I need to say this one up front, I hate shopping, and I mean passionately. I am a 40 year old male, need I say more ? It doesn’t really matter what type of shopping, clothes, gift shopping or food. It’s a difficult thing for me to plan and do. So to be able to stick to my Paleo diet, and plan a Paleo Shopping list, every week took a bit of getting used to. I found the following tips helpful.
1. Timing
I actually try to plan my shopping trips to be about the same time every week; I try to do at least one on a Wednesday after work, so I am at the shops about 5.30pm. Then a bigger shop on a Saturday morning about 10am, just as the shops opens. That way I am missing the crazy crowds, that usually annoy me.
2. Know where your shops are
If you live in a major city, usually no problem, the large shopping centers, will have a supermarket in it, that should have everything you need in it. But if you live in a small town, that could be a little harder. Usually with most supermarkets the ingredients you will want are on the outside aisles. It’s usually the inner shelves and aisle that will have most of the processed foods you should keep away from.
Tip – Make sure you know where the natural food store is, if your local big supermarket doesn’t have the more exotic ingredients that you want, the natural food store will.
3. Planning you weekly meals
Now, most paleo cook books you will buy, will have a food planner in it. However, you might not be a fan of some of the things. Then all you do is just take out what you don’t like and add in what you do, then work out what ingredients are needed for each meal, make a list and go to the shops and buy what you need. How easy is that to create your paleo shopping list.
Tip – As I wrote above I tend to shop twice a week, So I plan what I eat a few days at a time.
4. Left overs
Even with shopping twice a week, I make use of left overs. If I cook a nice Chicken curry the night before, I make enough for a few extra meals, So I might take in for lunch the next day. As well as a couple of dinner meals for when I don’t feel like cooking.
5. Veggie and Herb garden
If you have space for it at home, You can also start you own paleo friendly garden, A couple of weekends work, and you will have herbs and vegetables that you can use in your own Paleo recipes. it also cuts down on the cost of shopping for some things.
That’s it, the nuts and bolts of how I make a Paleo shopping list, so I can minimize my time I spend shopping. Being on a Paleo Diet is absolutely worth it, I feel better, I have much more energy and I’ve lost weight. But for me to stay on it, I need to make it as easy for my lifestyle as possible.
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