Stock It Up

As a kid, I’d go grocery shopping with my parents and we’d come home with a big cart of food, loaded up with all kinds of tasty things. I really was a lucky girl- anytime I went hunting in the pantry or fridge, there was always something to eat whether it came out of a box or I had to put it together myself. I never ever went hungry and for that I’m grateful.

As an adult, things are a little different. As an adult living in a 4th-floor walkup in New York City, things are really different. I can’t go stock up huge amounts at one time- for starters, I can’t get it all home and up my thousands of stairs, and two, I have literally nowhere to put anything. So that leads me to the shopping method of “keep the staples around and pick up stuff as needed.” It’s not ideal but it’s working.

For the most part, my grocery list looks exactly the same every week. I go into Whole Foods looking for the same things each weekend to stock up as much as can so that I can always feed myself something, even if it’s the same damn thing I ate last week. Then when I’m feelin’ funky I can go in and pick up special ingredients for whatever thing I’m cooking up on those occasions.

Okay so my standard every week grocery list looks something like this:

• Produce: zucchini, onion, asparagus (or green beans), brussels sprouts, garlic, lemons, and apples
• Grains: quinoa, spaghetti, and a box of mac and cheese to have on hand
• Dairy: parmesan cheese and unsalted butter
• Chicken stock
• A couple frozen lunches because I’m human too

I’ll also make sure my general sauces, condiments, and spices are up to date: soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive, sesame, and grapeseed oils, gochujang, salt and pepper.

I rarely have anything exciting planned for these items; it’s more that I know if I come home absolutely starved (which happens quite often) that I can make a substantial meal out of them that will both nourish and satisfy me.

I know that if I have pasta, butter, lemon, and cheese, I can make a big bowl of dinner that will feed me. It may not be the most nutritious but I won’t be hungry. Sometimes if I have the remnants of some veggies in my drawer, I throw those in too and feel better about my choices. There’s also this quinoa stir fry that I made up last year that my roommate and I decided was pretty tasty, and now it’s my go-to when I need to make an enormous pot of something that will last for multiple meals.

If you think about what you like to eat and what you know how to make, where do they intersect? Figure out that list of ingredients and just make sure they’re always in your house. If you’re a city-dwelling human like me, pare down that list to the basics. If you know there are ten things that will equal a meal (and that could literally include cheese and bread), then make sure they’re always on the list.

People always think that even my quick, lazy weeknight meals are some masterpiece. Let me burst that bubble real quick- they’re not. I told a friend the other night that I was standing at my kitchen counter writing an article (not even this one) shoving my hastily made vegetables into my face so it could count as dinner. He goes “but your hastily made vegetables aren’t the same as most people’s” as if I’m sitting at home braising fennel and making whipped potatoes for dinner. That’s really not what’s happening, I promise.

Sometimes I’m just trying to feed myself in the easiest, fastest way possible. Occasionally, I make myself some four-course meal, yes, but that’s my idea of a good time. I’d say the majority of my food is made with the exact same ingredients and doesn’t taste any different than what you make for yourself. Honestly, I even keep a bag of pizza rolls in my freezer for those Sunday nights when I really, really don’t feel like cooking and can’t validate the idea of a Seamless order.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that making sure you eat is the number one priority. It’s okay if the grocery store stresses you out and every time you go in one, you either come out with the identical ingredients as last time or you end up with a basket full of nonsense. If you know that your backup plan is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or spaghetti with butter and Parmesan cheese (honestly, both are favorites of mine) then keep that shit in the house at all times.

Just make sure you can feed yourself.

No judgment, no shame.