The Clever Pup's (AKA Mum's) Shopping Cart Ideas for Hungry Young Men

Year 2 at university and no longer on a meal plan.  What do you do? What can you cook? Eating healthily will be challenging when you are living with 5 other guys and the lion's share of the fridge is taken up with beer. But try to eat a variety of foods from the famous food pyramid. 

Be prepared when going to the store. Don't go on an empty stomach. And going without a list can result in unwanted purchases, taking up room for things you do need

Going around the perimeter of a supermarket is a way to avoid most of the junk. The meat, vegetables, fruit, deli items and dairy are located around the walls. But you knew that. 

If you can, think ahead for a couple of days for what you might need or what you are realistically planning to prepare. Important, because you don’t want waste. No point buying half a chicken (or an eggplant) if you aren't going to cook it.

Make sure you can buy a couple of quick and fast meals, pasta and sauce, frozen pizza, falafels in pita pockets. The frozen section has many prepared options these days but many are really high in calories and salt.

That said…buy one or two indulgent items, salsa, and corn chips, microwave popcorn chocolate milk to avoid running out to the corner store where things can really add up. 

Check the best before date. 

Make an attempt to eat well. As far as grocery lists go here’s a good start

½ dozen clementines.

½ dozen apples

broccoli

baby carrots

bag of baby spinach

OJ

Mayonnaise

6 cans tuna

peanut butter – Kraft makes a no sugar no salt version

black forest ham

sandwich bread - Villaggio

fish sticks or chicken fingers

granola or All Bran

bagels (could be frozen and used one at a time as needed)

cream cheese

milk

yogurt

dry pasta

good quality pasta sauce in a jar.

maybe a frozen pizza

salsa

tortillas

hummus

pita

no-name butter

eggs

This list costs about $115 but some of it will last you longer than a week. ie, PB, mayonnaise, tuna.

Out of the above you could make at least:

Tuna wraps with spinach

Bagels with cream cheese and black forest ham

Peanut butter sandwiches with corn chips and baby carrots

Fish sticks with broccoli and mayonnaise

Hummus  and spinach in a pita

Spaghetti and sauce with a handful of spinach and sliced ham thrown in.

Tuna sandwiches

Pita with cream cheese and salsa

Ham sandwiches.

Noodles with broccoli, cream cheese and hard boiled eggs.

Scrambled eggs on toast with salsa! Yes.

A pizza

maybe one week buy instead:

Falafel balls

or Habitant pea soup

or  cans kidney or black beans
or ground beef

or a prepackaged salad

or a brick of cheese.

or pancake mix (the "just add water"kind)

The fall back – Kraft Dinner.

Don't be afraid to sample what the other guys are cooking. Maybe they like cabbage rolls or have a family favourite. 

When you get a bit more savvy in the kitchen, (and have found a sharp knife), fry up some ground beef for your pasta and add some chopped-up green pepper.  Or trying shaking a baking a boneless breast of chicken. But that’s for later.

Bonne Chance!