The Grocery List...

A staple in my kitchen is my grocery list, and the food that comes from it. I try to grocery shop once/week. For my lifestyle, it works well. Yours may require more or less. This blog will center around that all-important grocery trip to jumpstart your week. My grocery shopping happens on Monday morning. I like this time of week because then my family isn't eating all the food in a few days (aka the weekend) and when the weekend finally does come, food is minimal, so eating out seems more justified, and snacking doesn't happen as much. So onto the grocery list:

My grocery list is saved on my computer-it's a generic "buy all" list that I edit every week according to what we need and what I'll cook. This helps me have something to edit rather than create. I hate the creating part of a grocery list, I always end up with writers block. Having something already saved helps job my memory of things I need, things I already have, and things I'll bake. Here's a sample Grocery List:

*It's also in the order of "my store" aka Smiths MarketPlace. You'd have to make your list in the order of your store-aisles. There are categories on my list: FRESH FOOD, PANTRY, DAIRY, NON-FOOD, BABY ITEMS, SEASONAL, SPECIALTY ITEMS. Every week I discover another "staple" that should be added to this "by all" list but this is just a sample, remember.

FRESH FOOD
Deli/Bakery:
Deli Meat
Deli Cheese
Dinner Rolls
Produce:
Apples
Oranges
Strawberries
Seasonal Fruit
Bananas
Lettuce
Cucumber
Green Onions
Green Pepper
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Potatoes
Cob Corn
Cheese:
Cheddar
String Cheese
Cream Cheese
Biscuits
Hot Dogs
Bread:
Bagels
Loaf
Tortillas
Peanut Butter
Jam
Breakfast:
Cereal
Granola Bars
Oatmeal
Fruit Snacks
Meat/Eggs:
Roast
Chicken
Ground Beef
Pork
Ham
Bacon
Steaks
Eggs
Frozen Foods:
OJ
Frozen Veggies
Frozen Meals
Toddler Pasta
Icecream

PANTRY ITEMS
Drink Boxes
Sport Drinks
Condiments
Baking Items
Cookies
Crackers
Snacks/Treats
Canned Vegetables
Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Rice
Chicken Broth
Campbells Soup
Pasta Sauce
Pasta
Mexican Food
Gravy/Mixes
Dairy:
Butter
Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Sour Cream
Milk

NON-FOOD ITEMS
Paper Products:
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Napkins
Kitchen Wipes
Paper Products
Kleenex
Personal Items:
OTC Medicine
Shampoo/Conditioner
Deoderant
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Eye Solution
Hair Elastics
Tampons
Household/Cleaning:
Light Bulbs
Batteries
Trash bags
Sandwich Bags
Gallon Bags
Aluminum Foil
Pledge
Windex
Dish Detergent
Dish Scrubbers
Laundry Detergent
Dryer Sheets

Baby Care:
Shampoo
Diapers
Wipes
Seasonal/Outdoor Items:
Concrete Salt
Leaf/lawn bags
Lawn Fertilizer
Spider Traps
Garden

Specialty Items:
Gifts
Socks
Home Repair
Car Repair
Vacation

DINNERS (6)
M Enchiladas/Rice
T Tortellini Soup
W Jackpot/Beans
Th Chicken Pot Pie
F Potato Bar
S OUT
S Roast/Potatoes

At the end of my list, you'll see my weekly dinner menu. That information will be saved for a later post. For now, work on making a staple grocery list, save it on your computer (I use a word file, using 3 columns), and be so glad you did when it comes time "making a grocery list" becomes a session of deleting and adding to your already custom-created list!

Welcome to Make it & Bake it!

Hi, my name is Amy and I'm a blog-aholic. I've decided to bake up a new blog that can help me in the future, and maybe someone else along the way. The purpose of this blog is to make the age old question "what's for dinner" one click-away. Bookmark this blog and if you need someone to tell you what's for dinner, I'll answer the call.