Grocery Store Madness

I've heard people suggest there should be a breathalyzer on a car to prohibit drunk driving.  As well, one of those should be placed on a cell phone to avoid the drunken call to that ex we've all made and lived to regret as we wake in a fog the next morning.  Well, I strongly believe that before you enter a grocery store there should be a test you take and if you are hungry they turn you away.  And not just a friendly good-bye, but a store employee escorts you to your car, buckles you in, and sends you on your way.  An army of grocery store bouncers to keep us all in check.  Point being, NEVER go food shopping when you're hungry.  It's neither purse nor diet friendly.  Despite violating this cardinal rule earlier today, I actually managed to come out without too much damage.

After rummaging around the fridge and pantry last night to cobble together dinner, I decided to bite the bullet today and restock the depleted food supply.  Restock is probably not quite the right way to put it.  As you read more of my entries you'll probably start to sense that I'm a bit neurotic and mildly OCD about many things.  Grocery shopping is a pretty good example!  I think most people hate grocery shopping.  I rather enjoy it now so long as I have a sitter and I can go in peace.  There is a HUGE difference shopping with or without a toddler.  As well, grocery shopping for me is not just an activity but a process.  I over complicate my life for no apparent reason to those around me, but to me it just seems normal.  For example, instead of shopping at one store once a week or once every two weeks, I spread my grocery shopping out over the course of a week or two at 4-5 different stores.  Seeing that written like that looks ridiculous I realize, but really there is a method to my madness.  I feel that you cannot get everything at one store anymore.  So my shopping is spread between the following establishments: Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe's, and a FABULOUS local place called Wilson Farms.  I know some people that say they get all their needs met at one store, but I think those people are a. lying, b. wealthy enough to not have to worry about the cost of a grocery bill, or c. OK, I don't have a c. 

My dieting is balance between pre-packaged/pre-portioned items and "fresh" foods.  If's not that you can't get all this in one store, but I think you compromise either budget, quality, or variety.  I wish I could say that I don't eat any "normal"/processed foods, but I do.  I depend on Weight Watcher's Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, and Healthy Choice frozen meals for lunch.  I am generally not a sandwich eater and lunch is a meal I do not want to have to think too hard about and thus these are super easy for me.  As well Weight Watcher's makes really good desserts, my personal favorite being the Peanut Butter Cup Sundae.  I think I just drooled on my keyboard.  I like normal brands of cereal, sprots drinks, and Kraft Cheese slices to name a few things.  I used to feel like I had to hide the fact I shopped at Stop & Shop because the trendy thing to do is shop at Whole Foods.  And don't get me wrong, I love Whole Foods.  But I simply can't get my comfort food there, nor can I afford to shop exclusively at Whole Foods!  I was reading a blog where the writer dubbed it "Whole Paycheck" (if you are reading, thanks Mommyesq - that cracked me up!!!)

Being a little bit OCD, fresh foods like fruits, veggies, and meats can often seem like poison to me.  They are vehicles for bacteria like ecoli, salmonella, and more exotic problems like Mad Cow Disease.  Really, it's a wonder I eat at all!!  Therefore, I tend to shop for these items in places that in my mind command more attention to organic, local, natural foods.  I think most of this is in my head and I can just as easily get sick from eating a tomato from Stop & Shop as I can from Whole Foods.  I wonder, is the price I pay for peace of mind really worth it?  My husband, who already thinks I'm crazy when it comes to food, would argue NO. None the less, I tend to buy my "fresh" goods at Whole Foods and Wilson Farms.  However, after a recent analysis of our checking account, Whole Foods has been moved substantially down the list, and Wilson Farms has taken its place for produce.  While this place is by no means cheap, I have found a lot better value in purchasing my produce there than Whole Foods.  

Since I pay a premium for my fresh foods, there is nothing that ticks me off more than when those foods go bad quicker than I can eat them.  At this point I simply don't think I can fit in any more trips to the store if I were to start buying smaller portions.  I have seen one product advertised on TV, Debbie Meyer Green Bags (https://www.greenbags.com/).  I've never used so I can't say how well they work.  My personal opinion is that there are ENOUGH plastic bags in the world already so I'd prefer not to add to the pile.  I can't get started down that path or you'll be reading for hours.  And there is something so cheesy about the commercial...just who is this Debbie Meyer?  I did stumble onto another product which I purchased in the produce area at Whole Foods.  Healthy Harvest Freshness Extender (http://www.gohealthyharvest.com/).  They are little plastic balls with packet inside designed to absorb the gas (yes your fruits and veggies fart) released by aging produce.  You change the insert 1/month.  I have found these a huge help in keeping my produce fresh longer.  You just have to make sure that you aren't trapping your fruits and veggies in bags in the drawers.  My produce drawers are a place of happy swingers, zucchini, asparagus, and tomatoes side by side!  So if free range produce is too much for you perhaps Debbie Meyer is the way to go!

Finally Trader Joe's and Costco round out my shopping needs as fillers to supplement my main shopping.  Trader Joe's offers some great stuff, particularly their frozen foods, at great prices.  Costco is wonderful for some of the processed food shopping, but often times I have to settle as I can't quite get what I want (see blog entry titled "Afternoon Snacking").  As well, I have to be careful that I have enough room to store my industrial sized pack of snack bags!  Trader Joe's is more of a drive by shop and Costco is a full on family adventure.  Costco is one place I'd prefer not to go alone.  Not only is it hectic but it's a dieter's nightmare with all those little sample stands and junk food in portion sizes large enough to feed small countries.  If my husband had not been there with me this past weekend I think the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese frosting (guessing the diameter was 16 inches) would have mysteriously made its way home.

The bottom line is that my chore of grocery shopping is never done for the week.  It's more a continual process.  I am not sure if this helps or hurts my diet attempts.  I guess at the very least, the time I'm out shopping I'm not at home eating.  I'm looking forward to dinnertime tonight but even more importantly dessert as today was a Stop & Shop day!!