Even though it might seem challenging to limit your shopping list to just 10 items, doing so will actually make it easier to prepare meals and go shopping.
No matter where you live, making a small grocery list and sticking to it will help you save time, money, and even food waste when you’re cooking alone. Even while you can still prepare your favorite dishes, you could discover that you’re getting more inventive in the kitchen. Here’s theSHOPAS 10-item grocery list for one person.
Prepare Your Meals Before Shopping
Always planning your meals in advance is the key to creating a successful grocery list. Your shopping will go more quickly and efficiently if you have a general strategy for the week. By planning, you can avoid randomly selecting goods or aimlessly perusing the aisles only to find you forgot an ingredient once you get home.
As a starting point for determining how much protein and starch you require, pick a favorite or simple meal that you enjoy making. Adding a grocery item from each significant food group in the list below will help you create a list from there. Get inventive at the end of the week and repurpose ingredients rather than going to the shop again until you have no choice.
Make a List Based on Foundational Categories
A 10-item grocery list requires two strategies: diversity and planning. Your groceries will be more varied and provide you more options throughout the week if you have items on your list from almost every department of the supermarket.
Here is an illustration of several possible shopping categories. The goal is to select one item from each category, but don’t worry too much about sticking to the format. Go ahead and make any necessary category changes or additions to suit your needs.
Example 10-Item Grocery List for One:
Fruit: bananas, berries, or mangoes
Vegetable to eat raw: avocados, mixed greens, or cucumber
Vegetable to cook: Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, or cauliflower
Protein: chicken, beef, fish, tofu, or eggs
Starch: pasta, quinoa, or rice
Legume: chickpeas, black beans, or lentils
Dairy product: milk, yogurt, or cheese
Breakfast item: oats, cereal, or granola
Pantry staple: jarred sauce, spices, or herbs
Wildcard: tortillas, bread, or chicken stock
Consider this to be your list. Replace that product, for instance, with a jar of nut butter, an additional fruit or vegetable, or something else if you don’t consume a lot of dairy. The “wildcard” category asks you to consider what might be useful in advance. Also keep in mind that you can still have a lot of some products, like rice and mustard, after a week, giving you more variety to work with later.
So, let’s discuss how to make this list come to life. Cereal, yogurt with granola, fruit, scrambled eggs, or toast are a few of your breakfast alternatives. You can alter up your breakfast the following week even if you just purchase one or two of these options during that particular week. Start by preparing a protein, a vegetable, and a starch for lunch and dinner. These foods can be made much more filling with beans. The rest of the week is all about using your creativity with what you have. Aged fruit can be used in smoothies, baked oatmeal, and overnight oats, among other morning alternatives. You can use an omelet or a frittata to get rid of produce. You may make a burrito out of proteins, beans, rice, and vegetables by using a tortilla. A tuna can makes tuna salad, which can then be used to top salads, make tuna melts, or make a tuna casserole. The cupboard or refrigerator can quickly be emptied with a soup, chili, or stir-fry.
