as the cart turns

in response to nicole's request for our shopping cart contents, I offer the following:

I do occasionally make lists. if I have forgotten to get something a few times, or I have a recipe that requires something specific, I will make a list. sometimes, I'll make a list just because I'm trying to act more organized. quite often, my trips to the grocery store are spur of the moment, when I had gotten out of work a little early or trent is at practice and things are quiet. I don't have a day that I do shopping, nor do I have a set amount of time that goes by before I go shopping. if we are low on more than one genre of thing, I figure it's time. so if there are very little snacks and I'm having trouble finding things to make for dinner that night, it's time to go shopping. this happens probably every 10 days or so. sometimes more, sometimes less. I tend to spend between $150 and $175 each time I go.

for the most part, I browse each aisle looking for things that are new, seem good, and are on sale. I do have some staples that I buy each time. and sean tends to eat the same things for lunch every day, too, and those I get every time. (sidenote: I arrange my cart so that things fit nicely and exactly, and I arrange things in the cart, and then on the checkout conveyor, by where they go in our kitchen. I physically can't continue shopping if my cart is in disarray. it's kind of freaky.)

stuff I buy each time, usually without fail:
(in order of the aisles at the giant I shop at)

bananas
vidalia onion
plums/peaches/whatever looks good
jarred pineapple
applesauce
pickles
meat marinade (as we try to never have meat that hasn't been marinated)
tuna fish
bran flakes (for sean)
some sort of semi-sugary cereal (for me)
pop tarts (for trent)
granola bars
fruit roll ups
rice krispy treats
red gravy
ragu double cheddar sauce (it's better for you than boxed mac and cheese and you can make it with wheat pasta)
yellow rice
2 or 3 boxes of cous cous
white rice
fat free brown gravy in the jar
boxed scalloped potatoes
egg noodles
canned green beans - several cans
canned sweet corn - del monte
canned garbanzo beans
baked beans - vegetarian, bush's
chunky soup (trent's lunch)
fat free refried beans
salsa
barilla pasta in the yellow box - it's like extra fortified or something, sort of like wheat-y
saffron risotto
cookies - usually rotate between fat free chips ahoy, fat free oreos, and fat free fudge stripes
crackers - rotate between various kinds
a bag or two of pepperidge farm cookies if I am feeling even the least bit depressed or hungry or pmsy
rold gold pretzels - rotate between cheddar, honey mustard, and honey wheat braids
baked lays - rotate between plain, bbq, and sour cream cheddar
apple juice (100%)
fruit juice (100%)
hummus
some sort of beef substance
some sort of pork substance
ground turkey
ham steaks
fat free kielbasa or turkey kielbasa
healthy choice variety pack pre sliced lunchmeat (sean's lunch)
ball park fat free franks
morningstar farms parmesan ranch chik patties
a zillion lean cuisine or smart ones (my lunch)
lean pockets (trent's lunch)
waffles
breyer's chocolate ice cream (full on fat)
weight watchers choc chip cookie dough desserts
no pudge brownie cones
skinny cow ice cream sandwiches
minute maid frozen lemonade
4 or 5 bags of frozen broccoli
2 bags of frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrots (I use these in casseroles)
1 bag frozen asparagus (the fresh stuff isn't always available or good-looking)
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1 bag frozen carrots
a quart of skim milk
a pack of various flavors of fat free pudding
a pack of various flavors of sugar free jello
light yogurt
I can totally believe it's not butter spread
arnold light wheat or 12 grain bread (sean's lunch)
stove top stuffing
wheat pita bread

and then there's always stuff that I don't plan on buying, like treats or meats that are on sale, or some ingredients for a recipe or something.

I tend to make alot of casseroles using rice or noodles or something. I have perfected what we call "meat pie" (you asked for it, nicole) which is a pie crust, a mixture of browned ground turkey, rice or potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, garlic, and mixed vegetables, with another pie crust on top and some fat free grated cheddar. I don't write down most of my creations and they taste different each time I make them, it seems.

on weeks where trent is at brett's, though, I tend to cook lighter. like just cous cous and garbanzo beans with some vegetables. depends on what sean feels like doing. oh, and sean grills almost all of our meats in the summer. which is great, because I don't touch meat when it's not cooked and when he grills, I don't have to do my usual knife and two forks dance to get meat out of its packaging and into whatever is going to cook it.

I hope this is what you're looking for. it's pretty bland, actually.