If you're slightly weird like me, and if you're reading this then you are, you will probably be one of those people who doesn't watch the "what's in my bag" videos, but the "what's in my pantry" ones. And the "what I eat in a day" ones. There's just something so mesmerising, and a little bit sneaky, about being able to look inside other people's shopping bags. In particular I love the Trader Joes, and the Whole Foods hauls, because where I come from we don't have those magical places. I genuinely can't wait to walk the hour to Whole Foods in Kensington when I'm down in London during the summer (yes, I will do that. Although having said that, I am aware of how jumped up the Whole Foods experience can be- this article made my day if anyone wants to laugh as much as I did: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-maclean/surviving-whole-foods_b_3895583.html).
But on to my own food haul post, because I don't have a YouTube channel (yet). Being a student I shop between the market, and the one supermarket we have in the city centre: Tesco Metro. Being a foodie, I also make a trip to Fenwick's and Holland & Barrett.
Before I go shopping I always make a meal plan for the week, and then create a shopping list from this, and estimate how much it will cost. My diet is mainly fruits, vegetables, hummus, eggs, yoghurt, and some fish too. I have a stock of canned, dried, and jarred foods in boxes under my bed to supplement what I bought here, plus a box of jacket potatoes, and some frozen salmon and cod fillets in my freezer drawer. After my food haul list of what bought yesterday I shall list these and how they play into my meal plan.
Fruits & Veggies- I get the majority of these from Grainger Market here in Newcastle, which really helps to keep my costs down. For some items it does workout better to buy from a supermarket if they're on offer, so watch out for that when you're shopping
- Apples, bag of 5
- Pears, 2
- Bunch of bananas
- Oranges, bag of 6
- Berries, 1 box each strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Pomegranate seeds, 1 tub
- Bell peppers, 2
- Kale, 1 large bag
- Tomatoes, 6 pack
- Onions, 3
- Mushrooms, 10 closed cup
- Avocado, 4 pack
- Carrots, 3
- Celery, 1 large bag
- Asparagus, 1 bunch
- Sweet potatoes, 2
Other Stuff- These foods are added to my lunches, breakfasts, and snacks, in order to up my protein. As you can see they're all protein rich. You may notice that there's no milk here; I don't drink milk day to day, unless I'm ordering a coffee, and I use water to make porridge as it's my personal preference, so there isn't much point in my buying any moo juice. I do eat dairy, usually just in the form of yoghurt though, and very occasionally some cheese (I'm not a huge cheese fan, unless it's mozzarella, feta, goat's cheese, or halloumi- and it usually has to be melted). Week to week I purchase a box of six eggs, but I only needed 4 this time around, and so gave Fenwick's egg service a go.
- Tesco Reduced Fat Red Pepper Hummus, 1 tub
- Tesco Low Fat Greek Yoghurt, 1 pot
- Eggs, Fenwick's "Pick your own" free range, 4
Snacks & Treats- Snacks are what get me through the day. I have no idea where I would be without them. As well as my fruit, I love the bars and balls listed below, and my marmite rice cakes. Naked bars also occasionally make an appearance, as you can see in my cupboard and freezer section.
- Meridian almond butter bars, 2
- Bounce protein balls, 2 (I love these either as a pre or post workout snack, or sometimes just as a treat. This time I purchased the 'cacao and mint', and 'peanut' flavours)
- Marmite bite size rice cakes, 2 packets
In My Cupboard & Freezer
- Frozen jacket potatoes (a quick and easy staple I can't do without. Sometimes I don't fancy sweet potato, and these have the best crisp skin: fluffy inside ratio)
- Cod and salmon fillets (when my parents drop me off after the holidays we always buy a bag of each of these for my freezer; it's much cheaper this way, and you can just lift one out and straight into the oven when needed. They're always there for when meal plans have to change suddenly)
- Canned mackerel, pilchards, tuna, and sardines (canned fish goes into pasta, sandwiches, toasties, salads, on jacket potatoes...)
- Baked Beans (sometimes you just need baked beans in your life; I love to throw lightly cooked leftover vegetables into them with herbs and spices for a filling lunch)
- Red kidney beans and chickpeas (the more I eat vegetarian and vegan meals, the more I treasure my cans of these beans; they have amazing texture and flavour, and can be added to stews, fajitas, stuffed into potatoes and courgettes...)
- Mixed quinoa and bulgur wheat (high in protein and filling, this serves as an accompaniment when I don't want rice, noodles, or potato)
- Dried fruits, such as prunes and sultanas, and walnuts (these go into overnight oats, porridge, rice and cous cous, stews, and curries)
- Wholemeal bread, and wholemeal wraps (as a student I need to save a little money and minimise waste. One way I do this, since I don't eat an awful lot of bread, is to buy a loaf, remove the amount I need, and then freeze the rest for later on. Or go and illegally feed it to the ducks in the park)
- Nut butters: cashew, peanut, and almond (a staple of my diet: add to porridge, overnight oats, use to make satay sauce, spread onto toast, bananas, apples, stuff into prunes...)
- Naked Bars (on the go snacks in many different flavours, and usually one of your '5 a day')
- Soy sauce (for stir fries and marinating tofu and fish)
- Tabasco (for marinating foods, and adding to dishes for a little extra kick- especially fajitas)
- Many herbs and spices (not a meal goes by without me using some kind of herb or spice. My favourites are cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, mixed seasoning, ginger, hot chilli powder, chilli flakes, and curry powder. They go into porridge, scrambled eggs, scrambled tofu, stir fries, stews, salads, overnight oats...)
So that's that... I hope that you found this an enjoyable read in the weird way I find watching the videos enjoyable, and that it gave you some ideas for your next shop. If anyone wants to see the meal plan these food play into, and learn how I meal plan, then please comment below and let me know!
Labels: cupboard staples, Food, food haul, food shop, food shopping, meal planning, shopping, student food, what's in my fridge, what's in my pantry
