Day 5 of my 30 day blog series journaling my experiment with a Capsule Kitchen. The plan? Use 33 ingredients to create all our meals for three months. If you just joined me you can either start at Day 1 or view all Capsule Kitchen posts.
On Day 3 I created my Capsule Kitchen List. On Day 4 I inventoried ingredients in my RV pantry and refrigerator. These two days prepared me for creating a grocery list and today’s shopping trip.
My Grocery List
The short grocery list pleased me. I already have some of the Capsule Kitchen list in my pantry and refrigerator. I also have several non-list ingredients that I plan to use up over the next few weeks.
This was my list:
- apples
- bananas
- spinach
- sweet potatoes
- tomatoes
- tortillas
- coffee
- tortilla chips
- eggs
- Greek yogurt
- salsa
- ground beef
- bacon
- sunflower seeds
- red wine
- dark chocolate
Only 16 items. Not bad.
The Shopping Trip
My first stop was Walmart. I had a few non-food items to pick up, so I started my grocery shopping here. I picked up all ingredients except produce and meat.
Next I stopped at the local grocery store to complete my shopping.
How’d It Go?
In the past, a trip to Walmart guaranteed an hour. Today I shopped at both stores and had all the groceries put away in less than 1 1/2 hours - and that includes drive time.
It was wonderful focusing on my list. I walked directly to the items I needed and didn’t get distracted by other things.
Simplify grocery shopping - ✓
Tonight’s Meal Plan
The next area to simplify is menu planning, specifically recipe selection. I’m starting tonight with a go-to meal for dinner.
“Bob” the Casserole
Sausage/Apple/Sweet Potato Bake
This casserole got its name from a visiting college student we served it to. “Sausage/apple/sweet potato bake” was too long so he christened it Bob and the name stuck.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground sausage, browned and drained
- 2 medium raw sweet potatoes, diced
- 3 medium apples
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 1/8 tsp ginger (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water (or apple juice)
Directions:
- Add sausage, sweet potatoes and apples to baking pan.
- Mix spices into the water and pour over the dish.
- Stir ingredients.
- Cover pan with foil and bake 50 - 60 minutes at 375*
- OR Cook on Low in Crockpot for 4 - 6 hours.
How About You?
Do you have any dishes with pet names like Bob? How long do you typically spend food shopping?
Follow Ditching Suburbia’s board Capsule Kitchen on Pinterest.
Some weeks I feel like I LIVE in a grocery store. It got to the point where I’ve been “checking in” on Facebook as a joke that shopping is my full time job.
Lonna,
Totally understand that feeling!