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Week In Review: The Grocery Edition

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I am a grocery cart creeper.

To be clear, I don’t have any strange or warped intentions like a traditional creeper. Also, I’m not really interested in the actual cart or giant metal basket. The real curiosity for me is what lies within your shopping vehicle on wheels. I love to see what you are buying and subsequently eating. He’s a typical internal grocery store monologue for me; par for the course on a Saturday afternoon.

“Ooh, he’s got pomegranates. I wonder how he’s going to prepare those. Does he cook? He’s the one shopping, so maybe he’s the chef too. Should I ask about his pomegranates? No, I better not. He might think I’m hitting on him and truly I just want to know his intentions for those pomegranates.” 

When I’m shopping, I take casual glances into other people’s carts. Since I’m usually pretty busy making my own selections, from my very detailed list of course, these glances are really nonchalant in nature. When I get to the checkout lines though, it’s a whole different story. Then I start taking inventory of every single thing in your cart, paying special attention to how it’s stacked. Us self-diagnosed OCD folks are big on the arranging part of things. If you have a gallon of milk on top of a box of crackers, I will shudder internally and move on; at least I hope it’s internal otherwise people might think I’m seriously ill and possible contagious and I can assure that’s simply not the case. I’m just weird.

grocery-store-2

(source)

So, yes I am a grocery cart creeper. I’ve got to assume, since the majority of my readers, at least the ones who comment, are food bloggers, we share a similar fascination with what’s in people’s carts. Today, I am going to satisfy that urge and scratch that itch (again, I’m not sick or contagious) by listing what went into my cart this past weekend. It’s a Week In Review of a different color.

In the interest of full disclosure, I saw Sam at Better With Sprinkles posting the aftermath of her weekly shopping trips not too long ago and immediately I knew I needed to do a Week In Review post on the same. I’ve been waiting though and biding my time because outside of my weekly CSA pickup, I don’t normally get much at my regular grocery store anymore, other than a bunch of bananas or some pre-made lunches.

Meg Costco

Sadly, the Mr. Coffee is not mine. He belongs to the in-laws.

So I’ve been holding out for a big Costco trip before I shared the goods with you. God bless the in-laws and their magical membership. This weekend was that trip. Go big or go home right?

Let’s get listing:

Costco Grocery Trip Collage

  • 20 lbs. of Whole Wheat Flour,
  • 15 lbs. of Potatoes,
  • 6 lbs. of Canned Tomatoes (in one can, no less),
  • 5 lbs. of Oats
  • 2 lbs. of Organic Butter
  • 2 lbs. of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 1/2 Gallons of Almond Milk, and at least
  • 5 boxes of Breton crackers (there was a sale on crackers and I succumbed).

I might have grabbed some fruit, broccoli in bulk, nuts (always the nuts) and a necessary bottle or two of white wine. There was also some Garlic Powder and Paprika in the mix, more Energy Bars and the largest bag of Bread Crumbs I’ve ever seen, all of which is in the photos above.

The only thing missing from the pictures was a ginormous bag of Kettle Cooked Sea Salt Potato Chips. It didn’t make it simply because the Hubby was eating out of the bag when the photo shoot went down. Have you ever tried to take a bag of potato chips from a man who doesn’t really get them often? Yeah, not a good idea.

Outside of fresh produce, this recent Costco trip should last me many months. The only thing I’ll need to replenish on a weekly basis is my bananas (obviously) and my veggies, although my weekly CSA share has got those covered because I just I signed up for the Winter CSA Share. Excuse me while I happy dance for a moment, jazz hands and all.

In the meantime, here’s last Thursday’s haul and my last full week of produce from the Spring/Summer season. Forget the Benjamin’s baby, it’s all about the greens, which is kind of the same thing. Hmm.

Summer 2013 CSA Final Week

  • Red Russian Kale
  • Green Leaf Lettuce
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Acorn Squash
  • Zucchini
  • Egg Plant
  • Hot Peppers
  • Bok Choy
  • Green Apples (not pictured).

In case there was any concern, I am the main chef at home, and I’ve got serious intentions for these greens.

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Interested in participating in the Week In Review? Good, you should be.

Week In Review Button Final

The Week In Review is a list, in its purest form, not of the things you still need to do, but of all the things you have done in the past seven days. It’s an achievement list and one with the sole purpose of bringing pleasure. Want in? Grab the Week in Review button for your post, link back to Clean Eats, Fast Feets and get your list on. For more details, click here.

Link up and get your list on.

 

How often do you go grocery shopping? What’s in your cart on a regular basis? What’s your favorite thing from mine? Or your least favorite?

Comments

  1. I do the same thing, Meghan! I also have the need if I see someone reading, I will contort my neck in a dozen ways to find out what they’re reading. Great haul, my dear!!

    Reply

  2. I totally creep other people’s carts! I occasionally say things like “oh I love that!” but have to restrain myself to tell people not to buy something cause it tastes like shit. I LOVE costco. Their energy blend trail mix is crack in a box!

    Reply

    • I haven’t tried their trail mix, but I’ll have to check it out. I’m a big fan of the bars.

      Glad to hear I’m not the only grocery cart creeper. I knew they were others like me out there.

      Reply

  3. Hello!

    I have been reading your blog since some weeks and I really love your “Week in a Review” posts…but today I finally leave a comment because I am TOTALLY identified with you about looking on other people charts…. I have that impulse! it is really interesting see what people buy and that give us an idea what their life style looks like.

    Thank you and I love your blog! Greetings from Costa Rica.

    Reply

    • Thanks for reading and saying Hello. I love hearing from new people, and I think I’ll have to do more grocery store posts. People really seem to like them for the same reasons as you and I. It’s interesting to see what other people are eating.
      Hopefully I’ll hear from you again soon. 😉

      Reply

  4. I love me some Costco. I have to buy my produce there because I go through so much. BULK ME UP BITCH! When I worked at TJ’s I was ALWAYS creeping on peoples shit..especially when I rang them up. I was a judgmental bitch and would spark conversations with the people that had products I liked..andddd not as much with people that had products I despised. Oops.

    Reply

    • Ok so maybe it’s a good thing you don’t work at Trader Joe’s anymore. It’s not easy recognizing your flaws either so kudos to you for that.
      I can see why you get your produce there, especially since I made short work of those raspberries. I could eat a container of those every day; now if only I could afford it.

      Reply

  5. Glad to know I’m not the only one who loves to creep on everyone’s goods at the store! That Costco haul is impressive and it makes me jealous that I no longer have a membership there (I used to scam off the BF’s in college).

    Reply

    • That was a huge Costco haul. Normally, I snag a couple of items, but I went crazy on this trip. Hopefully it’ll last me a good long while.
      You and the BF will have to sign up for a new membership so you can post your groceries in review too. Then again, you could do it with any grocery store, but this could be good justification for needing a membership.

      Reply

  6. Never come visit Australia’s Costco- Fail Whale is a good definition of it.

    I’m sometimes a Creeper, but moreso if there products are similar to mine- I always wonder how they will go abouts eating it…strange. I buy fresh veg pretty regularly, but staples like dairy and proteins every few days/once a week. I’d swipe those potatoes from you 😉

    Reply

  7. Our household hits the grocery store 4 times weekly. I go twice and the husband is usually there at least twice before the week is up. It is shameful, really, but I won’t lie to you, so 4 is the average number. There is always almond milk (for smoothies and shakes) and soy milk (for my coffee) and dairy milk (for the rest of the household) in the cart. As well as various cheeses, butter, and yogurt. I could go on forever, but I won’t. My favorite thing to see in your cart was jarred pasta sauce! It is a frequent purchase for us, even though we make our own too. I top a lot of things with a little pasta sauce so having jars around is convenient, though it does feel like a bit of a cheat sometimes. Always faithful to the Paul Newman brand though, just love all the varieties I’ve tried. Anyway, I was happy to see I’m not the only clean eater who keeps to prepared sauce in the house!

    Reply

    • Holy cow, that’s a lot of trips. Then again, you have a lot of mouths to be feed and it’s better to grab perishables more frequently.
      I always keep at least one jar of packaged pasta sauce on hand, although it’s usually not this brand. When in Costco though….
      I love homemade sauce but I’m realistic enough to know it can’t always happen and sometimes you need a little help. Jarred sauce can do that. I also bought jarred marsala sauce for my chickpea veggie curry and I’m thrilled with that decision. I’ll be doing that again soon.

      Reply

  8. I haven’t done a Week in Review post in what seems like forever!! Gosh what’s wrong with me 😉 I need to do one soon.

    I think Costco must be ten times better than GFS and Sam’s Club because never have I seen whole wheat flour at either of those. Haha. Or anything remotely organic in nature.

    I am a total grocery shopping cart lurker. I love seeing what people have in there. Usually I don’t judge if it’s a nice combo of produce, packaged foods, etc. But when it’s just 10 packs of pop, about a gazillion of those 1 dollar frozen pizzas and a bunch of candy bars, I have to admit to have *a bit* of negative thoughts. What I really like those is “window shopping” in grocery stores. I adore just looking at all of the products and day dreaming about those poptarts, boxes of cereal, buckets of ice cream, etc. Oh, and the nut butter/bread aisles too. Heaven. My family isn’t quite so enthusiastic, but I love discussing food!

    Reply

    • Um yeah. WIR post. Get on that. 😉

      I would talk food with you for hours and happily wander grocery store aisles, although the produce will always be my favorite section.

      Reply

  10. Confession: I’ve always secretly wanted to be a cashier at the grocery store so that I could indulge my strange fascination for what other people are buying. I do a fair amount of creeping when I’m doing my own shopping, but imagine it… being able to see tonnes and tonnes of peoples’ purchases all day. Squee! The only thing is… the beeping of the register would probably start to drive me crazy.

    And girl… that is an INSANE haul. My mind is having trouble processing it… I’m the kind of person who likes to run out to the store a few times a week to pick up a small amount of groceries… I honestly can’t imagine buying that much at once.

    Reply

    • You should work at a farmers market. You get to check out the produce, what other people are buying AND no beeping registers. Just people talking about food all day. Matter of fact, I think I’m going to come and work with you there.

      It is an insane haul. For some odd reason, especially when you think of my decluttering ways, I like to stockpile dry goods. Although shopping at Costco is taking it to a whole new level. Bulk shopping means I don’t need anything else for months, or at least that’s what I hope it means. Gulp.

      Reply

  11. I got to 2-3 grocery store a week. Sometimes 4. I shop for entertainment. Some people go to a movie on a Saturday night… I go to the massive international market. It’s more interesting.

    I stalk carts too – I’m sure the Asian grandmothers and Indian chef-ly looking men want to tell this all-American girl to mind her business but I don’t give two shits. They have all the cool produce!

    Reply

  12. Since Monday is a sled hockey night, I’ve just come from a Costco trip. If the Breton crackers came all 5 in a single box, I bought the same thing. Plus a box of semi precious stoned wheat thins, as I need crackers for my wine and cheese next week. Cheese, I said? Yes, a giant tub of marinated mozzarella balls (yes . . . ), a double tube of goat, a large wheel of double cream brie, a wedge of Lake Country, and sliced colby jack as well as the usual sharp cheddar. I also picked up a thing of hard salami and a thing of prosciutto/capicola/bresacola to add to the antipasto vibe I got going on.

    Did I mention I hit Costco when I realized I was starving? Yeah, bad idea. I forgot to eat breakfast and lunch (I was writing, and drinking tea) and hoovered up a BLT at 2:30, so I wasn’t hungry for dinner.

    What else? Oh, salted nuts (yes . . .) but I forgot to look for cinnamon sticks for the mulled wine and cider. There’s always next Monday. Did you get a giant vat of dates? Get those next trip. Delicious.

    For my week in review, I’m working on KirBloWriMo, Kirsten’s Blog Writing Month, where I endeavor to plow through the backlog of recipes and partially written blog posts cluttering up my work tables. I’ve done 5 so far, and not slowing down yet.

    I also started Mapping my Wiener Dog Walks (there’s an app for that) but I’ll wait for a week of walks before sharing more than the measly 3.1 miles I did on Saturday. Wee Oliver, to his credit, did walk nearly 2 of those miles.

    Reply

    • I want to come to the wine and cheese party.
      I didn’t get the dates, but I’ve just added it to my list for the next trip.
      I want to take part in KirBloWriMo. I think you’re right, I need to go away to do it. No distractions will help immensely.

      I’m glad to hear Oliver is working on his endurance. He’ll be mapping his walks in no time.

      Reply

  14. Haha you can peek in my cart anytime ;)! On any given day, chances are you will see Greek yogurt, eggs and apples…and whatever else needs replenishing :)! That acorn squash is so cute! Mumbai really needs to get on the squash train- I am yet to see any sold here!

    Reply

    • Shoot, I forgot to put the eggs in the picture. I get a dozen every week with my food share.
      Thanks for sharing what your cart looks like.

      Reply

  15. Omg, I swear I thought I was the only one!! I can’t tell you HOW many inner monologues go down while watching that conveyor belt…though I’m honestly trying to be better about judging people based on what they buy. I have a tendency to discriminate against those who fill their carts with pop tarts and potato chips with a case of diet coke. :-/

    Yay for Costco! I’m definitely seeing me using the man-friend for his membership here in the very near future…mama’s gonna be out of eggs soon! Haha! Love the CSA share…red russian kale is one of my favorites! And hey, what do you think you’ll do with the bok choy? I’ve got a huge bag of baby bok in the fridge right now and I can’t decide what I want to do with it besides just sauteing it up and eating it with eggs…hence the need for the Costco run! 😉

    Reply

    • I have to silence my inner monologue when it’s a cart full of processed food as well. I wish that stuff would come with a label though, like the surgeon general’s warning on cigarettes. My issue is more with the false marketing of those products than the people buying into it. Heck, I was one of those people not too long ago.

      Make pizza with the Bok Choy. I’ll be making this bad boy with mine. It’s legit one of my favorite pizzas. http://cleaneatsfastfeets.com/recipes/side-dishes-or-entrees/veggie-pizza/

      Or throw it in a quiche.

      Reply

      • Omg, HOW could I have forgotten about the infamous veggie pizza?! Brilliant! And I might have just enough left to make it…yeah, since I left this comment, I figured out that roasted bok choy is pretty damn delicious and now it’s almost gone! Lol

        Reply

          • Actually, I have Melissa to thank for the idea. When we were putting together our totally random lunch on Saturday, I looked in my fridge and was like, “We can have kabocha annnnnnnnd….bok choy?” We just threw it in the oven with a spritz of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and left it in there until it got a little crisp on the ends. It kinda stuck to the pan, but I thought it came out pretty tasty! 🙂

            Reply

  16. I am such a cart creeper! I love your dialogue, lol. I’m always thinking, I wonder if they have kids? Do they eat healthy? Are they a runner? People probably think my cart is weird – bananas, spinach, almond milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, turkey, bread, along with a pint of ice cream!

    Reply

    • Yes, that’s exactly right. What are they going to make with that? Maybe it’s for a dinner party?
      I like the sound of your cart.

      Reply

  17. I’m totally not a cart peeker, but that’s only probably because I have three kids, so my checking out is as follows: “no you can’t have that, stop picking your nose, put it down, no soda, stop hitting your brother, no your can’t have that (yes again), etc. 😉

    ALWAYS in my cart though: zucchini, spinach, egg whites, eggs, milk, apples. Pretty much every damn time. And I grocery shop a lot – b/c even though I’m a heavy list maker …. I always forget something (see first part of post)

    Reply

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