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Favorite grocery store items

I've been drawn heavily to beans and fresh vegetables more than ever. That's not how I operated before surgery, but now I'm taking advantage of that and that's what I go for when I'm shopping for food.

I stock up on many types of dried beans and all sorts of veggies. I can make a lot of meals with that. My diet is primarily plant based, but I do get eggs from a local farmer and I usually alternate between eggs and steel cut oatmeal for my breakfasts. I also get some lean poultry meats here and there and occasionally a small tenderloin steak.

I don't buy much dairy. During the liquid and puree phase I did eat quite a bit of greek yogurt for the protein, but now I have a bit of plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream with some chili, but that's about it for dairy. Oh, I guess goat cheese or parmesan cheese once in a while.

I guess the other things I have are calorie free or low calorie drink mixes because I need some variety from water now and then.
 
Aface said:
What is some of your favorite grocery store items since having the surgery at any stage
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Well we have a garden - summer we have tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, okra, corn, green beans, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Fall winter garden - cabbage, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, brussel sprouts. I love fresh produce - homegrown garden produce to be exact.

We have relatives who have apple and pear trees.

I can tomatoes, ketchup, tomato soup base, chicken noodle soup, apple butter, pear preserves, blueberry jam, cherry jam (we have 3 cherry trees). I also freeze corn, green beans. We eat the okra, squash, and zucchini about as fast as it comes in.

We usually have a grass-fed beef on the hoof. We had one slaughtered in July - freezer is full of organic beef. We buy free range eggs and free range chickens that we have butchered.

We frequent a small country store where they sell fresh beans - pinto, navy, white, lentils. We also buy fresh black eyed peas. We also buy fresh raw peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and other nuts to make our own nut butters - my girls love it and its also healthy for my dogs. There is a mill where we go to purchase flour, grits, cornmeal. We buy fresh butter, butter milk, heavy cream from a nearby neighbor who has a dairy farm.

I buy less at the grocery store than I do anywhere else. If I go alone to the grocery store I'll buy my girls non sugary cereal - cheerios. If my kids go they prefer Cap'n Crunch - more sugar than anything else. I try to make sure everyone going has eaten before we leave. They're less likely to add sugary crap to the buggy if they aren't hungry.

I do buy fresh seafood - salmon, lobster, oysters, scallops at the grocery store. Also buy mayo, mustard, pickles, bagels, some loaf breads, and I'll buy protein things with - ham, cheese, crackers, and a cookie - these are perfect to throw in a bag-purse-backpack to have when you get hungry. I buy cottage cheese, yogurt, protein snacks, and chips - husband likes frito corn chips, girls like popcorn and potato chips. Also - they usually get 1 package of cookies. This week Toria - my youngest - went shopping with me and she got a package of chips ahoy cookies. We also have some orange, lemon, lime, raspberry sherbert in the freezer.
 
TraceyT said:
Well we have a garden - summer we have tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, okra, corn, green beans, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Fall winter garden - cabbage, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, brussel sprouts. I love fresh produce - homegrown garden produce to be exact.

We have relatives who have apple and pear trees.

I can tomatoes, ketchup, tomato soup base, chicken noodle soup, apple butter, pear preserves, blueberry jam, cherry jam (we have 3 cherry trees). I also freeze corn, green beans. We eat the okra, squash, and zucchini about as fast as it comes in.

We usually have a grass-fed beef on the hoof. We had one slaughtered in July - freezer is full of organic beef. We buy free range eggs and free range chickens that we have butchered.

We frequent a small country store where they sell fresh beans - pinto, navy, white, lentils. We also buy fresh black eyed peas. We also buy fresh raw peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and other nuts to make our own nut butters - my girls love it and its also healthy for my dogs. There is a mill where we go to purchase flour, grits, cornmeal. We buy fresh butter, butter milk, heavy cream from a nearby neighbor who has a dairy farm.

I buy less at the grocery store than I do anywhere else. If I go alone to the grocery store I'll buy my girls non sugary cereal - cheerios. If my kids go they prefer Cap'n Crunch - more sugar than anything else. I try to make sure everyone going has eaten before we leave. They're less likely to add sugary crap to the buggy if they aren't hungry.

I do buy fresh seafood - salmon, lobster, oysters, scallops at the grocery store. Also buy mayo, mustard, pickles, bagels, some loaf breads, and I'll buy protein things with - ham, cheese, crackers, and a cookie - these are perfect to throw in a bag-purse-backpack to have when you get hungry. I buy cottage cheese, yogurt, protein snacks, and chips - husband likes frito corn chips, girls like popcorn and potato chips. Also - they usually get 1 package of cookies. This week Toria - my youngest - went shopping with me and she got a package of chips ahoy cookies. We also have some orange, lemon, lime, raspberry sherbert in the freezer.
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I am super jelly of you options to purchase. I am a huge meat girl and now that I was given the go a head Friday I think all I ha e ate is meat. I do ha e a farmer that I always buy beef from. I grew up on a farm and because of that I just can not stand store beef.

My neighbors are retired and bought a second lot when they bought their lot in town years ago just to have a garden so they keep us well stocked on produce in the summer...if they dont we go to the city to the farmers market.
 
Tokash said:
I am super jelly of you options to purchase. I am a huge meat girl and now that I was given the go a head Friday I think all I ha e ate is meat. I do ha e a farmer that I always buy beef from. I grew up on a farm and because of that I just can not stand store beef.

My neighbors are retired and bought a second lot when they bought their lot in town years ago just to have a garden so they keep us well stocked on produce in the summer...if they dont we go to the city to the farmers market.
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I truly prefer the beef on the hoof to any other beef. I agree that store bought beef is nothing compared to fresh.
 
Have you tried Skyr yogurt? Technically is isn't yogurt but that is where you will find it in the store. It is actually a strained cheese made from skim milk. Its like a creamier less tangy yogurt. Icelandic Provisions Skyr and Siggi's are the two brands we can find in my supermarkets. It does have slightly more calories than Greek yogurt but so worth it (I actually don't like the tang of Greek yogurt) and it has more protein. What I do is put about 1/3 cup frozen mixed berries in a dish, microwave for 1 minute and then top with a serving of Vanilla flavored Skyr. It feels like a treat and I often have it as a snack and to get more protein and fruit in.
 
Very interesting. I've never heard of it til now.

I'd like to see the actual nutritional label that is printed on all food products but so far, can't find it on line. I'm assuming by reading about it that a serving size is 5.3 ounces, but it's unclear. Can you take a photo, Judy?

Here's what I found, but again, no amount was given in the calculation:
3198


It sounds fabulous, though, Judy. And locally I can buy it at QFC, Fred Meyer and Target, in addition to other retail outlets. As soon as I finish my Fage yogurt, I'll be giving this a try. Fabulous numbers. Low fat and sugar, high protein. It's amazing. A lot of popular yogurt only has 4 grams of protein in 8 ounces. I wonder why. And I wonder how a yogurt like this gets 17 grams per serving. I read all about its processing but no clue.

Judy, does it taste good? Do you add any sweeteners to it? I'd love to hear more.
 
dianeseattle said:
Very interesting. I've never heard of it til now.

I'd like to see the actual nutritional label that is printed on all food products but so far, can't find it on line. I'm assuming by reading about it that a serving size is 5.3 ounces, but it's unclear. Can you take a photo, Judy?

Here's what I found, but again, no amount was given in the calculation:
View attachment 3198

It sounds fabulous, though, Judy. And locally I can buy it at QFC, Fred Meyer and Target, in addition to other retail outlets. As soon as I finish my Fage yogurt, I'll be giving this a try. Fabulous numbers. Low fat and sugar, high protein. It's amazing. A lot of popular yogurt only has 4 grams of protein in 8 ounces. I wonder why. And I wonder how a yogurt like this gets 17 grams per serving. I read all about its processing but no clue.

Judy, does it taste good? Do you add any sweeteners to it? I'd love to hear more.
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I also eat Siggi’s, but I prefer fage, it’s creamier.
 
dianeseattle said:
(snip)

It sounds fabulous, though, Judy. And locally I can buy it at QFC, Fred Meyer and Target, in addition to other retail outlets. As soon as I finish my Fage yogurt, I'll be giving this a try. Fabulous numbers. Low fat and sugar, high protein. It's amazing. A lot of popular yogurt only has 4 grams of protein in 8 ounces. I wonder why. And I wonder how a yogurt like this gets 17 grams per serving. I read all about its processing but no clue.

Judy, does it taste good? Do you add any sweeteners to it? I'd love to hear more.
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Yes!!!! I love it!!! And I was never a big yogurt fan at all. I would have to be in the mood for it! My sister went to Iceland last year and discovered it there and when I visited her for a few days she served it as an option for breakfast. I don't add any sweeteners to it at all. Although I must confess I use to also top it with Kashi granola cereal and a little bit of real maple syrup, but now it's just berries and skyr, lol!
 
Pink Julie said:
I also eat Siggi’s, but I prefer fage, it’s creamier.
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How interesting that both of you have found an Icelandic yogurt that's high in protein and low in sugar! I am definitely going to get some. I love yogurt.

And I've said this a few times, but I make cream cheese out of yogurt. Put cheesecloth in a mesh strainer, then dump the yogurt in there and wrap it up with the rest of the cheesecloth. Leave it overnight. In the morning you'll have thick yogurt that spreads and tastes like cream cheese, and a bunch of liquid whey in the bowl under the strainer. I think this whey is full of nutrition, so you can dump it into anything that uses milk as part of the recipe. Or you can give it to your cat. ;) I'll bet this yogurt would make a fabulous faux cream cheese.
 
dianeseattle said:
Very interesting. I've never heard of it til now.

I'd like to see the actual nutritional label that is printed on all food products but so far, can't find it on line. I'm assuming by reading about it that a serving size is 5.3 ounces, but it's unclear. Can you take a photo, Judy?

(snip)
Click to expand...

Yes, that would be for a 5.3 oz, but different brands vary a little on the calories, etc. Can't take a picture because I ran out and have to go shopping! But I cut and pasted from Icelandic Provisions website on their 5.3oz

Icelandic Provisions Vanilla
1 serving per container
Serving size 5.3
Amount per serving
Calories130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg 4%
Sodium 50mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 9g
Includes 6g Added Sugars 12%
Protein 15g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 170mg 14%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 200mg 5%
Vitamin A4%
The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
****

And here is the one from Siggi's Vanilla:

Nutrition Facts - Details
Serving Size 1 container (150g)
Servings Per Container 1
Calories 110
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 55mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 12g4%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 9g
Includes 5g Added Sugars10%
 
It took a couple days of thinking about it, but I guess my favorite grocery store items post-surgery are:

Progresso Light Soups. Of course you've got to reel in your hopes and expectations and acknowledge that these cans of soups are surprisingly low calories, and don't require adding water or milk. Just pour into a bowl, nuke a couple minutes and eat up. I haven't eaten any so far that I don't like.

My favorites are New England Clam Chowder, and the Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese. These two are really nice for light soups, and very filling for a mere 210 calories. I always take the first few bites straight, and then start dousing with hot sauce. I think the stuff is not far off from campbells chowder yet half the calories per can. At least, with enough hot sauce I cant tell the difference.

To redeem myself after bragging on canned chowder...this stuff is not Pike Place Chowder, which is literally the best chowder on the planet and absolutely worth the hour+ wait in line if you are ever in Seattle. If you are a chowder person, it's TOTALLY worth the $80 to get 2 quarts delivered a few times a year, pick up a nice hard loaf of french bread, good company...or if you know a chowder lover, it's a great giftable idea.
 
Gzar, do you live in Seattle? You are absolutely right about this clam chowder, and there used to be an amazing cheese shop right next door and you could watch them make the cheese. Anytime I was going to take Amtrak across the mountains to see my family oh, I would stop by Pike Place Market first for chowder and cheese and crusty bread. They could not believe how good it was. Of course, remember, moderation in all things. Moderation makes it possible to eat delicious food, so long as you keep the amount reasonable or small and infrequent.
 
I was born in Tacoma and moved out of the state in 1985. I have 2 sisters and their families in the area, and most of my extended family / cousins is still up there from olympia to graham to puyallup to seattle and over the mountains in yakima & kennewick. Last time I visited was in 2017; I'd like to make it back up for another visit in a few years.
Going downtown Seattle and to Pike Place Market is always on my must-do list.
 
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