Grocery Shopping Summer Style

The last time I shared a grocery shopping post I focused on how I keep my family’s trips in line with our budget. Meal planning allows me to create a list that is organized and keeps my fridge and pantry stocked with everything I will need for the next week or two ahead. This summer though my meal planning has gone MIA just a bit, which I correlate directly with the warmer weather and a busy schedule.

Who wants to slave over a hot stove in 90 degree weather or spend time inside cooking when you can get outside and be active instead? Nobody likes to waste food either and I find if I plan too many meals a week during the summer months then we are more likely not able to eat all the food before it goes bad, simply because we are either not home or are too busy to bother with following a recipe.

I fully expect my meal planning gene to kick back in once the dog days of summer come to a close and the cooler fall days are upon us, but for now we are sticking to a looser meal schedule. We are making a point to just buy what sounds good to us, mostly fresh produce and meats we can grill along with light starches such as quinoa and orzo.

We have been doing the bulk of our shopping this summer at Costco and the other items we can’t get, or would rather not buy in bulk at Kroger. I pack a salad for lunch literally every day and need those huge bags of spinach and mixed greens sold at Costco to get me through the week. Right now my current favorite lunch salad is a drizzle of balsamic on mixed greens with diced apple, half a diced avocado, a handful of walnuts and cheese such as feta. That combination never gets old in my opinion! For example, I purchase the mixed greens, apples, walnuts and avocados at Costco and then get a good balsamic reduction either from Kroger or the farmer’s market, along with the feta, smoked Gouda or sharp cheddar cheese.

We also like to buy our meat at Costco since there are a ton of organic beef and chicken options that we can throw on the grill, keeping cleanup a breeze as well, which ultimately saves us even more time. Another bulk purchase I love from Costco is frozen berries. You can get huge 2 pound bags of frozen strawberries or blueberries for just a bit more cost than a half pound or so at a regular grocery chain.

I have smoothies at least three times a week either for breakfast or as a snack, so having frozen berries available in bulk saves us a ton of money and keeps me picking healthy options since I love smoothies so much. Basically the motto at my house for summer meals is the easier and quicker, and less mess the better!

Conversation Time.

• How do your meals change between seasons?
• What is your go-to warm weather dinner?
• Do you grocery shop at more than one store?