What foods/brands do you buy regularly?

[Fern]

What do you consider staples in your household?

Altho when i see my SO on the weekends, it's burgers and steaks, i rarely eat any meat but chicken/turkey by myself during the week.

What I do without:

* don't eat much bread
* never buy sweets like candy, cookies, cake or pastry tho occasioanlly i'll treat myself to a box of Nutty Buddy frozen ice cream cones in the summer.
* I gave up soda a year ago, now don't buy it, but will have it at a restaurant.
* gave up cured meats like ham, coldcuts, hotdogs, my beloved Italian sweet sausage and the even more beloved kielbasa (sigh) That is, UNLESS i can find it nitrite-free.
* don't eat eggs due to apparent hidden food allergy

I love vegetarian meals tho could never give up meat entirely.

A typical trip to the grocery store will include purchases of:

* nuts: walnuts most often
* fresh fruits (apples, pears, bananas, clementine in winter, and berries, plums, nectarines in summer)
* fresh or frozen veggies: most often will be peas, broccoli, brussel sprouts. I love cole slaw; anyone have a great recipe?
* i'm a Lean Cuisine-aholic.
* plain yogurt and add preserves/jam separately, or sometimes fresh berries
* cheese, either muenster, cheddar, feta or Swiss
* breakfast cereal, the healthier the better
* Canned soups, tho i try to make my own when i have time too
* pasta and Prego

So you can see i have a wierd combo if good and bad eating habits. I come from a diehard healthy eating family, but over the years have been corrupted by outside influences.

[lrjohnson]

Things I (almost) always have in stock
Cheese (Cheap but real cheddar or jack)
Tortillas
Peanut Butter
(Homemade) Jam
Seltzer water/Club soda
Sardines
Tuna
Eggs (tons)
Bread (ditto)
Pancake mix
Frozen veggies - the mixed peas/corn/carrots/beans (who knows why, but it's always eaten-I can add to almost anything to make healthier)
Walnuts
Yogurt, plain
Yogurt, Light&Fit when at discount store for 99 cents/large tub
Canned soups (decent "fast food" substitute)
Canned fruit (with yogurt makes nice breakfast shake)
Carrots
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Pasta
OJ concentrate
Tomato/Pasta sauce (cheapy cheap is fine)
Homemade cocoa mix, coffee beans, variety of teas
A cereal or two: either granola, or fancy/healthy/low price, or corn flakes (I like to mix and match; for example, add walnuts, bran, wheat germ and granola to cornflakes)
Lots of bulk dry items such as rice, flour, sugar, bulghur, beans, lentils, cornmeal, TVP, hummus mix, oatmeal, bran, wheat germ, powdered milk, homemade breadcrumbs, soy flour)
(My boyfriend is a PB fiend so we have lots of those larger tubs.)
Frozen fish

Items that appear often:
(never have all at once, but usually have at least couple)
Smoked oysters/mussels/scallops
Eggplant (to slice and steam for sandwiches)
Salsa and/or sour cream
Apples or other fruit (in summer I go nuts)
Fresh Lettuce or Spinach
Bags of frozen chicken breasts (one breast = 2 meals for 2 = 4 meals)
Liver
Cabbage
Sugar free hard candy

Things I never have in stock (may get rarely for an event/very special treat):
Cakes, cookies, ice cream, potato chips, fancy cheese (I sure do love them though), soda, frozen dinners/meals, Candy, most meats.

We used to buy more fresh veggies, but had to acknowledge, after tossing too much over the years, that we had to cut back because to much was rotten. It was a blow to us-it's hard to give up the fantasy that you are a veggie buyin' health machine-but at least now we eat all we buy and don't feed the compost.

I'm looking forward to seeing some other lists, to steal good habits.

[PRICEPLUS]

Peanut Butter-we stock up when there is a sale
Mustard-Ditto
Ketchup-Ditto
Tomato Sauce-Ditto
Canned goods_Ditto

Eggs, bread, and milk we try to get bargain. We buy frozen veggies and seasonal fruits and veggies.

We eat spuds and rice as our main carb and we stock up on rice when on sale.

[jodi]

Must have in stock:
Natural peanut butter and no-sugar jelly for me - regular pb and jelly for the rest of the house
Some type of whole grain bread (sliced bread, pitas, whole wheat tortillas for wraps) - white bread for the rest of the house
Brown rice
Whole wheat pasta - regular pasta for the rest of the house
Cereal and oatmeal - Kashi for me, any number of different kinds for everyone else, but usually no sugary ones
For lunches - tuna fish, canned chicken, Spam (I know, it's horrible - but have you ever tried it fried??)
Low fat and regular cheddar cheese, sliced American cheese, often mozzarella too
Low fat sour cream and cottage cheese for quick casseroles
No fat Cool Whip
Freezer: several types of meat for quick meals, bacon, fish sticks for the kids, frozen veggies both from the garden and store, no-sugar added fudge pops, and ice cream of course!
canned tomatoes for sauces and soups
canned fruit - mixed, peaches, and pears
boxed mac and cheese and raviolis/spaghettios for the kids
fresh fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, strawberries year round, and other as they are in season (melon, peaches, pears, berries)
veggies: lettuce, cabbage (it keeps forever), onions, potatoes, carrots
whole milk for my dad and kids, 1% for the rest of us
COFFEE (for DH)

Things I no longer buy:
Canned soups (much prefer to make and freeze my own - I don't even like canned soups anymore)
Pancake mixes (again, make my own)
Processed snack foods
Chips, pretzels, etc - a rare buy and not for me
Instant rice, potatoes, etc. (oatmeal is the only instant food we have - and only for my kids)

I eat fairly healthy now that I have done the South Beach diet and lost about 20 pounds. I definitely want to keep it off! But there are also some things that I can't convert my family on, especially my meat and potatoes dad. And other things I don't mind my kids having as treats. But we definitely eat less processed and more fresh foods now.

[jodi]

Oh my goodness, how could I forget BEANS?? We always have 3 or 4 different types of canned beans and usually a bag of dried beans and/or lentils. Good for so many things...

[lrjohnson]

Jodi-we've gone non-mix/non-instant on most things, like biscuits and muffins and oatmeal, etc., but My Guy says he hasn't made scratch pancakes that he likes as much as the Krusteaz mix. Are you willing to share your recipe?

[thriftymom]

Most every week, we buy:
Apples, Oranges
If in season- Nectarines, plums, etc.
Baby Carrots
Celery, sometimes cucumber
Any fresh veggies on sale
Lettuce, Tomato
Cold Cuts, Cheese- whatever is on sale
Freihoffer's Family Grains- Healthy Sandwich Bread
Yogurt
3 Boxes of Cereal
Orange Juice
Milk
Pasta, Sauce
Chicken or Hamburg
Eggs
Frozen Veggies
Half & Half
Armour Frozen sausage only when on sale

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff since we usually spend around $80, but those are the basics that we most always buy.

[thriftymom]

Forgot crackers & granola bars for DH's lunches

[PrincessPerky]

peanut butter, bread, milk, eggs, rice, potatos, noodles, tomatoes

and the rest is whenever we get it, I try to run out to inspire creativity and variety...though we are almost out of chocolate, not to sure I am in the mood for a forced diet!

[Thrifty Ray]

I do not have much brand loyalty...altho DH has to have miracle whip and coke.

I dont buy all of this weekly, usually I try to stock up when it is on sale:
4-5 lbs Chicken breast ($1.79 lb-is highest I'll go)
pork roast or beef roast- whichever is on sale
bulk hamburger Costco- $2 lb
london broil/steak if it is on sale for $2 or less per lb.
italian sausage/pepperoni- in bulk, last serveral weeks
eggs
2% milk
tortillas
the least expensive bottled water I can find...our well water has boron in it so we don't drink it.


cereal if I can find it for under $1.50 per box -if not we eat oatmeal, waffles, etc. that I make from scratch.
Fruit and veggies
pasta sauce when on sale for 1.20 or less
pasta- under $1 per box/bag- when I find it for .50 I stock up!
salad dressing (usually ceasar...$1.99 for a large jar)
cheese- block of cheddar/ parmesan for shredding, mozzarella
beans
Some kindof snack item for DHs lunch/dinner box (he works nights)

Primarily, I shop at WinCo, Grocery Outlet and Costco...but I will watch the sale flyers and hit chain stores for loss leaders.

[NoWayNovember]

The only brand loyalty we really have in our house is Pepsi -- my husband won't drink anything else. I don't drink soda anymore so it's no biggie to buy it for him... it lasts a while.

The staples I seem to keep are:

-Potatoes (I like to have lots of russet, yukon golds, and red potatoes on hand)
-Tofu (great for making my own fruit puddings!)
-PB&J
-Rice and beans
-Tortillas
-Spaghetti