The endless variety of cereals can bog down my trip to the grocery store.
Grocery shopping is cereal decision-making
Published: 7/31/2012 8:00 AM
Last Modified: 7/30/2012 4:38 PM
After many years of grocery shopping for a family, I am tired of it.
I don't know how my mom did it. I can remember her leaving early Saturday morning and returning in the afternoon with bags upon bags of groceries. It wasn't cheap to feed a family of six, so she would stretch her dollars by shopping the sales at multiple stores.
But I have a hard time dragging my carcass to even one store. And my husband has caught on. "Are you going to the grocery store this week?" he'll ask. "Because we could really use some (fill in the blank)."
To supplement my grocery store trips, my husband goes to Sam's Club on a weekly basis, and he won't drink any milk but Braum's, so he'll pick up eggs and bananas while he's there. We've got the basics covered, and it's not like there is no food in the house. But I find it hard to work up any enthusiasm for going to the store.
If I had to pinpoint why, I guess it would come down to the endless decision-making. It wears me out.
I have one picky eater and one who will eat most things -- except when she doesn't want to. Or when she changes her mind. Most of my battles aren't fought at the kitchen table because they don't get that far. Most of them are fought in my head in a grocery store aisle as I try to decide: roast beef or turkey lunch meat? Sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack? Fettuccine or rotini?
Take for example breakfast cereals. Rows upon rows of cereal boxes clamor for my attention. Coupons vs. sale prices. Calorie counts vs. fiber. And then there are the endless variations of the same cereal.
Not only do we have Cheerios -- a favorite from my childhood and one of the first solid foods for children everywhere -- but we have Honey Nut, Multigrain, Frosted, Fruity or Yogurt Burst Cheerios. And now Chocolate Cheerios and Peanut Butter Cheerios. But after looking at the nutritional values, I decided recently to buy Cinnamon Cheerios. That went over like a lead balloon with my girls.
I broke down and bought the Chocolate Cheerios this week and will probably have to eat the cinnamon cereal myself.
But that's OK. I've had worse, and my brain hurts too much to worry about it.
Here's a recipe for my favorite breakfast cereal. A friend gave it to me about a year ago, and I can't stop making it. Since I'm the only one in my house who eats it, one batch lasts me about two weeks.
Antioxidant Granola
Cooking spray or butter
4 cups rolled oats
½ cup Hodgson Mill Wheat Germ with Cinnamon and Milled Flaxseed
2 cups walnuts, almonds or mix of nuts
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
1 cup coconut
1 cup maple syrup
½ cup olive oil
1 cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries)
Preheat the oven to 300°. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or butter.
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to combine, making sure the oats are fully coated.
Bake the granola for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to cook evenly. Remove from the oven when dark golden brown, and let cool to room temperature, stirring to break up large chunks.
When fully cooled, add cherries. Store any extra granola in an airtight container for up to four weeks. Makes about 11 cups.
Written by
Colleen Almeida Smith
Staff Writer
1 comments displayed
