Groceries

We usually shop at one of three grocery stores: Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's, and BiLo.  All of them are outside of the 1 mile radius.  We like to shop at these stores because we like fresh produce, organic and all natural foods, and a variety of specialty items.  Within one mile of our house, there is an Aldi, Compare Foods, Save A Lot, and Family Dollar.   These discount grocery stores are cheap, but they do not carry very many health foods and have a limited selection of organic and specialty items.  When comparing the variety, Compare Foods comes out on top. The produce section at Compare Foods is filled with all sorts of unusual fruits and veggies.  The spice and international section at Compare Foods is full of interesting things as well.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to find very many whole or fresh foods at any of the markets in our one mile radius. It's nearly impossible to find local or in season foods nearby. At the moment, we're making our best attempt to be creative with what we can find.

There are ten residents at QC Family Tree right now.  We share food and grocery shopping responsibilities.  Each week, one person is assigned to go out and purchase the groceries.  There is a grocery "staples" list that the shopper uses in order to stock up on what we need.  We each have an assigned day to cook dinner.  The dinner cooks place their necessary ingredients onto the list so that we'll have everything we need for one full week.  Gratefully, the residents have agreed to shop at the stores within one mile throughout Lent.  It is good to be shopping alongside folks from the neighborhood and to be supporting our area businesses.

Here's the "staples" list for QC Family Tree:

Rule of thumb for shopping:

-          Make sure everyone has put their requests on the sheet.

-          Remember about Gluten free and vegetarian options.

-          Be resourceful…how can we substitute? How can we get it cheaper?

-          Think about what’s in season. Don’t buy out of season stuff. It doesn’t taste good.

-          Think about waste…more packaging = more trash = not a good buy

-          Triple check to make sure we don’t already have it. Look before you buy

-          Take the canvas bags with you.

-          We’ll survive without it…if you’re not sure, don’t get it.

Weekly Staples

o   8 apples

o   16 bananas

o   Another fruit option

o   Baby carrots

o   Choice vegetable

o   Potato (sweet or white)

o   Fish or shrimp (only on sale)

o   Healthy snacks for lunch (cheezits, veggie sticks)

o   4 large diced tomatoes in the can

o   4 cans of beans (any variety)

o   Lox (only at Harris Teeter or Trader Joes’s)

o   Cold Cereal (x2)

o   Mild Salsa

o   Corn tortillas (soft)

o   Bagels or breakfast style bread

o   Sandwich Bread (honey wheat)

o   2 x Morning Star Farms products

o   1 Quorn product (only at Harris Teeter)

o   Gallon 2% milk

o   Gallon Skim milk

    Almond or Soy Milk

o   Cottage Cheese (not low fat)

o   Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt

o   Salted Butter

o   Sour Cream

o   String Cheese – whole milk mozzarella only

o   Corn Chips (family size)

o   Any variety chip (family size)

o   Apple Juice

o   Eggs (1 dozen)

o  Large Cheddar Cheese Block

o   Coffee (dark roast, whole bean)

o   Honey

o   Onions

o   Garlic

o   Cider Vinegar

o   Olive Oil

o   Vegetable Oil

o   Dish Soap

o   Dog Food

o   Trash Bags

Additional Items (Be Specific)

o    

o