foodie friday (the grocery cart edition)

I'm in Ohio today, and neglected to upload any recipe/foodie photos in preparation for Foodie Friday. Just didn't quite make it that far down the list of things to do. This week has been at "stress level orange" – a rather sudden crush of things that must be done that has left me a bit breathless & frantic. My plans for blog planning were hastily set aside. So. As I drink my hotel room coffee out of a styrofoam cup (never fear, they serve Starbucks downstairs!), I thought I'd write about what was in my grocery cart this week. I think it's an interesting snapshot of life, don't you? 10 years ago my cart would have looked much different – likely piled with Lean Cuisines, blue boxes of mac & cheese, plastic wrapped 2% slices, and diet soda. I have no always been a member of the eat real food club. These days, there are a number of "staples" that make a weekly appearance –

1. baby arugula – is it weird to say that I have a favorite green? I do – arugula. I eat simple arugula salads for lunch most days. I also like to cook with arugula – tossing it with pasta & parmesan, or stirring it in to risotto.

2. baby spinach – for smoothies and a frittata this week.

3. cheese – I love cheese. This week involved gouda, grafton village smoked cheddar, feta, and parmesan. I normally buy a few blocks of extra-sharp cheddar as well – Austin's favorite.

4. european butter – first discovered during Barb & Kat's Excellent Adventure: Chicago. I find myself baking with plain ole Cabot butter – but using european butter for bread, toast, and pasta.

5. organic eggs – remember my inner critic's rant about organic eggs? That one stayed in my head, so I've been buying organic, cage-free eggs. Silly, but – I feel better about it. I would actually love to buy more local eggs, but can't bring myself to pay $7 a dozen.

6. wine – most of my everyday wine is purchased at the grocery store. The Dreaming Tree Crush was on sale this week, so I bought 3 bottles.

7. smoked salmon – this definitely falls on the list of "things that I never thought that I'd like" – but it's lovely with eggs (and the aforementioned frittata)

8. fruits & veggies – arugula, spinach, radishes, broccoli, lemons, apples, pears, avocado, green onions, kiwi, sweet potatoes, and bananas.

9. ice cream – a weekly treat for Austin. I honestly rarely eat it – I loooove ice cream, so I have to set a high "gourmet ice cream" standard for myself so that I have the willpower to avoid a daily scoop.

Various other things for specific recipes/meals – but these 9 are "eat often" purchases. I did end up stopping at the natural foods market for seitan, eggplant fries, milk, and manchego cheese.

What's in your cart? (doesn't that sound like a really bad pickup line??)