Printable Shopping List

On my mind today are staples and 

GROCERY SHOPPING.  

 

No, not stapler staples, but food that we keep in the pantry.  

What are your basics?  Are there foods I really should have that I don't?  Is there a suggested list somewhere of foods we all should have?  Its time for one of my big shopping trips, so I have food on the brain
(and my give-away).

This isn't a pantry-list, but I'm here is a link to my 

~SHOPPING LIST~

I keep a copy of this on my fridge, and when something is out, someone marks it.  If it is something brand-specific, that I know we use, then I tried to leave room for that, too.  You will also see that I have room for the kids to write in what shampoo they want this month, and what type of deodorant they want me to pick up!

While I've tried to follow the lists of others as guidelines, I eventually created my own.  One of my basic staples is stewed tomatoes and tomato paste.  I rarely use them, now, but there was a time when tomatoes were my go-to vegetable.  

 Something else I keep in my pantry are beans.  I keep a lot of dried beans!  LOTS!  But you know what?  I also keep cans of baked beans and kidney beans and navy beans...  well, you get the idea.  I always kept kidney beans in there (I love chili with beans), but a few years ago my sister-in-law shared an AMAZING bean recipe so now I try to keep multiples of the ingredients on hand because not only does my family like it, it is also a recipe I can whip up at a minute's notice and bring to a pot-luck.  I think I will share that recipe in a day or so, since I'm going to make it for the holiday weekend.  YUM.

More things I make sure to stock include pasta, cooking oil/evoo, sugar, and flour.  Back when we were younger I found a lot of recipes you could make with just a few ingredients and they weren't semi-homemade, they were entirely home-made.  I don't have as much time as I used to, but I still think about the times I didn't have the money to buy the extras, and having those materials in the pantry gives me some peace of mind.  

Of course, this means that tonight my crafting will be limited to what I can do when I have gone grocery shopping, put everything away, individually bagged the chicken, and pre-made the burgers for freezing... 

which, I guess, is creative enough!

Here is a picture of the latest project Doogie and I are working on.  I hope to have it up to show you this weekend.  It will go in her room.

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!