Parenting Win of the Week: Rotating Grocery Stores
These grocery store gems are a real treat.
Mok Jee Chuang / EyeEm
How is it that we are already within two weeks of going back to school? Not a single part of my being is ready for camp to end and the earlier, more hectic school mornings to begin. I am thankful that the weather will hold up for a few more months, but I dread what’s to come.
It’s also been a really nice break to require less groceries in the house. It has been a luxury to fill the fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables and whatever we need for dinner and skip all of the building blocks that come with packing school lunches for two kids who don’t always like to eat the same stuff.
But after doing this for a few years, I have noticed an interesting pattern. When I don’t shop at the same grocery store every week, food seems to be devoured more quickly.
I know this sounds odd, but there are a few spots that don’t make it into my weekly routine: Trader Joe’s and Imperfect Foods. Because of that, when I do get groceries from these places it feels extra special.
Trader Joe’s, as we all know, comes out with new items all of the time and also has some cult following products. In our house we love the orange chicken, honey wheat pretzels, trail mix, cheddar squares, and prosciutto wrapped cheese.
Imperfect Foods runs pretty seasonal when it comes to their produce, so you never know what you’ll get until that week. They also always have some fun, new snacks to try or even a cool marinated meat or ramen kit. We love their decadent cinnamon bread, the tzatziki, and broken chocolate covered pretzel pieces.
Yes, I know it’s just a mind trick, but this way we don’t get sick of things as fast and get excited about them when they are here. My kids are good eaters, so trying new things in my house is easy — but at the end of the day, the monotony of packing lunches and figuring out dinner on busy nights is still hard.
I am working on ways to make more stuff ahead of time (aside from just chopping fruit and vegetables) and will report back on what works!
Anyone have any tips or grocery store favorites that they love?
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