I like cooking and I like ‘Grocery Outlet Bargain Market’ ‘cuz it’s a challenge - you buy what they have and get creative. However, my colleague convinced me to try Instacart and yeah it costs, but it has been a big big timesaver. I’m running on about four hours sleep today; I have so much to do! Don’t even talk to me about the weeds being ignored in the garden… dang, lol

What a fun thread. We started meal planning for a week at a time with the pandemic, and have stuck to it. We are phasing in the Mediterranean Diet, which has meant more whole foods and less egg and cheese than we had been consuming before. I do the planning and shopping and my husband assembles most of it. I shop a local farmstand, and an independent market run by an Italian family that has a wall of pasta, and then once a month or so, we stock up on basics somewhere: Trader Joe’s, a big supermarket, or by ordering a box from Eden Foods (beans and Japanese ingredients), Divina Foods (Mediterranean ingredients), or Stonewall (condiments and candles). We keep a pantry of staples and freeze leftovers and a lot of bits and pieces to use in subsequent meals, like extra lemon juice, Parmesan rinds, etc. We also learned during the pandemic that the artisan bread we love can be sliced and frozen, so we don’t waste any of it. We cook through the planned meals and then spend a few days cooking through the random bits and pieces. With meal planning we waste a lot less than we used to.

AndiB, thank for a good idea! I only asked my DH to grill veggies for a particular dish I would cook or for dinner that day. I should experiment with keeping grilled veggies for later use.

Fun thread! Thanks, Irina Like you, I live in the city and walk most places. Lots of fab places to grocery shop. Lived in Seattle for 20 years. Mind blowing to us.

I differ to most of you. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE GROCERY SHOPPING!!! I like it more than shopping for my wardrobe. The main reason I do not travel with a carry-on, is because I fill my checked baggage with groceries. I LOVE grocery shopping around the world!!! It's definitely is a priority when we vacation.

I LOVE COOKING!!! Maybe as much as putting together my daily outfits I could change careers and make it all about cooking. But no formal training. I think about changing sometimes, though....Maybe when I retire from fashion and style!

I do all the cooking and grocery shopping. It's a production at the Cox Castle, and an absolute delight! Nothing simple about it. I don't drink alcohol or coffee so hubs buys the booze and special coffee and makes alcoholic beverages or espressos.

I grocery shop EVERYWHERE (except Costco), and am very fussy about it. All high-low, like my wardrobe and our home decor. This is time consuming because certain things have to come from certain places. I only buy bread from the French bakery a few blocks away. Asian ingredients come from Asian grocery stores. Cheese, chicken, and fish come from certain places only too. And doggie food is specialized. And the list goes on! I don't eat mammals - going on 28 years now - so I don't buy and cook that.

Everything from scratch, love leftovers!!!, always creative with leftovers, and big on ZERO food waste. It's our thing.

Sorry for the novel. Tried to keep it short, but passion took over....

Irina, I went too look in Ikea today at the vegetable balls. I had no idea they sold food. I will be trying them soon, thanks for that. I am almost vegan. I still eat natural Bulgarian yoghurt sometimes. Living here it is crazy not to :). Otherwise nearly everyday I cook a vegetarian 'Hotchpotch' for my hubs and myself. It is a pot full of either lentils or beans and whatever fresh vegetables I have. Could be cabbage, or spinach. Always onions and chilli, sometimes curry. Peppers and carrots. Always tomato passata based - 100% tomato sauce. Then I switch up either potatoes or noodles or rice or whole grain wheat. Sometimes Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce for a change or a Lentil/Noodle dish I have invented. We mostly always eat the same basic ingredients but I am a creative cook so the dishes always seem different. I struggle to digest tofu unfortunately but my DH has it sometimes. Nearly all my shopping is done at Lidl, the German supermarket. We do not have much choice in our small seaside town. I am happy with what they offer mostly. Seasonal vegetables and fruit are a thing here, so currently there is a street vendor selling the largest freshest lettuce, radishes and spring onions so complementing with this Spring food now.

Angie, wow, that’s intense I do bring food from my travels, too but mostly as gifts.

Irina,

This year, I resolve to become SF.

Staysfut, impressive!

For all the people who hate grocery shopping, have you had the store shop for you? Seems to be very popular here. At one of the Whole Foods I go to in a kind of upscale neighboring town, there are more employees shopping for people at home than in person shoppers, at some times of day. While I don't love grocery shopping, I am picky about what I get and often get inspired by what is there as to what I want to cook.

I go to WF once a week. I find their produce is very good (though in summer I do the farmers market) which is most of what I buy. I've gotten much more plant based than meat centric these days as I'm now living in a household that includes my 35 year old vegan son. I have a couple of other places, a little co op and a health food store I stop into each once a week, but I don't do all those stores in one day. Oh, and there is also an incredible Indian grocery in my town, supplied floor to ceiling with fascinating items. I love fresh curry leaves both to cook with and to put in tea. Last time I went in search of Asafoetida that I had seen someone cooking with on youtube.

I have also been doing a Rancho Gordo order every few months or so for unusual varieties of beans. I cook a pot of beans every week. I love rice and beans. Or beans and polenta. Or beans on toast! Over the last few months I've become a big fan of making grain salads with quinoa mostly, but also buckwheat or rice. Adds a lovely heft to to greens and veggies. I don't often follow recipes, but take inspiration from them, and don't plan too much. I'm kind of a what can I make with what I have kind of cook. But appreciate that I can google how to do certain things!

Our primary shopping destination is the open-air market (different from a farmer's market). They get set up in local neighborhoods once a week. Ours is on Saturday. This is where I buy the fresh produce: vegetables, fruits, fish (we buy and eat only fresh fish, we don't keep it in the freezer), cheese, and olives. I also buy snacks like dried fruit and nuts as well as spices and tea mixes at this market. This is truly the best shopping experience. Everything is super fresh and inviting, and the vendors are familiar and friendly. We only try to eat what is in season, and hopefully locally grown.

A second run is to a moderately sized branch of a chain grocery store. This is where we pick up meat, eggs, dairy, pantry staples, cleaning products, and pretty much everything else. Every few weeks, I might also get these delivered. I started doing this during the pandemic and it stuck with me as well.
We have also two small, independent grocery stores that are within walking distance, and frequent them regularly, about twice a week for whatever we run out of or decide to cook at the last minute (extra milk, fresh bread, eggs, etc)
Groceries I regularly order online: Coffee, and cat litter.
Cat food is specialized for cats with kidney problems and is bought at the vet.

We buy some specialty items in the summer when we go on vacation to the coast, like olive oil and honey.

My mum makes and brings me jam and preserved tomatoes.

We don't plan meals per se, but I will ask the family what they want to eat this week and they will throw around ideas. I will buy things based on their preferences and whatever is in season at the market.

Judy, we tried a pick up grocery service during Covid. I don’t like it. I get bored sometimes doing mine, we go to at least 3 different stores once a week. I would not mind short runs to a single store once in a few days but usually don’t have time for it.