Grocery Sprinting Debunked

One has to go to school for a LONG time to be a real rocket scientist.

You only have to read this post to be a grocery sprinting rocket scientist.

Lucky duck.

In part two of how to be a grocery sprinter, we will round out your ‘pantry’ with the few items you may want to keep on hand (ones that don’t come directly from their mother or from the earth). I use the term pantry loosely-you could probably pick out a nice sized cabinet to use and then buy more lifting shoes and funny workout shirts to better fill the old space that was your pantry.

The items we will list today will do one of 4 things:

1. Help cook (oils, butter, ghee)
2. Add Flavor (above, spices &  seasonings)
3. Decrease prep time and/or expense
4. Provide suitable options in a pinch

Many, but not all, of these items can be found in our local stores. Unlike part one of grocery sprinting, you will need to quickly (and carefully) brave the inner-aisles to stock your pantry. (It’s hard to say exactly which aisle, it will vary with your store of choice!) Many, but not all, of these items can be found online for a friendlier price. Many, but not all, of these items would be nice to have on hand rightthissecond. Alas, buying them all in one trip is probably not the way to love paleo. That may actually make you, and your wallet, shed a tear or two. Please don’t let that discourage you. Add a few staples to each grocery sprinting trip, and you will be fully stocked before you can say “Staples, that was easy”. (More specifics on this topic to come!) Once you are a stocked-sprinter, these items tend to rotate in their need to be replenished.

Pantry items will fall into two (loose) categories. (We could get nit-picky and super-specific, but then we would be here all day, which would not be awesome-sauce. Awesome-sauce is ALWAYS a goal.) 

The categories are:

1. Tools of the Trade: Paleo Staples.

Oils (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, extra light olive oil), spices & seasonings (sea salt and fresh pepper are a must!), nut/seed butters (almond, sunflower, tahini, coconut butter), ghee, grass-fed butter, coconut aminos (this is a delicious substitute for soy sauce), almond flour, coconut flour, flake coconut (unsweetened!), honey, 100% cocoa powder, chicken broth, lemon/lime juice, dried mushrooms, vinegar (white, apple cider, balsamic, red wine, etc)…

Canned items: tomatoes (whole, diced, crushed, sauce, paste), olives, coconut milk, tuna, sardines, salmon, pumpkin puree, beets, etc.

2. Snack Attack: Paleo-esque options to have ready when hunger strikes and a new or leftover meal is not an option/what you want:

Roasted nuts and seeds (remember peanuts are a LEGUME), plantain chips, guacamole, sugar-free salsa, dates, really dark chocolate (like 70%+), dill pickles, larabars, etc.

**REMEMBER**

ANYTIME you buy ANYTHING that is packaged…check the label for ingredients. There are a million hidden ingredients in the most innocent looking items. (High Fructose Corn Syrup in my dill pickles?! Vegetable broth and food starch in canned tuna?!! What in the what?!!?)

Next up, we will talk in more specifics about the best place to purchase many of these staples, as well as address why eating paleo does not mean having to steal from your kids’ piggy banks. Plus plan a delicious meal that will run a family of four less than $12.00.

Now sign & date on this line, you rocket scientist:

_______________________________________

You’re official.

Did I miss your favorite pantry item? Leave it in the comments, Grocery Sprinter!

(P.S. Have you used the search function on this site? You may just find an answer to that question that is bugging you!)

Until Next Time…

Mallory

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