Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping - the Ashley way!

Since I started meal planning, grocery shopping has gotten a lot easier! I've always been one to make a list, but meal planning for the week makes it a lot easier to figure out exactly what I need. I wanted to give you some tips on how I do my meal planning and weekly grocery shopping trip:

1. Figure out your week - this might seem like a weird first step in grocery shopping, but it's an incredibly important part of meal planning as I learned during my show. The amount of prep time you have each day/night to cook is really going to dictate what your menu looks like. When I was rehearsing and performing in my show I relied heavily on my crockpot. Now that the show is over I've got more time at home to prepare meals. You want to determine when you and your family members are going to be home, any activities you have planned or any dinners out you may have scheduled.
   
   
2. Scope out your kitchen - get a sense for what's in your fridge, freezer, pantry and cupboards. This will help when you're going through the recipes and determining what you need to pick up at the store(s). Are you out of basics (milk, flour, frozen fruits/veggies etc.)? This is a good time to figure it out. 
   
   
3. Get out your cookbooks - or recipe cards or start surfing the net and figure out which recipes you are going to make. This is going to help you figure out what you need at the store and it also helps to keep things interesting throughout the week. Are you going to stick to old favourites? Or try something new? It also helps me to figure out if I'm going to have enough leftovers for lunch so I'll know if I'll need to plan to make a soup or something else to fill the void. I usually do this on Sunday morning while I'm eating breakfast. I pull out my cookbooks and start reading!
   
   
4. Write it out - I usually start with an 8.5x11 sheet of recycled scrap paper and fold it in half. On one side I write Sunday - Saturday and on the other side I have my grocery list. As I decide which recipes I'm going to make I write them in under the chosen day (sometimes the days I make things change, but I generally try to stick to the plan) I then write in the items that I'm going to need on the other side of the piece of paper. I usually list them by type of item - fruit/veg, protein, liquid or dry goods/pantry - so they're easier to find on my list when I'm in that section of the store.
   
   
5. Head out - I make three stops when I do the grocery shopping. This may seem like a lot, but the three stores cover my needs and allow me to get the best deals possible. 

• Bulk Store - We have a cute little bulk/health food store very close to our house and I love it! Here I pick up herbs & spices, cereal for Joey (he likes to make his own "raisin bran" with bran flakes and raisins - it's incredibly cost effective), stuff for baking, dried beans, brown rice pasta, nuts, canned goods and larabars ($1.69 each which is the cheapest I've seen in Toronto so far) They also have a great selection of teas and nut butters and today I actually bought tofu there because it was cheap! 
• Health Food Store - I feel so lucky to live so close to The Big Carrot, because I love it there! Here I get bread, meat, dry goods, soy & almond milk, oils & sauces and sometimes fruit and veggies. They also have a wonderful take away counter where they make amazing vegetarian food and list all the ingredients. 
• Fruit & Veggie Stand - I try to buy organic as much as possible and I love one particular fruit & veggie place near me because they often have tonnes of organics and local produce for low, low prices! The price of their regular produce is amazing and the quality is great. Today I got cauliflower, 2 pints of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, 3 green peppers, 1 red pepper, celery, zucchini, asparagus, and 5 lemons for $19.06 and about 40% was organic. 

After I stop everywhere I need, I head home and put it all away. It's quite a task, but I always feel very accomplished when I'm done, and I know that I won't be halfway through making a recipe one night and realize that I don't have a particular item. 

Do you have any tips for meal planning and/or grocery shopping?

the moment you've all been waiting for...

*additional recipes coming soon*

Ladies & Gentlemen I give you soup recipes to last you the winter... Happy Soup Making!! Thanks to all my members and fellow posters on ww.ca who contributed recipes to my cause!! I'm so excited to try them myself.

I printed this brochure for my members and it includes 9 soup recipes. In my head you'll be able to print it like I did (1 page back and front and then you fold it to make a brochure), but if that doesn' work, email me and I can send you the pdf.

I could have written a whole book on soup, but had limited time and resources! Here are some more recipes that didn't make it into the brochure. I'm in the process of adding the Points values... or you can figure them out on your own if they're not included.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Serves 2, or 1 in great need of solace Ingredients

2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash and sweet potato

3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground mace

good grinding of pepper

4 tsp buttermilk

Instructions

Put the diced butternut squash and sweet potato in a saucepan with the stock and spices.
Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Puree the soup in a blender. You will find that by removing the center nozzle on the lid and placing a hand towel or tea towel over the top, you will not get a buildup of pressure and an explosion of soup on your walls or over you.
Pour the blended soup into two bowls, decorating each bowl with swirls made with 2 teaspoons of buttermilk.

Roasted Bell Pepper Tomato Soup
2 tsp olive oil

2 medium garlic clove(s), minced

1 medium onion(s), diced

1 medium carrot(s), chopped

1 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence (equal mix of basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, savory and marjoram) 14 1/2 oz ff reduced-sodium chicken broth

20 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 medium sweet red pepper(s), or orange, sliced

2 pkts SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener

Instructions
Place peppers on a cookie sheet, and place under warmed broiler, turning until all sides are charred. When cooled, peel and seed the pepper. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion and carrot. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peppers. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, and Splenda* No Calorie Sweetener. Purée in small batches; briefly reheat, if needed.

Yields 1 cup per serving.

POINTS: 1 point per serving - Core

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic-finely chopped

1 t. cumin

1 t. cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 t.)

1/2 tsp. salt (I didn't use this much)

2 to 3 c. shredded/cut cooked chicken

1 c. frozen or canned corn

1 14oz. can White Northern Beans - drained

1 14oz. can diced tomatoes-do not drain

2 cans fat free chicken broth

Instructions
Spray a pot with cooking spray and sauté onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add seasoning through beans-stir gently to mix. Add tomatoes with juice and soup. Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer for about an hour.
Great topped with low fat/fat free tortillas-cut into strips and baked (count points for tortillas)

Servings: 8 (1 cup each)

Core except for tortillas

Spicy Black Bean Soup
Cooking spray

1 chopped onion

4 cloves garlic-chopped

3-15 ounce cans black beans

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp ground cumin

1-14 1/2 ounce can ff chicken broth or veggie

10 ounce can Rotel type tomatoes

11 ounce can corn

Instructions
Cook the onion and garlic in cooking spray in stock pot until soft.
Place 1 can of beans with liquid, half the broth, the onion and garlic mixture and the cumin and pepper flakes in blender, pulse until pureed. Transfer back to pot.
Puree the second can of beans with the remaining broth, add to pot.
Stir the last can of beans, undrained, corn, and tomatoes into bean mixture, stir, bring to a simmer and simmer 20 minutes.

Harvest Chicken Corn Chowder

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

2 cups water

2 cups cubed red potatoes

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn

1 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk

3/4 cup 1% milk, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions
In a large saucepan, saute the onion, red pepper and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Add ham; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the water, potatoes, corn, bouillon, thyme poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add chicken; heat through. Stir in the evaporated milk and 1/2 cup milk; bring to a boil. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Servings: 5

POINTS® Value: 6

Grocery List

Whenever I mention grocery shopping it causes Joey to groan. He's not a big fan. To make it as painless as possible I try to be well prepared with a good list. I try to break my list down by how I shop in the store so I don't miss items or get to the cash and realize I've forgotten things.

Produce
Fruit - bananas, apples, oranges, berries, pineapple - basically whatever looks good
Veggies - broccoli, green beans, brussel sprouts, baby spinach, carrots, cucumbers, green onions, small red potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, red peppers - again whatever looks good and is in season
I try to buy organic when possible, but am realistic in my budget. I also try to shop at our local fruit and veggie markets because they have amazing deals. Pineapples for $1! Strawberries for $1.49! I also try to buy as local as possible whenever I can.

Meat
Skinless, usually boneless chicken breasts
Lean ground pork
Deli meat - usually fat free ham or turkey, lately roast beef
Burgers for the BBQ

Dairy
1% milk
Cheese (usually old cheddar)
Yogurt - I like fat-free Activia or Source
Low fat sour cream
Eggs
Light Becel
Low fat cream cheese

Pantry
WW Bread
Small whole-wheat wraps
Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Whole wheat pasta - linguine, macaroni
Pasta sauce
Salsa
Canned diced tomatoes
Canned corn
Sidekicks
Brown rice
Cereal - cold and hot
Tea
Honey or agave nectar
Fat free/sugar free pudding
94% free popcorn
Granola bars - Kashi or Nature Valley

Freezer
Lean Cuisines or SmartOnes
Frozen fruit

These are the things I like to have on hand. Before I grocery shop I sit down and figure out which recipes I'm going to make during the week and what additional items I will need to make those meals. I'll add to this list from time to time. I think the key to grocery shopping is planning ahead. What are you going to make, and what do you need to make everything. Happy shopping!