The following originally appeared on 8/5/09 at Exit 51
Sticker Shock
Last Saturday, the day after our carbolicous dinner party, we stocked up on supplies for the first week of our South Beach journey. Good thing there were leftovers to fill me up before this trip to the store. Looking at the grocery list as I navigated the grocery aisles, the hungries definitely could have tempted me to toss verboten items into the cart. But I came prepared.
Our typical shopping list is pretty basic – milk, juice, apples, cereal, bread, banannas, salad fixings, deli – with a rotation of chicken, fish, meat. If you’re familiar with the SB philosophy, you’ll notice that the mainstays of our eating fall into the foods you want to avoid. Hmmmpf.
Now contrast that with my shopping list from Saturday:
- Celery
- Asparagus
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Red Pepper
- Avacado
- Green Pepper
- Mushrooms
- Snow Peas
- Brussel Sprouts
- Scallions
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Onion
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Thyme
- Cheese Sticks
- Laughing Cow Rounds
- Shredded Cheese
- Chicken Breast
- Sirloin Steak
- Vegetable Juice
- Sugar Free Jello
- Eggs
- Egg Substitute
- Sesame Oil
- Mustard Seeds
- Butter Spray
- Diced Tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic
- Salmon
- Can Tuna
- Orange Roughy
- Frozen Shrimp
- Cod Fillets
- Canadian Bacon
- Smoked Turkey
- Boiled Ham
- Frozen Spinach
The cost of eating better, it ain’t cheap. I easily doubled our typical grocery bill for a week. But I’m hoping to start buying some of the more expensive items (meat, fish, chicken) in bulk. If the freezer is filled up with protein, there won’t be much room for ice cream. I haven’t shared that part of the plan with SFC yet. He’ll be quite sad.
Bon Appetit Hon 
I still complain about grocery prices. It’s stupid how much they charge for fresh ingredients. This is why I need to learn how to garden and can. (I totally laughed out loud.)
Brooke, my black thumb is so severe that had I lived in pioneer times, I would have likely died of starvation during a winter. Or I would have poisoned myself with a bad batch of canned goods.
Mmmm, know what you mean Wendi, the price of eating well is pretty outrageous for sure, I like your plan though, if you fill the freezer with good stuff, there’s no room for ice cream. Wise woman 😉
Anna, I tell myself that if the freezer is packed with good stuff there’s no room for ice cream but the cold, hard truth is there’s always room for ice cream.
South Beach? You are a far better woman than I! I hope it goes well for you. Look for some local farmers markets and price clubs to stock up on some of those healthy ingredients… It can be more difficult, but it’s definitely possible to do healthy on a budget. 🙂
Jen, we did really well with South Beach and have adopted many of the SB principles into our eating. Although, truth be told, I’m really struggling with baking season 2010. There “may” be a New Year’s journey back to Phase I to undo some of the holiday jiggle.
Of course if I just worked out then I could indulge in those cookies and cupcakes without the need to pull out the pants with stretchy waistbands.
I still haven’t found a great solution to buying quality ingredients without spending a fortune. I understand why it is so easy and attractive to eat crappy processed foods…because it’s inexpensive. And that’s a really unfortunate truth.