apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


What Foods Do You Buy Weekly?

2008_11_17-WeeklyGroceries.jpgAfter last week's discussion of all the ingredients we keep stocked and ready to go in our pantry, we got curious about what foods get bought on a weekly basis. These are either perishable ingredients or ones that we use so regularly that we just automatically pick them up at the store. What do you buy weekly?

 
 

Not including ready-to-eat foods like cereals and deli meat, this tends to be what we buy at the store every week whether or not we have a specific recipe in mind. We know we're likely to need these ingredients at some point during the week!

Onions. This is probably the number one most used ingredient in our kitchen. Raw, sautéd, or caramelized, onions make their way into nearly every savory dish we make.
Celery and Carrots. These two ingredients, along with onions, form the base for any soup, stew, or braise that we might make. And this time of year, we're starting to make a lot of them!
Mushrooms. We use these in quick stir-fries, frittatas, and soups - one of which we're sure to make at least once during the week.
Potatoes. Right now we have a few pounds of potatoes stockpiled from our CSA, but before that potatoes were a weekly purchase. We like them roasted, mashed, and in gratins or frittatas.
Apples or other seasonal fruit. We eat fruit with our breakfast and also like to keep a few extra on hand for a quick snack or dessert.
Lemons. The is our secret ingredient for boosting flavor in dishes that don't taste "quite right." We also use fresh lemon juice in simple salad dressings and to flavor our water.
Ricotta Cheese. A scoop of this cheese does well in most any recipe we make. Check our our post on Top Five Things to do with Ricotta!
Canned Tomatoes. These mostly go into pasta sauces and soups.
Chicken Stock. Yes, we know it would be better in terms of cost and flavor to be making our own, but we're not quite there yet. Truthfully, we tend to go through so much of it that it's hard to keep up with homemade stock!
Flour. Since we started baking our own bread, we've been going through almost a bag of flour every week. We always have an extra bag waiting in the wings to prevent the catastrophe of running out mid-week!

Interestingly enough, we don't buy meat every week. We certainly used to, but coming up with this list made us realize how much our habits have changed in the past few years. We now only buy fresh meat when we have a recipe in mind. We also keep individually-wrapped bacon and sausage links in the freezer in case we have a sudden craving.

What does your weekly shopping cart look like?

Related: Survey: How Often Do You Shop For Groceries?

(Image: Flickr member Jeff Keen licensed under Creative Commons)

Tags

Surveys, Supermarkets, groceries, shopping, cooking without recipes

Related Links

Share

Comments (33)

Always scallions, parsley, lemons, whole wheat pasta, feta, parmesan, eggs, milk, fruit, two or three veggies, tofu, dried mushrooms, wine, white beans.

posted by Tazer on November 17th 2008 at 12:14pm
view Tazer's profile

Re: chicken stock. I only use my homemade for special dinners or something like risotto, where I want the good stuff. If I'm making a soup for our lunches for the week, I'll use a box of broth!

1. Flour: ditto on the baking bread. I make a lot more pies this time of year also, and I don't have room to buy in bulk, so it's a 5# bag a week, roughly.

2. Fruit, mostly apples this time of year. An occasional pear.

3. A hard cheese, like Beecher's Flagship, for lunches and snacks.

4. Pistachios, also for snacks.

5. Carrots, onions, potatoes, chard/kale. I use these veggies a lot.

6. Parmesan, a small hunk a week. I use this cheese more than any other.

And lemons! Even I don't have a plan for them, I make sure there are a couple in the fridge.

posted by sjbreeze on November 17th 2008 at 12:15pm
view sjbreeze's profile

Milk
Eggs
whatever veggies look good

Most of the rest I keep stocked up on. Onions, pasta, (individual) bottles of wine, tomato sauce, etc. all live in my pantry to be purchased in bulk when they're on sale. Or when I run out, whichever's soonest.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on November 17th 2008 at 12:18pm
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile

onions, fruit, yams, chicken, broth, beans, milk/cream (for weekend scones), cheese sticks or laughing cow, chick peas, and chili powder (can't believe how fast I go through that, but that's what happens when you make a big pot of chicken soup for the week!).

Everything else i'm either pretty well stocked or I buy if a recipe requires.

posted by ashleym (aka autzve on flickr) on November 17th 2008 at 12:29pm
view ashleym (aka autzve on flickr)'s profile

-canned tomatoes - i must have these in my cupboard at all times... you never know when you'll need them.
-onions - I use them in just about everything
-lemons - good to have to zest, to juice, to garnish
-whatever veggies look good at the farmer's market... but i try to always have carrots, potatoes, garlic and fresh herbs on hand.
-a chunk of parmesan
-wine!

posted by meganificent on November 17th 2008 at 12:40pm
view meganificent's profile

We just launched a new product that allows you to plan your meals for the week, create shopping lists & reference a weekly shopping list - all in one step.

Check it out! http://www.springpadit.com/springpads/mealplanner/

posted by katin from springpad on November 17th 2008 at 12:59pm
view katin from springpad's profile

Milk, bagels, bag of organic baby romaine, cream cheese, sometimes bread, fruit

posted by greenT on November 17th 2008 at 1:20pm
view greenT's profile

pre-peeled garilc, carrots, soy milk, creamer, orange juice, yogurt, bread red peppers, greens, onions, and tofu are our staples.

we go through a *lot* of tofu- I've been trying to make a pound last 3 servings; but sometimes it's only 2.

posted by jillrenee in boston on November 17th 2008 at 1:24pm
view jillrenee in boston's profile

Milk
Eggs
Butter
Cheese (usually cheddar)
Onions
Garlic
Beans/Lentils
Tomatoes (canned)
Flour

posted by jamiealyse on November 17th 2008 at 1:29pm
view jamiealyse's profile

milk b/c my SO is addicted.
random seasonal fruit(s) for snacking.
random seasonal vegetable(s) as a side dish.

we're fortunate in that we have room to buy in bulk if we choose, so everything else is "as needed" or if we run out. our cooking flips between western and asian, so there's no particular non-bulk perishable ingredient that is used for both.

posted by ami on November 17th 2008 at 1:36pm
view ami's profile

Soymilk, coffee, eggs, oatmeal, onions, garlic, and beans are the staples this time of year. There are usually more vegetables in the cart but it varies widely from week to week what I get.

posted by kplays on November 17th 2008 at 2:01pm
view kplays's profile

milk
eggs
some sort of lunch meat (depending on sale/what I'm in the mood for)
some sort of hard cheese (depending on sale/mood)
sliced bread
fresh veggies - always some lettuce, tomato, onion, baby carrots, and whatever's on sale/I'm using in the recipe/looks good at the time. Lately it's been a variety of squash.
fresh fruit - always apples and bananas, then if something else is on sale/looks good I'll probably pick it up. Lately it's been melons.

About every other week I'll buy oatmeal (have it every morning for breakfast) and coffee.

posted by laetitiae on November 17th 2008 at 2:32pm
view laetitiae's profile

My food shopping is sporadic, if I need milk, granny smiths or coffee its off to the store, this may be once a week or maybe even 2 weeks. I always reach for the same things when I go.

Skim Milk,
eggs,
2lb tub low fat plain yogurt
hunk of cheese depends on what i feel like
Shredded Mozzarella, I make pizza once a week
cilantro
parsley
lemons
pita bread
onions/shallots/garlic
peppers
carrots
granny smiths, must have apples

I stock up on dry beans once in a while from rancho gordo, bulk dry stuff (rice, lentils, nuts, seeds) depending on what I am making. I only buy pasta when I am craving it. A box will last me (I live alone) a few weeks, 4-5 servings. I hardly ever buy meat or fish unless I have a specific dish in mind. I only have to feed myself so if I feel like pb&j (or if thats all I have) then thats what I eat. I am a big fan of making a batch of chili or stock for soups, roasting tomatoes and freezing for later.

posted by shayna on November 17th 2008 at 2:35pm
view shayna's profile

Our pantry and freezer stay stocked because we buy in bulk whenever there's a sale. Things that are on my grocery list every week include: milk, sandwich bread, pita, at least one kind of cheese, wine and/or beer, a few lemons and limes, some kind of salad greens (usually spinach or romaine), some kind of fresh fruit, and a pint of ben & jerry's ice cream. =)

posted by stolichnaya on November 17th 2008 at 3:23pm
view stolichnaya's profile

Kale and/or broccoli, garlic, onions, canned chickpeas (I go through a LOT of those), and yogurt end up on my list almost every week. Also tomatoes of some sort - we're still getting some fresh local tomatoes at Whole Foods and I can't resist them.

posted by mel.d on November 17th 2008 at 3:54pm
view mel.d's profile

Onions
Eggs ( usually 2 12 packs)
random seasonal fruits and frozen for snacking
random seasonal vegetables as a side dish
Lean Cuisines ( yeah yeah i know they are not the most foody thing to get nor the healthy but they are wicked cheep and convent)
1 loaf of whole wheat breed w/o corn syrup
A frozen pizza to two ( usually Amy's)
frozen spinach to beef up the pizza or a side dish
Olives
Almonds
Jam
Tea

posted by Justbreathe226 on November 17th 2008 at 4:22pm
view Justbreathe226's profile

shallots, lemons, parsley, garlic, arugula or lettuce, broccoli rabe, chard, or kale, radishes, onions, carrots, apples and seasonal fruit, multigrain bread, eggs, milk, greek yogurt, parmesan, ricotta, stinky cheese of some sort, chocolate.

i also usually have (most of) this: boxes of stock, lentils, dried beans, canned beans (for when i fail to plan ahead), pasta, fregola or orzo, couscous, quinoa, arborio and basmati, steelcut oatmeal, canned tomatoes, sardines, olives, peanut butter, mustard, preserves, pickles, herbs from the garden.

posted by bebklyn on November 17th 2008 at 4:58pm
view bebklyn's profile

soy milk
nondairy creamer
canned tomatoes
chickpeas
black beans
tortillas
onions/garlic as needed
green peppers
some kind of green
some kind of fruit
a dried fruit and nut for snacks
breakfast cereal
something chocolate

i usually buy meat and frozen veggies in bulk

posted by thinkingwoman on November 17th 2008 at 5:00pm
view thinkingwoman's profile

Farmers market staples that I get weekly include eggs, seasonal fruit and seasonal veggies. Weekly grocery store staples are milk, cheese (parm, sharp cheddar and gruyere), half and half, canned beans/tomatoes, baby carrots and bananas.

posted by rosebud on November 17th 2008 at 5:07pm
view rosebud's profile

Honeycrisps, greek yogurt, nuts, oatmeal, dried fruit, and occasionally a nice hard cheese.

Everything else is generally bought recipe-specific.

posted by nadarine on November 17th 2008 at 5:20pm
view nadarine's profile

soymilk
tofu
veggie sandwich filling for work (tofu salad spread or veggie deli slices)
cheese
fresh veggies (including veggies that will be good raw with lunches)
fresh fruit (including bananas, a weekly must)

Lest you think I don't need any junk/sweets weekly, I tend to buy that on an as-needed basis, since I can't keep it at home, because it'll be gone immediately.

posted by Pixie on November 17th 2008 at 5:37pm
view Pixie's profile

apples
yogurt
canned beans, usually black
pre-shredded cheese
salsa
tortilla's
rice
cereal
milk
frozen lunches
low fat vanilla ice cream
wine

posted by yolio on November 17th 2008 at 5:54pm
view yolio's profile

large tub of non-fat yogurt
whole wheat bread (usually the Ezekiel sesame sandwich bread)
individual mozzarella sticks
pint of 2% milk

everything else is on an as-needed basis. some weeks I may go through a whole head of garlic, other weeks I might not need salad greens or cheese...

posted by Amandica on November 17th 2008 at 7:32pm
view Amandica's profile

flour
cheese
breakfast bars
oatmeal
milk
leeks - weekly staple 9 out of 12 months for us
rye bread
chocolate
yogurt
tins of tuna - for the cat, oddly

posted by cymry on November 17th 2008 at 7:47pm
view cymry's profile

I am attempting my first "no knead" bread tonight so flour may soon be at the top of my list!

These are the things I buy without fail every week:

Wine/Beer
Eggs
Nonfat Milk
Coffee Beans
Lemons & Limes
Tofu
Baguette
Parmesan
Swiss (Boyfriend)
And, of course, whatever vegetables look fresh and yummy. Right now it's lots of chard, kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc etc.
Onions, Garlic & Ginger

Okay, and if I am being entirely truthful.....canned whipped cream. I like it on my cappuccinos :-)

posted by kari-anne on November 17th 2008 at 8:33pm
view kari-anne's profile

Milk
Eggs
Tortillas
Tomatoes
Apples
Clementines
Spinach
Tortilla Chips
Salsa
Beer
Sweet Italian Sausage
Zucchini

It varies depending on our moods and our stock, but our list is almost always the same.
Emily

posted by Emily Sneds on November 17th 2008 at 10:16pm
view Emily Sneds's profile

Flat leaf parsley.....

without fail, every single week.

posted by appleton on November 18th 2008 at 3:49am
view appleton's profile

Milk
Cereal (a big box a week for my husband!)
Yogurt
1 lb of coffee beans (every two weeks)
Canned tomatoes
Pasta
Cheese of some kind (usually cheddar or mozzarella)
Sandwich bread
Onions
Apples or other seasonal fruit
Romaine or Spinach
Ice Cream (practically every week...I'm an addict)

posted by kaylah on November 18th 2008 at 11:40am
view kaylah's profile

kari-anne,
where do you buy your swiss boyfriend at?
:) sorry...

unless i'm using a specific recipe, here are my weekly must-haves:
- half & half
- coffee, if i'm out
- apples
- bananas
- whole wheat or brown rice pasta, although i buy in bulk and it lasts for ages -- ditto brown rice
- salad stuff, usually leaf lettuce or baby spinach
- a block of cabot 2% sharp cheddar
- feta, but again i buy in bulk so it's not every week, but it's a must-have for me
- whatever's on sale that i love and am out of
- whatever other veggies strike my fancy

posted by abigailbelle on November 18th 2008 at 4:16pm
view abigailbelle's profile

wow, i find this so interesting. I'm amazed how many things in other people's "must have" lists are the things that usually end up rotting in the back of my fridge (celery, scallions, lettuce, half & half)...

I tend to always buy:
cheese
tortillas
sabra hummus for snacking

I've been part of my CSA this year, so there's not much of a need for fresh produce from the grocery...

posted by mh330 on November 19th 2008 at 8:08am
view mh330's profile

Every week without fail....milk, chocolate milk, bread, fruits, green veggies, deli meat, some kind of fresh meat, fresh flowers (not a food but part of my grocery store run) and lottery ticket. The rest I try to bulk shop every 2-3 months and keep the pantry and freezer stocked. Saves us a lot of time.

posted by Kimberlina on November 19th 2008 at 11:54am
view Kimberlina's profile

Milk, butter, eggs, cheese, tortillas, bread, wine, onions, garlic, and whatever fruit & veg are in season and strike my fancy. In summertime, tomatoes and cucumbers are standard--as long as I have refrigerator pickles on hand and ripe tomatoes to slice, I'm ready for unexpected visitors. Of course, pasta, rice, beans, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, coffee, tea, and all standard baking ingredients need to be on hand. I usually buy a chicken, a small roast, or a few pounds of sausage, too.

posted by upsilamba on November 19th 2008 at 3:03pm
view upsilamba's profile

We hit the farmers' market every week and I buy broccoli, fresh tomatoes, winter melon, baby bok choy, carrots. And whatever fruit I'm craving or in season that I like. Meats and seafood I usually buy at the supermarkets on the way home from work.

posted by yukirei on November 19th 2008 at 4:59pm
view yukirei's profile