Grocery Challenge #1

Introducing...the grocery challenge!

I would like to get better at long-term meal planning, so I decided to track my purchases at Whole Foods and see what I ended up making and throwing out. I used to live within walking distance of a Whole Foods, but that was very dangerous for my budget--it was too easy to pop in after work and buy prepared food or impulse purchases. We've all been there at some point--went to the store with the best of intentions but came home only to find a bag full of organic soap, a hand-woven basket, starfruit and sushi. Now I drive to a nearby Whole Foods, which enables me to make larger purchases and dissuades me from impulse buying.

Here's my first haul and what it created:

Meals & Parts of Meals

• Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
• Tuna, White Bean, and Chard Salad <- adapted from Stone Soup
• Chickpea and Chard Salad <- adapted from Stone Soup
• Hard-boiled Eggs
• Roasted Yams
• Adobo & Coconut Cauliflower Rice
• Tuna with Cauliflower, Red Pepper, Capers, and Parsley
• Pineapple-Honeydew-Cara Cara Orange Salad <- good for lunches

What Was Left at the End of the Week

• 4 apples
• Spinach
• 6 eggs
• Basil (had to toss)
• Mint (had to toss)
• Cilantro (had to toss)
• Chickpeas (didn't end up making chickpea soup)

Thoughts

I am still trying to find a balance between fresh ingredients and week-long sustainability. I went out for dinner a couple times (Tuesday and Thursday) and ended up buying lunch a couple times (Thursday and Friday). The dinners were planned, but peanut butter & bacon bagels were definitely *not*.