June 03rd, 2018

Since changing my diet, I have been forced to be more thoughtful about grocery shopping and cooking in general. I noticed this most once the farmer’s market started. My carefully laid plans could be ruined by a nice bundle of asparagus I couldn’t resist out of a cute stall. I had to relearn flexible grocering habits that I abandoned in order to stay pescetarian. I had learned to avoid old temptations out of habit, and this became a useful trait.

I still make a list, but anymore it can be very bare bones. I plan a few meals, usually things for the blog, and I decide on the rest of the week from there. This way, I don’t feel bad for picking up new things at the farmer’s market. Below is an example of a usual list.



























​I decided that I need to cook 4 things FOR SURE this week, one of them being for the Cookbook of the month. There are a lot of things I need to get for it, mostly pantry staples I lacked. Those will come in handy for any spur of the moment meals that I haven’t planned. Same goes for the fresh herbs the farther you go down the list.

Some things are missing from the list, but that’s usually when I already have them in my cupboard. You’ll notice shrimp is only listed once, and I have two shrimp recipes on my list. I have a bag in my freezer waiting for use. I also didn’t get any noodles for my Thai shrimp because I have a veritable treasure trove of soba and udon noodles in my pantry to choose from. When I’m really getting ready for the week ahead, I look at my pantry to help guide my shopping.

This is my way going forward. One recipe from a cookbook a week and usually one new one from pinterest help guide my eating choices through the week. A good ol’ standby or two fill the rest of the space and give me days to experiment.

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