Printable Grocery List Resources

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

According to studies done at the University of Pennsylvania, making a grocery list and sticking to it can help you save up to 23% on your grocery bills! Follow grocery shopping lists and you could end up saving big on your groceries in the long haul. Additionally, you can use technology to your advantage by finding grocery lists to print online. A printable grocery list can save you lots of time by providing you with an easy-to-read, foolproof list.

Benefits of Printable Grocery Lists

Why should you look into downloading a printable grocery list? There are plenty of reasons:

Printable grocery lists are easily legible, unlike our rushed, rapidly-written grocery lists
Finding a grocery list online allows you to personalize your list to your tastes
You can easily find a grocery list that fits your shopping tactics, whether you shop by nutritional content or by price
Printing out a grocery list that’s easy to read will get you in and out of the store in no time

Printable Grocery Lists Available Online

There are many printable grocery list templates and tools available on the web. Here are three options available to assist in your busy life.

#1 GroceryLists.org

GroceryLists.org is a website dedicated to the world of grocery lists, messy and crumpled, misspelled and misprinted, stained and forgotten. However, this delightful site also provides us with the “Ultimatest” Grocery List in Deluxe, Editable, and Vegetarian forms so that you never have to have a messy, crumpled, or misspelled grocery list again. These three lists provide you with neat, printable lists that are fun and colorful, too.

#2 ZipList.com

ZipList is an online service that makes assembling your grocery list a breeze. Features include add and delete item options, sharing list with others, saving recipes, and adding contents of recipes to your shopping list instantaneously. ZipList doesn’t require registration, which is good for those who want a simple list, downloaded and printed in a flash.

#3 Grocerylists.com

Grocerylists.com is a website that posts all kinds of grocery lists online. They have deluxe version as well as a grocery list targeted for vegetarians (much like GroceryLists.org). The lists are divided into common categories, such as meat, snacks, dairy, etc. Under each category are relevant food items with boxes next to them to check off the items you need. Once you print out the list, you can fill it out at your own convenience so that you don’t have to remember everything you need all at once. You can print out lots of the templates ahead of time and just fill them in as things run out.

There are many printable grocery lists available on the web. Try and look for a list that integrates a service and an app too, like Food on the Table. This function will help you access your grocery list from anywhere or even discover grocery store deals and save money. Just get online, fill in your list, print, and you’re ready for a stress-free trip to the grocery store!

Saving the Most with Your Grocery List

Posted on October 19, 2011 by admin

If you go into the store without a grocery list to do your weekly shopping you’re likely to spend more and forget a few necessary items. Eventually, you’ll have to go back for those necessary items and end up grabbing a few more things you may not necessarily need. Making a grocery list also helps you take full advantage of the money saving power of manufacturer coupons. Here are a few tips to help you merge your grocery coupons and your grocery list to save the most money on every trip.

Photo Credit: http://www.couponaudit.com

Extreme Couponing

If you’ve ever watched the TV realty series Extreme Couponing, you know that it is humanly possible to walk out of the grocery store with several hundred dollars worth of merchandise for pocket change. Though the people on the show pretty much coupon full time and a lot of what they get can’t be incorporated into a weekly meal plan, it is inspirational. Check for coupons online and printable coupons, subscribe to the Sunday paper and get you a coupon wallet to keep everything organized. You don’t have to go extreme to save money.

Meal Planning for the Coupon Mom

On Sunday, after you’ve talked your kids into clipping out all of the coupons out of the paper’s insert, sit down with your computer and lay out all of the coupons. Pick out what you can use to make your meals for the week and file the rest of the coupons in alphabetical order for later use. Search for weekly specials online at your local grocery store and try and find any other online coupons you may need to fill in the gaps. This way you’re basing your weekly meal plan around the coupons efficiently rather than using one coupon towards a meal that you need 15 non-discounted ingredients to make.

Grocery Shopping Made Easy

When you head to the grocery store you want to have a clean, hand written or printable grocery list, your stack of coupons for that week’s food and stable blood sugar so you don’t deviate from your list due to temptation. There is no need to carry around coupons that you won’t be using that week. Remember that buying superfluous items at a discount still costs money, so try and use coupons that help you save on the things you actually need and not use them as an excuse to buy a bunch of unnecessary stuff.

Grocery coupons may seem like a hassle, but once you get the hang of it they really can save you 10-20% a week. Try these organization methods and see if you can’t save enough money to make it worth the effort. There’s nothing like free coupons saving you enough over the course of a month to completely justify a night out to dinner!

Get Organized with a Grocery List Checklist

Posted on October 17, 2011 by admin

Perhaps it’s pride, or maybe just laziness, but nine times out of ten we end up grocery-store bound without a checklist. However, according to surgeon Atul Gawande, author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, operating without a checklist is inefficient and illogical. “I introduced the checklist in my operating room, and I’ve not gotten through a week without it catching a problem,” Gawande said in an interview. “It has been really eye-opening. You just realize how fundamentally fallible we are.”

Grocery shopping is, by no stretch of the imagination, a surgical procedure, however, we could learn something from Gawande’s advice. Bottom line: we mess up from time to time. A grocery list check list can make it so that nothing slips through the cracks, eliminating one stressor from our lives. While making and completing a checklist may feel like a waste of time to some, it’s extremely helpful and fast, and it allows you to get home from the grocery store with all the necessary ingredients to make a great meal.

Making the Perfect Grocery Store Checklist

While it may sound a bit silly, crafting the perfect, fail-proof checklist takes time and a bit of effort. Now there are plenty of grocery list checklists online that you can customize and print. Whether you’re making a list by hand or you’re customizing one on the web, keep these key factors in mind when making your checklist:

Size: Do you want an enormous checklist that you won’t lose in a huge purse? Or do you prefer a bite-sized list that you can throw in your pocket? Generally, bigger grocery lists, the ones that don’t fall out of your purse, pocket, car, or cart, are better for shopping purposes. An 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper is ideal for most.
Font: That cutesy font may look fabulous on the computer screen, but it may not be functional as you’re juggling children, cereal boxes, and a grocery cart, all while trying to read your list. Opt for an easily legible font, preferably in a dark color, like black.
Grouping and Flow: Consider grouping your items according to grocery store layout, or even order of occurrence within your grocery store. Thinking about the design of your store while making your list could save you some time when wandering the numerous aisles.
Quantity: Many people don’t include quantity when they’re putting items on their grocery list, but we suggest thinking about the number of each item you need before you step out your door, taking your recipes or meal plans into consideration. Dictating quantity ahead of time could prevent food waste and save you a buck.
Make it mandatory: Grocery lists don’t work unless they’re enforced. Put your grocery list on the refrigerator or post it up on your front door so that you don’t forget your list before you leave the house.

Your schedule’s probably jam-packed with a million things to do. You can make your life a little less disorganized by arming yourself with a grocery list checklist next time you go shopping for groceries. It will save you time and money at the store, which will make it worth the extra effort.

My Grocery Shopping Lists: Organic Produce

Posted on October 16, 2011 by admin

If you want to eliminate the amount of foods with pesticide residue you feed yourself and your family, you probably already buy organic. However, as we all know, organic tends to be a little pricier than the regular ol’ grocery shopping list items. Instead of buying everything organic, buy the top list of contaminated crops organic. According to the Environmental Working Group, simply following this list could reduce your exposure to pesticides by 80%.

Foods That You Should Always Buy Organic

Apples: Apples are the dirtiest of them all, raking number one for pesticides. When you buy your apples organic, make sure to get apple juice and applesauce organic, too!
Celery: Celery is often ranked number two for pesticide residue, which may be difficult to wash away because there’s no protective layer of skin.
Strawberries: Always buy your strawberries, including strawberry jam or dried strawberries, organic.
Blueberries: While frozen bags of blueberries have less pesticides, blueberries, like strawberries, carry about 50 pesticides.
Peaches: During the summer, shop at your local farmers’ market for organic peaches. Peaches that aren’t organic have been found with about 50 different pesticides on them, however canned peaches have fewer pesticides, generally speaking.
Spinach, Kale, and Lettuce: Buy all of your leafy greens organic to avoid about 50 different kinds of pesticides.
Nectarines: While domestic nectarines aren’t that bad, nectarines from imported farms are loaded with chemicals.
Grapes: Like nectarines, grapes are imported to the US with countless pesticides. Don’t forget to buy your raisins organic, too!
Sweet Bell Peppers: Bell peppers may look colorful and appealing in the aisles but make sure you’re buying these veggies organic.
Potatoes: It shouldn’t be a shock that potatoes are pesticide magnets, considering the pests that have historically threatened the vegetable. Sweet potatoes, however, have lower amounts of pesticide residue.

If you follow this list, you pesticide intake will be greatly reduced, making for a healthy happy household. Just buy these organic and you can rest easy buying the rest of your produce in the less expensive produce section.

What should be on your low carb grocery list?: Defining “Good” vs. “Bad” Carbs

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

From cookies to cakes, pizza to pasta, carbohydrates have become more foe than friend. But are all carbs bad, necessarily? Should we be shunning carbs all together in favor of meaty alternatives? The answer is plain and simple: no. In September 2002, the National Academies Institute of Medicine recommended that people focus on getting more good carbs with fiber into their diet. This report stated that, to meet the body’s daily nutritional needs while minimizing risk for chronic disease, “Adults should get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates, 20% to 35% from fat, and 10% to 35% from protein.” Additionally, WebMD cites the best sources of fiber as plant foods, like fruits and vegetables, which are “quality carbohydrates that are loaded with fiber.” Why do we need high-fiber carbs? “Studies show an increased risk for heart disease with low-fiber diets. There is also some evidence to suggest that fiber in the diet may also help to prevent colon cancer and promote weight control,” WebMD notifies us. Okay, so carbs aren’t that bad for you, as low-carb, ketosis-provoking diets would have us think. The trick is getting “good” carbs into our system, rather than munchin’ down “bad” carbs in cookies and cake.

What are “good” carbs?

Even if you’re trying to eat low carb meals, you still need to make sure you get the right amount of “good” carbs. So what are these mysterious “good” carbs, exactly? To find a good carb, look for foods that are full of fiber, like whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. The fiber in fruits, veggies, and whole grains allows us to moderate our blood sugar levels and even lower cholesterol.

What are “bad” carbs?

Now that we’ve identified “good” carbs, the ones we should gravitate towards, what are the carbs that we should stay away from? “Bad” carbs include those like sugars, refined “white” grains, and foods with added sugars. When looking at food labels, try to steer clear of foods with white or brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar alcohol carbohydrates like actitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.

Instead of focusing on avoiding carbs all together, try putting plenty of fruits and vegetables on your low carb grocery list, implementing beans into your diet, and switching from white to whole grains. Additionally, try to beef up the amount of proteins on your low carb grocery list to avoid the dreaded “bad” carb cravings. Heathy proteins could include lean cuts of pork and beef, chicken, turkey, cuts of fish, and egg whites. Lean proteins will keep you fuller, so you’ll be less likely to reach for a chocolate chip cookie when your stomach starts to grumble. Next time you’re making your low carb grocery list keep these tips in mind, avoid bad carbs, and stock up on healthy proteins for a fail-proof diet.

A Master Grocery List and the Perfect Pantry

Posted on October 12, 2011 by admin

Do you know what’s in your pantry?

According to Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, only about 41% of inventory estimations are accurate when it comes to our pantries. These “biased inventory estimates” can increase overstocking and spoilage or result in “unmet demand,” depending on our individual consumer tendencies. Instead of over- or under-stocking, try creating a master grocery list to better take inventory in your pantry.

What is a master grocery list?

A master grocery list is a grocery list with items that you always need, the essentials of your home. This grocery list also contains accurate numbers of each item, creating a tangible, easy-to-read inventory list. From household to household, the master grocery list could differ extremely, depending on tastes and lifestyles. Regardless, everyone should have a master grocery list that allows them to accurately take inventory in their homes.

How do I make a master grocery list?

Making a master grocery list can be time consuming initially. Take a Sunday afternoon to make an inventory of your entire pantry (you’ll be shocked at how much stuff is actually in there!). Then, compile this data in either a written sheet that can be tacked onto your pantry door or put the data into a spreadsheet that can be printed and updated on the computer. After compiling all of your initial data, make sure to update your master grocery list every time you make a purchase, use an item, or clean out your pantry.

What are some other ways I can avoid food waste and check inventory?

Dr. Brian Wansink, lead author and Director of the Food and Brand Lab, has some suggestions that could prevent consumers from wasting food. He says consumers can do the following to make sure products are either visible or used:

Rotate products from the back of the shelf to the front during cleaning.
Plan new uses for abandoned products.
Dispose of expired products.
Donate non–expired, abandoned products to the local food bank instead of throwing the product away.

After taking these factors into account, cleaning out your pantry, creating a master grocery list, and accurately taking inventory, you’ll eliminate under and over stocking and hopefully never waste food again!

Tips to Navigate the Big Box for Savings on your Walmart Grocery List

Posted on October 11, 2011 by admin

Walmart is more than just a grocery store: it’s a national phenomenon. As the world’s largest public corporation by revenue, this superstore tycoon’s net worth in 2011 was approximately $410 billion, according to Forbes Global. Walmart is not only racking up massive revenue, it defines political demographics, like “Walmart Moms,” and, ultimately saves people money. Research from Global Insight shows that Walmart now saves American families $2,500 each year. While Walmart has helped us save over the years, it can also be a bit overwhelming at times. There are, however, some ways that you can navigate through Walmart’s website or their store to quickly and efficiently get all the items on your Walmart grocery list.

Navigating Walmart Stores

#1 Using Price Match:

Walmart veterans simply rave about the store’s price match policy. For those of you who have never used price match, this feature allows you to purchase an item at Walmart for the same price as that of a competitor store. Of course, to take advantage of this feature, you have to bring a current, dated advertisement in hand, before the cashier rings up the price match item. Take your price match ads to the grocery store with you and put all your price match products in a certain section of the cart so you don’t get confused. Price match aficionados usually prefer to put their price match items aside and lay the advertisements on top of their appropriate item. Walmart will not price match the following:

Items that require a separate purchase to get the ad price
Items with no actual price that require a purchase to get a free item
Items that require a purchase to get a competitor’s gift card
Buy One Get One Free ads with no specific price
Going out of business or close out prices
Percentage off
Competitor’s private label price promotions.

#2 Coupon Overage:

Walmart also has an overage policy. This policy states that coupons may exceed the price of the item and this difference may be given or applied toward the cost of the basket purchase or given back to the consumer in change.

#3 Policy Resistance:

There are times when even the Walmart regulars are met with a little bit of employee resistance. This is usually because the employee is not aware of an overage or price match policy, in which case you should get in touch with the manager for verification. Having the corporate policy on-hand for further verification is always helpful, especially if you’re taking advantage of a new coupon policy. Also, understand that all Walmart managers have the ability to refuse coupons, if they feel it’s necessary.

#4 Buying produce:

While Walmart does take the initiative to buy produce locally, fruits and veggies sometimes appear wilted or old. As nutrients are depleted when fruits and vegetables age, make sure that all your produce is extremely fresh before buying.

#5 When and how to shop:

Morning is always less busy, less messy, and better stocked at Walmart. If you can, start your day by hitting the grocery store first. Also try and leave the kids at home when you shop. If you’re keeping track of your children, using coupons, store policies, and grocery lists, becomes a whole lot more complicated!

Navigating Walmart Online

There are some special features that Walmart provides online. Take advantage of these tools:

Subscribe to Walmart’s twitter feed, where you can find the deal of the day.
Walmart provides free samples through their website for things like shampoo, coffee, and makeup. These samples don’t usually last, so act fast and check their website regularly. Usually, the samples get to your doorstep in about a month.
Find and print Walmart’s coupons listed on their site.

With grocery list in hand, store policy in tow and Twitter subscriptions in place, you’ll be maximizing your savings and taking advantage of all that Walmart has to offer.

Top Ten Items for A Vegan Grocery List

Posted on October 10, 2011 by admin

Vegan diets continue to grow in popularity as more studies find that diets heavy in meat and other animal products can cause increased risk of heart disease and cancer. While the findings are still met with controversy, one thing is certain: there are more than 7.3 million people in the United States dedicated to a fully vegetarian diet and, of those vegetarians, approximately 1 million people consume no animal products at all. Some people are drawn to the medical benefits of a vegan diet plan, like reduced risk of heart disease and a healthier diet, while others go vegan due to a concern for animals and the environment at large. Either way, you need to ensure that your vegan grocery list includes foods that provide essential daily nutrients. If you are considering a vegan diet, or hosting a vegan family member or friend, recall that it precludes all animal or animal derived products including: meats, dairy, eggs, and even honey. Here are ten items that should absolutely be on your vegan grocery list:

#1 Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast can be used to give vegans a boost of B12, a nutrient that is difficult to maintain on diets that are primarily plant-based. The only reliable sources of B12 are animal foods, fortified foods, or supplements. Seaweeds are not a reliable source since they typically contain analogs of the vitamin that are not physiologically active. Fermented foods, such as tempeh and miso, and organic vegetables are also poor sources of B12. Instead of searching for a viable form of B12, simply throw some nutritional yeast on popcorn, or add it to stir fry, dressings, sauces, or in smoothies for a boost of B vitamins, amino acids, protein, folic acid, and biotin.

#2 Tempeh and Tofu: Hailing from Indonesia, tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. Its sticky consistency makes it an ideal meat substitute on sandwiches and a perfect addition to many vegan recipes. It’s also an excellent source of protein and fiber. Tofu is also a soy bean derivative and high in protein. It is essentially flavorless and therefore takes on the flavor of whatever dish or sauce you apply.

#3 Chickpeas and Beans: Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fat, which vegans sometimes don’t get enough of. You can use them in soups, make hummus with them, or serve them with quinoa for a great alternative to rice and beans. Other beans or legumes including black beans and lentils are excellent sources of protein and vitamins.

#4 Peanut (and other nut) butters: Peanut butter and almond butter are great sources of protein and healthy fats. Getting enough good fats can be a challenge on a vegan diet.

#5 Alternative milks: Soy and almond milk are excellent sources of protein, good fats and even calcium if they are fortified (soy being higher than almond and rice). The comparison of rice milk to almond milk almost serves as an unfair debate. Almond milk drastically outweighs the rice variety in nearly every category regarding health benefits. The milk derived from almonds naturally contains more nutrients including Vitamins A, B, E, D, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese and potassium. Fortunately, these milks can also used to make non-dairy ice-creams and other dessert treats! Rice milk and other vegan ice creams are now available in most grocery stores.

#6 Kale and Spinach: Kale is a form of cabbage and a green leafy godsend. You can use it in salads, sauté it with other vegetables, bake it in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt to make kale chips. It boasts a great deal of vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium. Similarly, spinach is nutrient-rich and even contains omega-3 fatty acids. Spinach can be used in a number of vegan dishes. Spinach and mushroom pie, in particular, is a classic vegan dish. Popeye was wise to make sure he never neglected to get his daily dose of spinach.

#7 Fresh Fruits: Apples are an outstanding source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They are a popular, healthy snack among vegan crowds and shouldn’t be forgotten on any grocery shopping list. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Any other fresh fruits are full of vitamins including Bs and Cs. Dark berries such as strawberries and blueberries are also high in anti-oxidants.

#8 Quinoa and brown rice: Quinoa is a grain-like crop that yields delicious seeds high in protein, fiber, and magnesium content. Quinoa can be used as an addition to many vegan meals. Its taste complements beans, potatoes, zucchini, and even mangoes. Similarly, any healthy grocery list should include brown rice. It’s a lot better for you than white rice because it’s unrefined, it has more fiber, magnesium, potassium, and proteins, and is a whole grain.

#9 Flax seeds: Flaxseeds can be mixed in with cereals, smoothies, vegan yogurt, pancakes, and even fruit for a nutty flavor and nutritious meal. They contain an enormous amount of omega-3 fatty acids and are said to help improve memory.

#10 Vegan staples and condiments: Don’t forget that vegans can’t use many of the typical cooking staples such as butter, condiments such as mayonnaise and finally honey. A great vegan grocery list includes olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking, apple sauce (as a baking alternative to butter), and additional items like Vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise) and agave nectar. You may also need vegan alternatives to bread, such as special vegan breads, rice cakes, pita and flat breads, some English muffins and bagels.

As a vegan, getting all the nutrients your body needs isn’t always easy. When you go to the grocery store with your vegan grocery list, make sure you make an effort to buy an assortment of foods with diverse nutritional values to help maintain a happy and healthy vegan lifestyle.

Sticking to the Meal Planner Grocery List by Navigating Temper Tantrums

Posted on October 9, 2011 by admin

You’ve made your plan for the entire week, you’ve created a grocery list, and you’re armed and well equipped for the grocery store. With kids in tow, you may be zipping through the grocery store in lightning-fast speed, when suddenly “it” happens. Your children see candy, gum, sweets, or a meal crammed with MSG, preservatives, and processed sugars. Crying, yelling, begging, and whining promptly ensue until you finally cave and buy the candy bar. So much for sticking to the grocery list.

The truth is: supermarkets aren’t just haphazardly organized. Instead, they are deliberately constructed and designed with marketing and sales in mind. The bakery dwells on the periphery of the store, wafting smells of cookies, cakes, and bread into the nearby aisles. Sugar cereals, candy, and toys are placed on the bottom shelves, right at your child’s eye-level, to entice passing children. Even if you get out of the aisle temper tantrum-free, candy, soda, and other sweets taunt your kids in the checkout line. It’s no surprise that your children are tempted to grab the Gummi Bears!

Grocery Store Outbursts: Causes, Prevention, and Intervention

The only way to avoid temper tantrums is to educate yourself and take the necessary action to avoid them. Usually temper tantrums begin to occur at about 1 1/2 years. These bouts of anger can last until about age 4. They don’t call it the “terrible twos” for nothing. So why do temper tantrums occur specifically at these ages? Kids from 1 1/2-2 want to test their limits and see how far they can go before an authoritative figure says, “Enough!”

There are some tactics you can take when trying to prevent an emotionally tumultuous child from lashing out. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has a plethora of articles on their website that can help you learn about your child’s behavior. Robert G. Harrington, PhD, offers plenty of advice to prevent tantrums. For example, use commands instead of questions. “Do you want to get dressed?” turns into the command, “Get dressed,” and limits potential arguments or resistance. Establish routines and traditions to add structure to your child’s life and also warn children when an activity will end by setting a timer or giving 5 minutes of advance notice.

If you need to intervene during a grocery store tantrum, always remain calm, even if you feel embarrassed, guilty, or angry. Before you manage a child, you have to manage yourself first. Being angry is not going to help, but it’s definitely going to set a bad example for your child. Intervene before the child becomes particularly unruly by getting down at the child’s eye level and saying, “Hey, you’re starting to get a little frustrated. Slow down.” If you’re having to hold the child down to prevent him or her from hurting others or taking his rage out on innocent shoppers, reassure the child that you will let them go once their calm and that everything will be all right. However, the NASP website advises, never, under any circumstances, giving into a tantrum. Logically, giving into a tantrum will only increase the frequency of the outbursts. Additionally, resist the urge to reward your child after he or she has come down from their anger high. Temper tantrums should not yield treats or rewards!

Overall, grocery store tantrums are bound to happen. The key to dealing with them? Stick to your guns and to your grocery list. Resisting the urge to buy those treats to pacify your child can help you save money and teach him or her an important lesson.

Sample Grocery List for a Well Balanced Pantry

Posted on October 8, 2011 by admin

In general, we like to fantasize about grocery shopping as a leisurely task and imagine ourselves pursuing an open air famers’ market, the sun shining on our faces while we carefully select perfectly ripened fruit and veggies before gingerly placing them in our wicker baskets. This idyllic version of the grocery shopping chore is in distinct contrast to the reality of the supermarket! You basically play linebacker, pushing a metal shopping cart through tight grocery store aisles. You zigzag acrobatically across the store to get checked out and race home to the kitchen before your kids start begging, “What’s for dinner?”

Truth be told, sometimes we just don’t feel like going to the grocery store at all, and guess what? That’s okay. If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can survive for several days without stopping by the local grocer during those especially busy times. So plan ahead and next time you visit the grocery store, follow our sample grocery list guidelines for the perfectly stocked pantry.

Making Your Pantry Grocery List

When constructing your grocery list, think about foods in terms of the major food groups to dictate what you should buy for your pantry. With a little creativity, you can actually stock all five of the food groups in the USDA Food Pyramid! Laying out a grocery list in terms of food groups will make creating your list and shopping for the items much easier. And no matter what, you will have a fully balanced diet on hand for any emergency!

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

While that loaf of fresh bread certainly isn’t a pantry item, all the things you need to make bread are perfect for keeping in the pantry. Flour, sugar, salt and yeast are all dry and store well. You will also need a little oil (see fats).

Make sure you always have a box of cereal or granola on hand. Cereal and grains are easily preserved in your pantry. Keep one or more of rice, quinoa, or polenta on hand for an interesting alternative to potatoes. Pasta also makes a great pantry item. When combined with bottled pasta sauce or canned tomatoes, it comprises an entire meal without requiring a special trip to the grocery store.

Fruits and Vegetables

Since fresh fruits and vegetables are definitely not going to last in your pantry, try to stay stocked with dried fruits and canned veggies.

Banana chips, dried blueberries, craisins, and dried apricots make delicious snacks. While dried fruits are chock-full of fiber, calorie and sugar contents are, logically, more concentrated than in fresh fruits. Additionally, phytonutrients are depleted in the drying process of fruits. To supplement your fruit serving, buy canned fruits, where nutrients are generally preserved. However, make sure to check the labels of all your canned fruits and veggies and opt for those that are low in sugar (fruits canned in their own juice rather than in sugary syrup) and sodium.

Canned beans, artichokes, asparagus, tomato sauces, and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil also provide great additions to any dish for those times when you can’t make it to the grocery store. You can also get chili peppers or dried mushrooms to add a little kick to any dish, as well as concentrated soups (especially mushroom) that make a great lunch or provide the basis for casseroles, risottos, and sauces.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

Dairy can be a difficult pantry group. However, you can stock a box of dried milk, a carton of long life milk (either cow, almond. or soy) or evaporated milk.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dried Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

Since proteins are most commonly found in perishable foods, like chicken or seafood, most pantries are bereft of this food group. However, you can get your daily dose of protein from the pantry by stocking up on canned chicken or Chicken of the Sea (Tuna)! Tuna also comes in vacuum sealed packages, which take up less space than cans.

Unsalted soy beans also have an astounding amount of protein with about 68 grams for every cup, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dried chickpeas are yet another great source of protein and can be soaked and cooked up to make falafel or hummus.

Eggs are also available in both powdered form and long-life cartons (both whole egg and just egg whites). Other sources of protein include nuts, like almonds, cashews and walnuts. Almond butter (a healthier alternative to peanut butter) often does not require refrigeration and is a great pantry staple.

For pantry proteins that can be munched on the go, pick up one of the numerous protein bars or high protein snack bars available at the store, which are portable, organic, and delicious.

Fats, Oils, and Sweets

Always have a pantry with a healthy fat, most often found in oils that can be used for cooking, vinaigrettes, or dips. These healthy fats my include olive oil and canola oil. You will probably need limited amounts of oils, so check your pantry before purchasing another bottle of olive oil. Nuts and almond butter will also give you a dose of fat, along with a healthy serving of protein.

For the sweet tooth, try stocking some semisweet chocolate chips that can be used in baking, combined with granola to make trail mix, or melted over popcorn or nuts for a sweet treat.

Miscellaneous Pantry Essentials

After checking off all your major food groups, think outside of the box to make sure you have everything in your pantry to make a terrific meal. Spices are essential. Keep some of the basics handy, like garlic and onion powder, mixed Italian seasonings (which include oregano, thyme and rosemary) as well as a rub or chili powder. Try to buy your seasonings in the bulk aisle, where they are less expensive than the pre-packaged alternative. Extras like breadcrumbs are all great to cook with and can make a vast array of meals. You should also stock up on airtight containers so that you can store your pantry foods for months to years on end. After organizing your pantry, make sure to go through all of your pantry foods every three months or so to make sure nothing has expired.

Follow this sample grocery list with all the necessary food groups to assemble a picture perfect pantry. For those days when you simply don’t want to force your way through the crowded grocery store, you can always rely on a great pantry to help you make a nutritious, scrumptious, and piping hot dinner with ease.