I try to be as humble as possible, but one thing I will pat myself on the back time and time again over is my ability to grocery shop. No joke; I can get in and out in 20 minutes FLAT regardless of how much I need to purchase or how busy the store may be. How? The magic of THE LIST which I carefully curate and organize to maximize efficiency.

I think the moment my husband witnessed me in action behind a shopping cart, list memorized, eyes filled with determination, and bows (as in elbows) out ready to knock out any b*tch in my path was the very moment he decided to propose to me. Truly. 

In any given week, I’ll consider what I’m craving and plan my dinners around my current taste. The rest of my meals are fairly standard and repeated from week to week. There’s enough variety where I can mix and match veggies or proteins without getting bored and without feeling handcuffed to recipes.

Behold. The List.

Produce: Fruit

• Apples
• Stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, etc)
• Mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries)
• Citrus (grapefruit, lemons, limes)

Produce: Vegetables

• Cherry tomatoes
• Garlic
• Avocado
• Onion (usually red or white)
• Sweet potatoes (yams, purple sweet potatoes)
• Spinach
• Kale
• Fibrous veggies (zucchini, broccoli, Brussels sprouts)
• Kimchi

Bulk: Nuts, Oats, Dried Fruits, Granola

• Nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds)
• Oats (steel-cut, Irish, old fashion)
• Dates

Gourmet Cheese and Cured Meat

• High fat, pasteurized cheese (burrata, mozzarella, brie, Babybel)
• Quality, high-fat cured meat (prosciutto, salami)

The Counter: Meat/Poultry/Fish

• Meat (lean steak, ground beef, pre-made or anything pre-marinated from the butcher counter)
• Fish (shrimp, sea bass, salmon, scallops)
• Poultry (chicken breast, chicken thighs, ground chicken, ground turkey)

Whole Grains

• Brown rice
• Bread (sprouted or whole-grain bread)*
• Tortillas*

Pantry

• Nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew)**
• Condiments (mustard, Sir Kensington anything, Primal Mayo anything)
• EVOO
• Coconut or MCT oil*

Miscellaneous

• Coffee
• Rice cakes
• Skinny Pop
• Pre-packaged granola

Dairy

• Grass-fed butter
• Heavy cream
• Eggs
• Greek yogurt

Frozen

• Blueberries
• Cauliflower
• Halo Top**

*Product placement may vary depending on the store, sometimes these items are refrigerated or in a specialty aisle.

**VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT FORGET. PURCHASE REGARDLESS OF COST. NO JUDGEMENT. DO NOT LOOK BACK. BAI MONEY!!!

I don’t buy ALL of these items every single grocery trip. I’ll pick one-to-three items of anything in parenthesis to use in meal prep as well as to cook in real time for dinner. I refresh oils/condiments on a quarterly-ish basis.

You’ll have to determine the quantity of each item based on how many days you’ll be prepping or cooking and how many people will be eating each meal. I purchase food to cook for my husband and myself for one week at a time. Naturally, I buy enough for a small village. Like, double-bag that shit and split it across two or three bags, my friend, and yes I know it’s extra!!! I don’t drive, so unless my husband is behind the wheel, I’m Uber-ing my ass home OR taking the bus like a total peasant. Take a second to picture that…end scene.

To be honest, I spend around $175-$200 for a week of food. Our monthly food budget is about $600-$700. We don’t drink during the week (usually) or eat out Sunday night through Friday afternoon.

With a list like the above, there’s no excuse to miss your grocery trip OR your meal prep!

Go forth. Shop till ya drop.