Help me with a grocery store list that is simple and lazy and healthy?!
Answers: I live alone and I want to see if I can do simple, lazy and healthy food shopping and food prep and eating. About the most I "cook" is to hard boil eggs. But I do own a skillet and several pans and a microwave. I am lactose intolerant and have GERD so milk and tomato products are out. Looking for a shopping list for about 7 days and I have some basics already here. I am trying to eat better thanks in advance.
I don't know how simple this would be in practice, but shouldnt require too much thinking... choose a variety of foods that reflect the food pyramid, stay away from refined ie white anything (bread, pasta, rice, sugar, and in your case milk is in there jejje), and try and buy foods as close to their natural state as possible, ie: fresh fruit and veg instead of canned or in a pop tart, steak or fish or chicken raw and cook it yourself, even if just grilled and not ham, lunchmeat, etc, avoid prepackaged foods with sauces or read the ingredients on the label to be sure whats in them. Oh! and an easy way of getting your veg and fruit is by having it delivered to your door each week or fortnight. It's sometimes even cheaper than going to the store.
V-8 and a loaf of bread, don't forget the peanut butter.
There is always Salads.......... I love garden salad...... fresh green lettuces, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, onion, radishes, etc......... then a nice dressing or vinaigrette......
Also, potatoes........done any way........ those are always easy and inexpensive...... chicken breasts......... i love to bake them.... also love to poach them in wine......... talk about delicious..........
Streak done under a broiler...... salad on the side......veggie of some kind, I usually get frozen veggies as they aren't over cooked like those in the cans..........
Good luck.........
Grilled vegetables
Salads
Whole grains
Salmon or trout
Rotisserie chicken
Soup or stews
Kimchi
Tofu or soy milk
Wine
Soups are so easy to make and you have full control over what you put in.
Enjoy!
Bertolli frozen pasta dinners are amazing for a meal that comes completely in one bag. They offer frozen, bagged dinners which are a full meal-meat, pasta, veggies and sauce, as well as just frozen pasta and sauce and in some varieties veggies as well.
They cook up in 10 minutes, and it's pretty hard to mess them up. Use a non-stick skillet and swirl the covered pan around a few times during cooking, to make sure the pasta doesn't stick (and to make you feel like a real cook : ) ).
You could also stock up on fresh vegetables like sweet peppers, onions, broccoli, etc. and make a fritatta. Make sure you buy the veggies right before you need them. When making the fritatta, cut all of the vegetables the same size, to ensure that they cook evenly.
Good extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar are always good to have on hand. You could throw together a quick vinaigrette, and make a salad or marinate some of those fresh veggies mentioned above.
Chicken/beef stock are great to have on hand for making sauces, and your own soups. Onion soup mix is good too. You can use it for the classic sour cream onion dip or make a really quick onion soup with the beef stock and some of those onions I mentioned before.
Rice stays good indefinitely if you keep it in a nice dry place and sealed container. For white rice I love Nishiki brand. This is awesome for good sticky rice. Texmati is a nice brown rice with a little crunch. You could could rice in stock rather than water to add lots of flavor. There are some good flavored rices out there too (box/bag) which will be a bit more "fool-proof" (not calling you a fool).
CousCous is another good, quick side. You can buy flavored couscous, or plain and add your own flavors (I mix butter, roasted garlic-from a jar, and parmesan-you could omit, and when the couscous is cooked, I melt the butter into the tiny pasta and it is incredible).
Hope this provides a good start for you. It's great that your trying to get in the kitchen. If at first you don't succeed, keep at it. Good luck and happy cooking.