Check out my progress on Supermarket Memories
It happens every year. The weather changes, I dig out an old coat from my closet—and in its pockets are forgotten “treasures.” Sometimes I’m lucky, and I find a wad of dollar bills…other times, I’m greeted with a crumpled Kleenex. Ick.
Most recently, however, I found a different pocket prize: an old grocery list.
The particular coat in which this list was lurking has been neglected for several winters now, so I determined that this list is from early 2008, right around the time The Broccoli Hut came into existence. In studying the list, I came to a few conclusions.
- Short and sweet. In those days, I was still at least partially surviving on a meal plan, so this group of items is a lot more random (and much shorter!) than my more recent grocery hauls.
- What budget? I clearly had not learned the value of a dollar yet, as most of the items on that list are at least 3 bucks each. I also did all of my shopping at the notoriously budget-busting Whole Foods.
- Foodie obsessions of the past. I had completely forgotten about my former infatuation with Kashi Heart to Heart (H2H). It was definitely my preferred study snack!
How have your grocery shopping habits evolved in recent years?
I have some baking on the agenda this evening, so let’s get to the grub, shall we?
My appetite for savory oats is apparently insatiable these days. This batch was a tad different in that I used a mix of oat bran and oatmeal—tragically, I have run out of oat bran! Nonetheless, the flavor of this cheese-y broccoli mess was not affected by the oat bran dearth.
Today’s lunch was an Ellie recipe, Black-Eyed Pea and Spinach Salad.
My tweaks:
-I used almond milk instead of buttermilk. Ellie is apparently kind of obsessed with buttermilk, as she uses it in lots of her recipes. I, on the other hand, am not so wild about it, so I stuck to my trusty almond milk.
-I used vegan mayo instead of regular. As I’ve mentioned before, I just really like the flavor of the egg-less variety.
-I substituted chopped parsley for chopped chives. My chives had become a bit, uh, slimy.
At first, I wasn’t so sure I was going to like this recipe. I tasted the dressing on its own as a means of quality control and wasn’t impressed. However, once it was combined with the salad ingredients, it made for a decent lunch.
The recipe is available online: Black-Eyed Pea and Spinach Salad
Once dinnertime came around, I made a dish that never fails to satisfy—Cashew Ginger Tofu. I overcame my fear of the spiralizer (remember my finger slicing incident?) and made some zucchini noodles to go alongside the tofu.
Alright, off to the kitchen once more!
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
hahaha i feel like in 2008 my grocery list would be SO different then 2011! it would involve serious amounts of cereal. like beyond ridiculous amounts! thats pretty much what i ate arund the clock haha specifically special k!
Wow, 2008 was quite a long time ago! Even in the year or so I’ve had my blog my eating habits have changed SO much! Since you mentioned it, I would love it if you could do a post on how you survived on a meal plan. I’m going to college in 2012 and, of course, have already started thinking about that. Also, did you have any luxuries of a kitchen in your dorm?
Have a lovely day!
xox
Mine has definitely changed since 2008! I’m glad though because I have learned so much from the blog world about natural, whole foods. It is so much more satisfying and I feel so good about what I eat! I looovve H2H too!
I don’t think I did any of my own grocery shopping in 2008. I just pulled out whatever my mom had in the pantry or refrigerator. My interest in health and nutrition flourished after ’08! I actually make a list now!!
I have never had zucchini noodles. I have seem them featured several places and they look great! How do you make them?
Yeah, I love when that happens! Your list is in pretty good shape though, haha, mine are pretty grungy even just after the shopping itself. I actually make it a habit to save my lists (yeah, a little obsessive) and I love tracking or noticing changes over the years. It’s like an anthropological study!
Oh, that’s a fun discovery. I’m trying to remember what would have been on my list — probably a lot more dairy, especially yogurt.
My grocery habits are pretty much the same, but I LOVE looking back at old blog posts and finding combos/meals that I made or used to be obsessed with!
i always find old grocery lists… which tend to be helpful when i’m short on inspiration and ideas/realize i desperately need to restock
In 2008, I probably wasnt grocery shopping at all because I had a bad relationship with food and I didnt like to have food in the house. My mom would buy food but I would often try and throw it away. For example if my mom bought Ice Cream, I would throw a fit and throw it away in the back yard!!
I am so glad that I got treatment and now I can eat ice cream and leave it in the freezer when I am not in the mood. No more wasting money when I am not comfortable with food.
Can you share your recipe for the cashew ginger tofu and zucchini noodles?!