I bought a meal planner.  This is my first step in trying to be more economical with my groceries.  It’s also a way to start to try some of the recipes that I’ve bookmarked, starred in google reader, or cut out of a magazine.  I am hoping that it helps me stay in my points range for Weight Watchers.  Because as they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  Right?  Anyway, right now when I go to the grocery I tend to buy the same things over and over, and I sometimes add in new foods I’ve read about in blogs.  I thank food blogs every single day for introducing me to Sunbutter.  It is the most delicious of the natural nut butters.

Jar of Delicious

Here are some other things that I just bought at the grocery that are among my staples.

Krusteaz Pancake Mix.  All you have to do is add water and you have delicious pancakes.  However, I often add oats, fruit, nuts, or other mixins.  It’s a great base, and it is not high in WW Points Plus.

My favorite is to add pumpkin and oats, and eat with Sunbutter on top and a dab of maple syrup.  Delicious flavor, with the protein and fiber.  The fact that pumpkin is 0 weight watchers points plus has been a life changer for me.

Speaking of pumpkin, I was SOOO happy to see the return of Liby’s canned pumpkin to my grocery shelf.  I haven’t been able to find it for some time, and the last time I had to buy the huge cans.  While pumpkin is expensive, it is also something I love to add to many foods.

I love pumpkin in oatmeal, pancakes, cookies, smoothies, and cakes!!

I mentioned that food blogs introduced me to Sunbutter.  They also introduced me to http://opensky.com .  It’s a place that some food bloggers act as curators and have sales on certain foods or products that they have featured in their blogs.  Through this, I was introduced to Garlic Gold, and I LOVE it.

They are garlic nuggets that are organic and delicious.  I have the Garlic Gold Sea Salt, Garlic Gold Nuggets, Garlic Gold Italian Herbs, and Garlic Gold Parmesan.  The garlic taste is delicious, and the sodium content, on even the sea salt, is low.  They add great flavor and texture.  I love garlic, so I appreciate these to use on salads, vegetables, spaghetti, and many other recipes.

Two things that I consume every single day are

Bananas are good for so many things…they are a great thickening agent in oatmeal, they are a great pre-workout fuel, a great afternoon snack, the perfect addition to smoothies for texture and taste, delicious to dip in sunbutter, and what about banana nut bread?  Yum.

And La Croix.  Sigh.  The new love in my life.

Since starting to drink La Croix this summer, I have cut soda out of my daily life.  I used to drink at least one coke zero a day, and now it’s about 2-3 a week, and I usually can’t finish a whole can of pop any more. My “friend” Kath brought this to my attention when I noticed she was always drinking carbonated water.  She said she liked the fizz.  And for me, that’s what I like about pop.  I drink a lot of regular water, but with a meal, I love to have the fizz.  So, this summer, a friend introduced me to LaCroix, and there has been no turning back.  I’ve been trying to moderate my intake, because LaCroix benders are expensive.

Does anybody drink LaCroix?  What’s your favorite flavor?

What are the things that you always have in your pantry?