons as well. Knowing what you have on hand is key to organization too. I am a weekly shopper to include Fresh Seafood Market, Butcher/Meat Market, Produce (open air) Market open 7 days a week. Two favorite grocery chain stores. Once a month I visit the Greek Market, Italian Market and even a Latino Market. Everything is within 5 miles of my home.
Once you are fairly well stocked just keeping tabs on what you may be running low on helps. I love it when I re-stock with sale items and/or couponing. Like anyone I love good food, love the freshness and selection process. Planning meals is a fun task to me; I never get bored with that. Creating new recipes is so much fun. Tweaking them, re-tasting them, etc. Best of all I love to share recipes with others. Best Regards, Cheryl.
Mamma C
Cheryl, you sound like an expert shopper! Shopping at more than one place does allow for price comparisons, but when I have a busy week I do my best at one store. It’s great that you have such a selection of stores within close proximity.