From my time living in the city, I still grocery shop daily. Leave work. Decide what’s for dinner. Stop at the store. Buy the ingredients needed for THAT meal + maybe a snack or dessert. Go home. Cook. Enjoy. Repeat next day.
It drives JH nuts. He wants to grocery shop once a week and call it a rap! I honestly do not know how to make this happen. I don’t know how to grocery shop for an entire week in one day.
A few of the personal obstacles (that I need to overcome):
1) Above and beyond all, I hate thawing out meat. I like fresh meat. I like most things fresh, for that matter. Bread. Lettuce. Fruit. Most vegetables.
2) I cook based on “having a taste” for something. Bad, I know! I could drop 10lbs in a heartbeat if I would cook based on a menu, instead of by my stomach wants. At least I’m aware, right?
3) I feel like stuff goes bad in a day or two. The lettuce I bought on Sunday looks brown by Tuesday. It’s not fresh anymore.
4) I frequently don’t have what I need for a menu or I run out of items without knowing it (or forget because I don’t use them very often).
So, I need your help!
After my tweet expressing my planning on this post, @Eemorgan1028 sent me this link to My First Kitchen and wow is it helpful. I’ve downloaded the Seven Rules of Stocking Your Kitchen and Seven Rules of Organization. If you share in my struggles (or even you don’t), visit Kendra’s site and check out her helpful lists! They are fantastic. Here’s a sneak peek…
Of course, the first thing that popped off the page ~ FREEZE MEAT. Darn it. I guess it’s time to say so long to fresh meat.
Now, I need your tips, tricks… and superpowers on how to successfully fill a kitchen, plan weekly meals and maybe even be able to host an impromptu cocktail party without going to the grocery store 7 times in one week.
How DO you do it? What are your essential items? Do you use online tools? If you use an iPhone app, don’t tell me! I kid. Please tell me E V E R Y T H I N G. I’m begging for help! Do you have a favorite grocery list notepad? Do you keep a kitchen binder? How do you thaw your meat? Do you prep for the night’s dinner before work?
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help!
images via svmoms.com, heffronfarms.com, myfirstkitchen.net
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I have the exact same problem, but we actually make a trip on Sunday, and then I still go back several nights a week to grab things for meals! It’s ridiculous how unorganized my grocery shopping is. Every once in a while I plan a whole week’s worth of meals ahead of time, and stock up at the store, but then my appetite changes or our plans change and I have a ton of random ingredients that go bad. I can’t win either way! If you figure it out, be sure to share! : )
Hi Nina!
I used to do the same thing…then with having 2 kiddos I just really didn’t have the time to stop at the grocery store every night…so I came up with a menu…we sit down Sunday mornings and come up with a meal for every night. I write what we are having down and make a list of the things I will need for each meal…then I will go through the cabinets and fridge and write down everything else I will need for that week….I usually go on a Sunday afternoon and I usually don’t go back until the following Sunday! It also cut down on how much I spend per week..I don’t impulse buy just buy whats on my list! Good luck and have fun shopping!!!
I actually go grocery shopping every two weeks. It saves us money by doing it this way. I sit down and plan out 7-8 meals including something fast like frozen pizza or a bertoli’s meal. Then, I keep a menu on the fridge. I know which meals I need to cook first based on vegetables going bad, etc. It is a lot of work, but going to the grocery store daily is too. Think of all that extra time you will have in the evening. I also buy packages of chicken and then open them and put two breasts in a freezer safe ziploc baggie to freeze. It makes things much easier when it is time to thaw out my meat. Good luck with the weekly trips! Don’t give up after the first week. It will probably take you a while to get into a routine of what works best for you.
I can’t wait to read all the comments because I still need grocery shopping help! I always have a lot of fresh fruits and veggies on hand for the kids and those just don’t seem to last a week! I am in the grocery store at least two times a week, and I thought that was good. But now I see that some people can go every two weeks? That would be AWESOME because I honestly hate grocery shopping. I am looking forward to reading all the comments on this one
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Happy Birthday Aunt Dana!!! =-.
Wow, I would shoot myself if I had to go the store every day! Not sure how you do it. I plan out our meals a week in advance. I go to the store on Saturdays and get everything I need from fruit to meat. I always try to have different meals each week to keep us from getting bored. There are certain nights I do not cook because I either have a class or Mr. Guru works late. I call these free nights. You are on your own. Now every once in awhile I have to go to the store to get more cheese or milk. Those are quick in and out trips. I use my planner to help me. Good luck!
I do the same thing as Andrea, the first commenter above.
But I usually know what I want for supper the same day, but I always have ingredients on hand for it, thankfully now.
I always go through recipes online and write down what I like, and if I don’t like something in that recipe I substitute it for something else. I have a recipe page on my website that I go through for myself really.. to keep track of what tasted good. Then I mix it up! I make anything that has fresh veggies first in the week because you don’t want those to spoil, not that they would go bad fast – but still… save the pasta for the end of the week, or for a night that you don’t feel like cooking much.
To save time, I like to chop/slice or even just wash the veggies a day or two before! That way if I know I’m having a busy day say… Wednesday. All I have to do is dump everything in to the skillet and maybe make a stirfry. Even if we planned on making something more elaborate. Dunk in some soy or teriyaki sauce and have a pot of rice on the water/boil and supper’s made in 15 minutes.
I buy in bulk with my meat. You seem to get a much better deal, and stock up when there are sales. I’m talking STOCK. UP. A lot. I often buy 3 packs of 10 pork chops or whatnot when they have a sale at the grocery store. I don’t put the big pack of pork chops in the freezer, but rather take them out and store them in freezer ziploc bags for individual portions. The boyf eats 2 pork chops and I only eat 1. So I store them (3 per ziploc as that’s an individual portion for us) all flat, so that they’ll defrost evenly. I take them out the morning of, and fill the sink with water (still in the ziploc) and by the time lunch time rolls around (I go home for lunch), they’re defrosted from the water. Then I put them in the fridge.
I have a tip to keep your lettuce longer. Put it in a ziploc bag (one of those big ones – not the sandwich sized ones) and put in a few paper towels! The towels suck up the moisture, and replace them when they feel a bit damp. Your lettuce should last you a LOT longer than 3 days, and may even last you a week and a half if it’s super fresh!
Hope this helps! I think this is the first time I’ve ever commented on your site. I always read it though!
I used to be just like you when it came to the store and freezing anything! However, once we bought a deep freeze, I realized what a convenience it is. The best tip I can give is that when I freeze a meat, I put some sort of marinade in the freezer bag with it. When it defrosts in my refrigerator, then it is also marinating. It adds a lot of flavor, and you never know it has been frozen. My favorite is Zesty Italian dressing with chicken breast. It is delicious, and you can add another sauce to it when it is cooking without it overpowering any flavors.
I’m guilty of making multiple trips to the grocery store during the week – I actually LOVE the grocery store so it never seems like a chore to me! But I have started making one BIG trip on either Sunday or Monday evenings – I don’t always know exactly what I will cook for every evening, but I get all my meat and my standard weekly purchases – lean cuisines for me for lunch, yogurt, cheese, bagels for Evan for breakfast, berries, tangerines, broccoli, carrots, onions – things I know we’ll eat during the week no matter what I’m cooking for dinner. Like Lindsay, I almost always freeze some of the meat that I’m planning on using for the end of the week – I PROMISE you will not be able to tell the difference! I will say, I am a stickler for organic meat, so I never buy meat that’s already frozen – I buy it fresh and freeze it myself. When I need frozen meat for the next day’s meal, I put it in the fridge the night before. If it’s still a little frosty when I get home from work, I put it in a Ziploc in a bath of room temperature water in the sink. I still usually end up hitting up the grocery store two more times during the week for ingredients I need for a particular meal (I CANNOT meal plan for the entire week) – but the trips are SO much faster. I also go to the big grocery store – either Whole Foods or the huge Tom Thumb – for my big trip and then for my mini trips I just pop into the small grocer that is 1 block from our house – another time saver!
We make a list of 5 or 6 meals over the weekend and then shop for those meals plus a few extras like lunches, snacks, etc. I tend to go through a few cookbooks one of the weekend days and try to pick new meals (besides just grilled chicken, rice, and a veggie) to jazz things up a bit. We do try to eat the veggies that go bad more quickly at the beginning of the week. And, if something required fresh bread or buns, we’ll stop at the store on the day we’re going to make that meal- I despise old bread. Occasionally we’ll have to make an extra trip to the store, but that is RARE! We also keep a pretty well stocked pantry (chicken stock, all the spices, rice, beans, pasta, etc) so we can whip up the easiest of meals pretty quickly. Really, all you need to do is be organized and start a binder of recipes that you rip out of magazines or print online (divided by tabs into smaller groups- starters, soups and salads, entrees, desserts, side dishes) so that you can reach into that binder and find meals that will sound good at any point in time. Good luck!!
A well stocked pantry has definitely helped us. We always have pastas, dried beans, stock, spices, and rice on hand. we shop for vegetables once a week at our farmer’s market. Because we buy directly from the farmer, my produce is fresher and tends to last for at least 1 full week. For meat, we shop every 3 days because like you, sometimes you shop based on what you have a taste for AND/Or you want something fresh. My husband does a lot of the cooking but I usually given him a rough plan and he executes it. We tend to plan 3 days at a time as a week’s worth can be overwhelming for us.
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..Friday 4.30 =-.
Hi Nina!
One thing that helps me is that I ALWAYS cook four to six servings, even though there are only two of us. That way, there are leftovers for the following night or lunches for a couple of days. This is especially good for things like baked ziti or casseroles, they are always better reheated anyway! I know how you feel about freezing meat, totally get it. I usually do one big shopping trip per week but I still stop at the store every 2-3 days to pick up fresh meat or produce. I don’t think a once-per-week shopping trip is even possible if you eat lots of fresh (not frozen or canned) produce and meats.
So… Start slow. Try going once for your staples, beverages, paper products, bread, eggs, milk, and some frozen/canned veggies to fill in when you don’t have fresh on hand. Then go to the store every 2-3 days for your meat and produce. You can definitely cut back on your trips, but since you’re like me and like things really fresh, once per week may not be realistic.
Hope this helps!
I love being able to shop once a week! However, I’m not THAT good-usually a midweek stop is still necessary for fresh bread or produce.
What I would suggest is to start collecting your favorite recipes, which you may already do, and try to coordinate weekly meals with them by ingredients. For example, to save a little dinero, I try to buy ground beef and use half for two hamburgers one night, and the remaining portion for tacos. If you have a descently stocked pantry, usually it gets easier and you can fill in the gaps. Even 1.5 years into marriage, I still have staples in the weekly rotation combined with something new for variety. I too will freeze meat, and I have heard defrosting a day in advance in the fridge is the preferred way, but I’m not always that on the ball and have done the counter method too, and there is no taste difference, nor have I been sick.
Hopefully JH has inspiration to help plan the meals-its helpful when more than one brain is coming up with the ideas.
Good luck!
.-= Erin´s last blog ..E-R-I-N =-.
Better yet, say so long to meat period! I have had wonderful success with becoming a vegan. Grocery shopping is a snap, and my produce lasts a good 4-5 days. Peppers, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus and artichokes are a few that last a week or longer. Not only will you save money, you’ll feel healthy and look great! Say “so long” to those 10 lbs you referred to without ever feeling the pain
-GreenGal
.-= GreenGal´s last blog ..OMG =-.
Hi, Nina! I’m so glad Erin pointed you my way! I hope the tips help you out. LIke one of your commenters said, it’s tough to get into the swing of the things in the beginning, but you’ll get your groove eventually. Don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you have any questions as you figure out your routine! And I totally eat based on “feel.” For example, chocolate chip banana bread is in the oven at 9:30pm because that’s what I wanted. Don’t mess with a girl and her food cravings.
Take care!
.-= Kendra @ My First Kitchen´s last blog ..Greek Yogurt =-.
I see a few people have suggested using a binder. That’s what hubby & I do. We have it separated out though by types of meat – for example if it is a chicken dish it goes in the chicken part of the binder, etc. We buy a lot of organic meat as well which isn’t typically sold frozen so we portion the meat out and freeze accordingly. Most mornings are hectic around here so we take the meat out of the freezer and usually leave it in the microwave to defrost while we are at work. I know this isn’t the preferred method but we’ve never had problems.
I agree with you about the produce too. If I see the smallest speck of brown on my lettuce, I consider the entire head of lettuce ruined. I have no advice for you there. I wonder if anyone can tell you if they’ve used those produce bags which are supposed to make it last longer – are they by Debbie Meyer or something like that??
Good luck girl!
Nina, honey, I have exactly the OPPOSITE problem! Growing up, we were so remote that we’d utilize monthly shopping trips to keep everything stocked (it was a dairy farm, so we had an abundance of fresh milk.) Drives my city boy of a husband crazy that I’ll buy enough for a small army at any given time. Best wishes in figuring it all out!
We use the All Out Of notepad from KnockKnock. LOVE IT! It’s a huge help knowing what to buy during the next trip. Because we live 20 miles from town, we try to go only once a week. We only freeze certain meats… usually not steak. And, we always keep items for our “favorite” meals (i.e. those that we tend to eat most often) stocked.
.-= Abbie´s last blog ..So Much for Scheduled Posts… =-.
Hey Nina,
I have made a kind of weekend ritual of reading my cookbooks or cooking websites over my morning coffee on Saturday or Sunday mornings. I make 3 lists: 1) The meals I’m going to make & where to find the recipe, 2) ingredients written down as I chose recipes, along with starred ingredients to check and see if I have, 3) my rewritten grocery list in order of how I move through the store (ie produce, freezer section, canned foods, etc) This makes it much easier to make sure I don’t forget anything. I keep staples of things that last a long time in case of an emergency meal (dry pasta, shredded cheese frozen in freezer, tortillas, etc.) Hope this is helpful!
Hi! I’m just like you–I hate to freeze meat and rarely do so, but I usually only make one trip per week. Here are my tricks:
1. Use the online weekly ad to plan the list. I shop at Harris Teeter. Wherever you shop, pull their ad from online and make your list using their ad, you will save a ton of money that way.
2. I don’t plan for more than 4-5 nights per week or I end up throwing things away. We are just too busy not to eat take-out sometimes. Plus, we enjoy eating out or over with family and friends.
3. I am with you on the fresh meat/lettuce. Buy lettuce by the head instead of pre-washed, it will keep for much longer. Even if the outside looks wilted, the inside will still be good. Fill in your salads with carrots and cucumbers, both are cheap and have a better shelf life than many other veggies.
4. CROCK POT. I use recipes from kitchenscoop.com and the Desperation Dinners cookbooks. Lifesaver. Also, http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com is awesome for recipes. That said, I mostly use my crock pot in the winter. I also do freeze crock pot leftovers for emergency meals.
5. Vacuum sealed meat. My grocery store sells pork tenderloin and flank steak in vaccuum sealed bags, which keeps it fresh for much longer.You can cook a pork tenderloin on Thursday that you bought on Sunday and it’s still fresh. I marinate both of these in the morning before work and then my husband grills them.
6. Even though I only grocery shop once per week, I often pick up single items while I’m out for lunch, like chicken salad from the deli when I go to grab a sandwich for lunch. That way we can have a chicken salad salad for dinner with fresh meat.
7. I make clam linguine, crab quesadillas or tuna melts using canned fish so that I don’t have to worry about the freshness date. It’s not exactly canned for the clams and the crab–it’s sold in the meat section in the chilled part right below the case. I am happy to provide you with recipes, just email me!
8. Breakfast for dinner. Eggs stay good all week, as does bacon if you like breakfast meat (we mostly skip it). This is a good way to use up fresh fruit if you see it getting a little old at the end of the week. Just try mixing a cut up orange with a cut up banana. So random, but so good!
9. I have a Trader Joe’s in my area and I keep meals from there in the freezer as backup. They use all natural ingredients, so it’s the closest thing you can get to cooking yourself. Our favorite meal is Chicken Chow Mein with a big bowl of edamame to start. Also good (their best seller) is the Mandarin Orange Chicken. All you have to do is boil a little rice and you’re good to go. My husband loves the mexican beef (can’t remember the name) with Chimichuri Rice.
10. Give JH at least one night per week. He puts the items on the list and he cooks.
Sample menu:
I shopped on Sunday.
Monday: Wahoo on the grill (we went to a fishing tourney this weekend and came back with fish galore) with angel hair pasta mixed with steamed broccoli and the sauce from the fish (you divide it before putting it on the fish.
Tuesday: Ribeyes (on sale at Harris Teeter) with sauteed squash and zucchini. I may steam some rice if we are hungry.
Wednesday: My husband’s night to cook. He is making turkey ravioli using the light ravioli from the deli section, classico sauce and ground turkey. The date on the ground turkey is Thursday, so we’re good.
Thursday: Chicken salad baked in croissants (I buy the Pillsbury recipe sheets, cut squares and literally just bake commercial chicken salad right in) with green salad. I will get the chicken salad when I go out for lunch on Thursday.
Friday: Breakfast for dinner. Prob. french toast and fresh fruit. We may have this Saturday if we go out to dinner on Friday. Added bonus. If you don’t eat this meal as a dinner you can just have it for actual weekend breakfast.
Voila!
I def need to go back through and read the advice in the comments because I have the same problem! I stop at the grocery store WAY too many times throughout the week and/or just don’t cook enough because I’m too lazy to stop. Planning ahead def seems to be the remedy. Please post on what you end up doing! xoxo
.-= Miss E´s last blog ..Moments =-.
I can’t imagine stopping for groceries every night! Bah! But, I do not like the grocery routine. I shop in bulk at costco for these items once a month or as needed: canned veg’s (stewed tomatoes, canned beans,) cereal, lean cuisines, Foster Farms chicken breast tenders ( 3 is a perfect serving for myself and 4 or 5 for Hubbs and the tenders defrost quickly!) my favorite pre-made meal by Birds Eye “Chicken Voila” which is a garlic chicken noodle and vegetable dinner, toilet paper, paper towels, dog & cat food, laundry soap, dish & dishwasher soap, clorox/lysol wipes, bottled water, soda and anything else that pops out at me. I can’t imagine buying paper products or cleaning products anywhere but Costco!
For regular grocery items I am lucky if I make it once a week. So, I probably don’t have the best advice. However, when I do make a trip I take the time to clean my veggies first before I put them away. If I have even more time I will pre-dice/chop peppers and onions so they are even more prepped for me on my busy nights. As another person already commented, I freeze meats such as chicken breasts, pork tenderloins and flank steaks with a marinade. It works great! Especially because grilling season is coming up!
It sounds like the key to organization is having a binder to help you build a meal plan from recipes you want to try or already know you love… I need to do this myself! Good Luck!
.-= Chelsi´s last blog ..Wishful Wednesday =-.
I know I’m a little late to the party, but as a newlywed I went through the same thing. Finally, we have a system that seems to work. On Sunday we sit down and figure out what we have going on during the week and then we plan menus for the nights we are both going to be home. The trick I’ve found is planning one vegetarian meal (typically a pasta dish with a thick tomato sauce or black bean tacos or something) that can move around as needed in case something comes up…or I don’t have time to run to the store (hold on for that thought). I make a list of everything I need and do a “big” run on Sunday for all the staples: milk, coffee, cheese, etc etc. On Sunday I’ll buy any meat I need for Sunday or Monday, but then I have a quick trip once a week (rotates depending on what else we have going on) to Whole Foods where I just run in for any meat I need for the latter part of the week and any produce I can’t find (or don’t trust) from my regular grocer. This way I feel like we are eating fresh meat, but I really only go to the grocery store twice a week- which frees up time for lots of other things. The “vegetarian” meal comes in handy for a week where my 2nd trip doesn’t get made until Thursday but we need dinner on Tuesday, or if something pops up and a meal w/ fresh meat has to get pushed a day for some reason- I have wiggle room by not having meat lined up for the entire week, already purchased, ready to spoil. Not sure if that makes sense, but it seems to be working for me. I make my grocery list on darling note paper: produce on the left, staples on the right. Seems to work!
Hi!
I usually have the most success with planning meals around the main item. Most of the time it is meat. So we will go to the store, buy meat, steak, chicken, beef etc in bulk and seperate into a serving size for each person in a ziplock bag. I will also put marinade in some of the bags so that saves time too. With pasta you could also make those meals ahead of time and freeze them along with garlic bread too. Just package it all up and take out what you want to defrost and make!
You can freeze fruit so that it won’t go bad and then just defrost when you want to use it.
I tried making a calendar but it didn’t last long at all.
If there is a lot of nice people in your new area you could always do a frozen dinner swap!
If you have a friend approach you about My Harvest America to do your grocery shopping online (non perishable items only)-listen to them and give it a chance. I did and I love it! I do not pay any TAX and shipping is FREE!! They also guarantee lowest prices or will pay double the difference back to you. I especially love having the groceries delivered. My time spent in the store buying meat, dairy and fresh veggies and fruit has been diminished-I do not dread going to the store as much as I used to. If you have any questions shoot me an email at dboos44@yahoo.com
Hope this will help some of you!!
It looks like you’ve gotten a lot of great ideas! I follow the same plan that a lot of people mentioned above. Thomas and I sit down on Sundays and plan our meals for the week. I list all our meals out by night and then make my grocery list. I sort my grocery list according to the stores layout – produce, aisle stuff, dairy, freezer, etc.
I keep a lot on hand – chicken and beef stock, San Marzano tomatoes, frozen vegetables, etc. I buy meat at Costco and keep it in the freezer in zip lock bags with two portions. I take it out the night before. I do hate keeping meat in the freezer and thawing it out, but it’s easier for me to thaw it out than make multiple grocery runs.
I ordered the Cooking Light cookbook too and I can’t wait to get my copy! I tried the chicken with mustard cream sauce last week and it was delicious!
I hope you have a great day! Good luck getting into your dinner routine! No matter how you plan your meals, evenings at home with your husband when you’re first married will be great!
.-= Lauren @ Adventures of a Southern Newlywed´s last blog ..Target =-.