Listmania: Grocery Items

This is a list of what we keep in the house food-wise. It evolves and changes. Sometimes items for a specific recipe are added and sometimes I don't have all these items on hand... but it's what's commonly needed in our house.

I use it as a master list that I keep in a word file. It helps me keep track of items that need to be bought or made and also the best sale prices so I can note when something is on a really good sale and can be stocked up on. I thought I'd share this master list on my blog...

Note: * indicates homemade items. (I hope to add *'s to more and more items!!) 
‡ indicates organic items. (We buy specific items organically when we can. For example, potatoes because they are so heavily sprayed and cream/butter because toxins are stored in fat.)

Refrigerator

Beverages
3% milk
almond milk
cream ‡

Food
yogurt *
kefir *
eggs ‡
breakfast sausages (locally made, no MSG or byproducts)
bacon (locally made, no MSG or byproducts)
cheddar cheese
mozzarella cheese
goat cheese
ginger root
garlic bulb

Dry Items
nori sheets
flax seeds
sea salt

Condiments
jams *
nutella *
mustard pickles *
pickled beets *
whey *
pesto *
tehini * 
olives
pure maple syrup
peanut satay sauce
fish sauce
curry paste
red chili paste 
sesame oil
ketchup
bbq sauce
bragg liquid soy
mayonnaise

Fruit
apples ‡
oranges
lemons
grapes

Vegetables
onions
carrots ‡
tomatoes
sweet potatoes
zucchini
mushrooms
orange/yellow peppers
cucumber
celery ‡
spinach
lettuce
cilantro
 
Supplements
probiotics
fish oil
vitamin C powder

Kitchen Counter

Food
sourdough bread ‡*
butter ‡*
bananas
potatoes ‡

Supplements
multi-vitamins
vitamin D
glutamine

Cupboards

Tea & Coffee
coffee
black tea
green tea
herbal teas
dried rose buds

Grains & Dry Goods
whole wheat flour ‡
rye flour
quinoa flour ‡*
oat flour *
teff flour
coconut flour
almond flour *
cornmeal
quinoa ‡
millet
wheat berries
kasha
oats
basmati rice
brown rice
wild rice
lentils
chick peas
kidney beans
navy beans
chia seeds
poppy seeds
kosher salt
baking soda
baking powder
dried coconut
dark cocoa powder
chocolate chips
brown sugar
white sugar

Liquids & Solids
peanut butter *
almond butter *
coconut oil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar 
apple cider vinegar
white vinegar
vanilla extract
almond extract
raw honey
blackstrap molasses
fancy molasses
agave nectar

Canned & Packaged
whole wheat pasta
rice pasta
rice crackers
popcorn
hot chocolate mix
marshmallows
coconut milk
evaporated milk
whole tomatoes
stewed tomatoes
tomato paste
pumpkin puree
pineapple chunks
salsa ‡
tuna
crab
salmon

Spices
black pepper
cayenne pepper
chili powder
dried chili
paprika
coriander seeds
curry powder
garam masala
turmeric
ginger powder
garlic powder
onion powder
dry mustard powder
mustard seeds
nutmeg powder
pumpkin pie spice
Chinese five spice
cinnamon
Thai coconut seasoning
pizza seasoning
poultry seasoning
summer savory
oregano
basil
whole bay leaves
whole cloves

Freezer (small)

Soups & Broths
bone broth *
butternut squash soup *
chicken and rice soup *
various bones

Breads & Baked Goods
sprouted bread
sprouted wheat *
lunch box cookies *
banana bread *
muffins *
zucchini brownies *
  
Fruits & Vegetables
strawberries
blueberries
cranberries
peas
corn
sliced zucchini
cherry tomatoes

Nuts & Seeds
whole almonds
sliced almonds
hazelnuts
peanuts
walnuts
pecans
macadamia nuts
hemp hearts
sesame seeds

Freezer (large deep freezer)

Meat
various pork cuts (bought in bulk from local farmer)
various beef cuts (bought in bulk from local farmer)
whole chickens (bought from local farmer)
whole turkey
bone in chicken pieces
salmon
halibut
shrimp

Extras
extra butter
extra bread
extra coffee
ice cream
sometimes I have lasagnas, casseroles or pies *

Listmania: Snacks

I want to keep a running list of favourite snacks for myself and the family. This will be helpful when I get stuck on the same loop of 2 or 3 snacks and need a change. I can read my list and say, "oh yeah, I love such and such!"

My most favourite snack is an apple. I just love them. I eat one every day. But sometimes I need to mix it up. So here is a list of the different things I like to snack on... some more often than others.

I've divided them into categories although some snacks could fit into more than one.

Feel free to leave a comment with a favourite of your own :)



Yogurt
Yogurt with Bananas and Pecan halves
Yogurt with a touch of Honey stirred in, topped with Chocolate Chips
Yogurt with chopped Apples and homemade Granola
Yogurt with chopped Apples and Almond slices
Yogurt with Grape halves and Chia Seeds

Smoothies
Mean Green smoothie
Chocolate Banana smoothie
Orange Carrot smoothie
Apple Cucumber smoothie
Very Berry smoothie

Nut Butters
Peanut Butter with Apple slices
Peanut Butter with Celery sticks
Almond Butter on Banana
Almond Butter on Toast
Homemade Nutella on Toast

Veggies
Carrot sticks
Celery sticks
Broccoli and Cauliflower pieces
A handful of sprouts
Sunshine sticks (sliced yellow and orange sweet peppers)
Carrot sticks with Hummus
Carrot and Celery sticks with Baba Ganoush 
Avacado slices

Fruit
Apple
Watermelon chunks
Orange slices
A bowl of mixed Berries
Applesauce with Cinnamon
Strawberries with real Whipped Cream
Pinapple chunks
Pomegranate
Grapes
Pear
(really any fruit could go here, but those are my favourite!)

Baked Snacks 
Banana bread
Chocolate Teff bread
Lemon Poppyseed muffin
Zucchini brownies
Oatmeal cookies

Other
A sheet of Nori (seaweed)
A square of dark Chocolate
A thumb-sized piece of Aged Cheddar
A glass of Almond Milk
Herbal Tea

Christmas Dinner Meal Planning

Well here it is January 1st (Happy New Year) and I'm finally ready to post about Christmas Dinner...
Took me a while :) 

This post is more of a MASTER SCHEDULE for Christmas dinner and the subsequent recipes for side dishes and left over meals. I am creating this post to refer back next year. Why figure out everything all over again?? And, if there is anyone out there who finds this useful for their Christmas or Thanksgiving meal... or heck, even a regular old Sunday family dinner of turkey and the fixings, all the better!

This Christmas, true to my increased awareness in food responsibility, we purchased a LOCAL, FRESH turkey. Here in PEI, that cost us $45 for a 20 lb turkey. This is about one and a half times the price of a frozen suppermarket turkey.

So, with hard-earned money spent, not to mention awareness of the sacrifice of this animal for our meals, I committed to making the most of the bird.

Here is what that 20 lb turkey yielded for our family:

• Christmas Dinner for 4 adults, plus children
• A number of Leftover Dinners that were repeats of the full Christmas meal in the following 2 days
• 3 Turkey Pot Pies (one was so large you could say 4 pies!)
• A large casserole dish of Sweet & Sour Turkey
• 1 Quart of Bone Broth
• 2 Quarts of Coconut Thai Soup
• A medium bag of frozen Shredded Turkey
• A large freezer bag of the bones for another round of Bone Broth later.

In the end, all that was discarded into the compost bin was some fat and skin. As a side note, our turkey did not come with the giblets or I would have had giblet gravy and liver pate to add to our cooking.

The Meal Planning segment of this post...

1) Make a list of what you want to serve for Christmas Dinner:

Turkey

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Turnip

Carrot Coins

Cranberry Sauce

Mustard Pickles

Pickled Beets

Cranberry Juice

Pumpkin Pie

Whipped Cream

There it is, the traditional Island Christmas dinner. Side note: next year we will have some wine to serve with dinner. We are just keeping it out of the house this year because I love wine but am unable to drink it because I am nursing.

(When I got pregnant, my husband and I decided to leave wine out of the house for two years as we are both wine lovers and enjoy setting our own wine and thought a two year break for us would give us a renewed excitement for wine making when we could start up again.)

2) Make a list of what you want to make with leftover turkey:

Turkey Pot Pie

Sweet and Sour Turkey

Bone Broth

Coconut Thai Soup

These items were chosen because they didn't require any extra ingredients. For example the turkey pot pie used up leftover items only. The bone broth was mostly just bones and the Thai soup was mostly bone broth with a can of coconut milk. (There were a few extra ingredients in these recipes but they were all things I keep around the house anyway.)

Therefore, my grocery list focuses only on items needed for Christmas Dinner.

3) Gather all the recipes needed to make the dinner and make a grocery list.

4) Create a schedule of when you will make your Christmas dishes.

Below is my schedule with links to the recipes I used.

3 Days before Christmas

Buy all ingredients needed for cooking including fresh turkey, store in refrigerator.

2 Days before Christmas

Make 4 double Pie Crusts, refrigerate in disks wrapped in plastic wrap.
Make Cranberry Sauce.
Bring Mustard Pickles and Pickled Beets up from the basement/cold room, refrigerate.

1 Day before Christmas (Morning)

Make Turkey Brine, wash turkey and put into brine, refrigerate.
Bake two Pumpkin Pies (using 1 of the 4 disks in the fridge).

1 Day before Christmas (Evening)

Spread bread cubes out on pans to dry overnight for the stuffing.
Chop onion and celery, place in dish and refrigerate for the stuffing.
Take turkey out of brine before going to bed. Soak in cold water in the sink for 20 mins and transfer to dry pan. Leave it to "air dry" in the fridge overnight.

Christmas Day (Morning/Mid Day)

Make Stuffing.
Stuff Turkey and put it in the oven at noon.
Peel potatoes, turnip, carrots.

Christmas Day (Close to Supper Time)

Brush turkey with butter for 1/2 hour of cooking.
Cook potatoes, turnip, carrots.
Take turkey out of oven, put on plate covered with foil to keep warm.
Make Gravy.
Set the table.
Serve dinner!

Christmas Day (Evening)

Put on Coffee, Tea.
Make Whipped Cream.
Serve pumpkin pie and cream for dessert.

After Christmas

When Christmas dinner is all over enjoy leftovers until tired of turkey dinners!

Then make Turkey Pot Pie with all the leftovers to freeze. After pies are made, continue to remove and shred all the meat from the bone.

Use the meat for Sweet & Sour Turkey. Freeze any leftover turkey, if there is any at this point, in medium freezer bags for meals in future.

Dump the bones into the crock pot to make Bone Broth. This yielded 2 quarts of broth.

The first one I froze for later. The second, I used to make Coconut Thai Soup.

Finally, take the bones that were strained out of the broth and put in a large freezer bag to keep for another broth. (You can use the same bones for a number of broths).

Discard any skin and fat into compost.