Shopping & Prep – Winter Week 2

The Plan

The Shopping

I really do enjoy going to the store – more when I have time to take my time – but do to some extend each time I go.  And today was no exception.  With Week 2 shopping list in hand, I headed off.  Here are a few notes I took that I thought might be helpful.  As always, if you have questions about something that mentioned here, please comment.

Produce

Maradol Papaya

• Papaya: Whole Foods had them available as halves and my local co-op had very under ripe ones available.  Since it isn’t needed until Fri., I left both stores empty handed and decided to try back later in the week.  I’ve posted more details on papaya here.  It is a beautiful fruit and worth the search for a good one.
• Belgian Endive: The three that I found tonight were too wilted and browned to buy.  I bought an extra container of “baby lettuces” to substitute
• Texas Rio Star Grapefruit: There are two kinds of grapefruit in my mind; 1) Texas Rio Star, and 2) all the others.  Texas Rio Star are pink fleshed, naturally sweet (no added sugar please!) and in-season now.  This pink pigment is lycopene (studied in prostate health).  The same antioxidant found in cooked tomato products, watermelon, guava, and papaya. Enjoy them, often, while they are available.

Texas Rio Star Grapefruit

Proteins

• Beef roast: Any cut of roast can be used. I like round or even trimmed chuck.  Tonight, I did decide to splurge a bit so I chose a beautiful bison roast.  And it’s ok if your roast is under 4 lbs.  Future meals that call for the made-a-head roast can easily be substituted for chicken or even soy products.
• Chicken breast: Bulk packages are always cheaper.  I bought a 4 lb package and will individually wrap them in 12 oz portions and freeze for future use.
• Scallops: reminder that they aren’t needed until the end of the week; I will follow the tip sheet and pick them up later.

The Prep

• Tonight I’ll spend about 1/2 hour in the kitchen prepping for tomorrow’s bulk cooking session. In addition to cleaning and getting containers ready, I’ll get the chicken frozen plus put the grains on to soak. Remember, you want to soak them first in water, then rinse, then cook in stock for best results.

I was surprised at how much I had missed bulk cooking and daily meal planning over the holidays. It was nice experiencing my ‘second list’ again.

Happy shopping! ~ Teri