Tuesday, February 12, 2013

My First Paleo Shopping Trip

Well I am off to embark on my first grocery trip with my new Paleo shopping list.  I am pretty much prepared to just buy every item in the produce department, and I guess some meat too.  We actually have a ton of meat/poultry in our freezer since I always buy in bulk at Sam's Club, so we are pretty well stocked in that area.  Chicken breasts, pork chops, ground beef, etc.  We have it all.  The thing I am most worried about with this diet is that I will have to take more frequent trips to the grocery store to get fresh produce- I try to keep my trips to once every 2 weeks if I plan things out well enough- just because I am working and taking grad school classes, and I'd rather not add daily errands into that mix.  So, we'll see how it goes!

Before I provide my grocery list, I feel the need to share a disclaimer:  I am not, nor do I claim to be, a Paleo expert.  I know that we will not be able to jump in 100% and do the pure Paleo diet that the masters can do.  This means we are not going to go all-Paleo with everything.  I'll try to make substitutes for my usual items like condiments, but in small quantities I may keep things like Soy Sauce for marinades and whatnot.  For now, I don't think that will kill us.  We are also keeping dairy, just cutting down the quantities.  I maintain that since milk comes out of animals and humans, even cavemen would have had access to it.  Shoot me for it, but I can't eliminate dairy entirely.  Maybe one day.  Finally, we are not cutting out alcohol altogether- just cutting down.  I mean, if we can have vinegar, shouldn't we be able to have wine?  Fermented grapes seem like they could have been found by cavemen...  Maybe this is selfish, and I know this makes me a half-assed Paleo-ist, but alas.  Baby steps are better than no steps!

So here goes- this is what I will be shopping for today:
  • apples
  • bananas
  • oranges
  • berries (whatever looks good)
  • avocados
  • zucchini
  • spaghetti squash
  • butternut/acorn squash (whatever they have)
  • asparagus
  • brussels sprouts
  • cauliflower
  • peppers (stoplight colors)
  • lettuce (iceberg/green leaf)
  • spinach
  • pineapple
  • onion (red and white)
  • garlic
  • mushrooms (white and crimini)
  • jalapenos
  • peaches
  • applesauce
  • almonds
  • cashews
  • ground turkey
  • flank steak
  • pork butt/shoulder
  • deli turkey
  • bacon
  • eggs (1.5 dozen to add to the dozen at home)
  • milk (yes, I know, I can't get rid of it!)
And what I HOPE to find but may need a special trip for:
  • almond flour
  • almond butter
  • coconut oil
  • tamari sauce
So there you have it!  We have less than a day until our Paleo lives begin- stay tuned to see how the first few days go!

UPDATE: Take a look at the (partial) results of my trip!  I think I wiped the produce section clean...  In other news, I will need another special trip for the almond flour/butter.


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