When I write out my weekly shopping list there are some things that I buy every week and will never change; my standing order if you will. I have taken to online grocery shopping like a thrice prego would who has two wild ones at home and a husband allergic to wheat…a food product in everything.

I started using this company over five years ago now, and it was just supposed to be a temporary thing until baby was here and I felt ok to make the trek out again. LOL. I mean. lets just sit with this one for a second. I actually thought after my third son, I would be mentally stable enough to drag all three into a big box (that had the worst customer service, quality and selection of ingredients) week after week.

I love planning my menus and trying out new ingredients I would never have been able to find. And the easy, direct delivery to my door, well that sure doesn’t hurt does it? While I didn’t intend on using this blog post as an ad for food supplier company, it’s kinda turned out to be. Whoops. #sorrynotsorry. Check them out here and get $20 off your first order. Whoot. On with the show…

My weekly grocery essentials

1. potatoes

   Because, CARBS! Just because you are gluten-free doesn’t mean you don’t love carbs! Potatoes are healthy carbs, and contrary to what you may think, do not make you gain weight. It’s all the extra fat pilled atop a baked potato, let’s say, that is the issue. There are sooo many ways to use potatoes in your meals, one of my favourite is as a ‘bun’ for my yummy breakfast sandwiches, check out the step-by-step here on my insta.

2. carrots

   I make soup for lunches often and carrots are a staple in many, like my dutch farmer soup and homestyle chicken noodle (I’ll get recipes up for those soon!) or chicken and dumplings, shepherds pie and so much more.

3. mushrooms

   because soups mentioned above, and I like to eat vegan so they replace meat in many of my meals. I like to bbq them on skewers with some olive oil, top pizzas with them and make the best vegetarian lasagna of your life.

4. onions

   again, soups, sauces and just cooking in general. If I’m not grabbing an onion to start with cooking the meal, I’m usually settling on breakfast for dinner!

5. celery

   if it takes me slathering a celery stalk in nut better and dancing raisins along down it for my kids to eat a great vegetable, I’m on it. I always add celery to my soups, stocks and green juice because it has many health benefits. Celery can reduce inflammation, support digestion and act as a prime source of antioxidants, all important functions in gut-recovery.

6. cornstarch, rice & tapioca flours

   Yes, I buy these weekly, and other flours like sorghum, arrowroot powder, chickpea and potato flour less frequently. If you are doing any kind of gluten-free baking, you are going to want to master your own flour mix to avoid going broke on pre-mix flours or pre-made treats. Here is my master gluten free flour recipe.

7. 40 pieces of assorted fruit

   this sounds totally random, but between the five of us we go through about this many pieces a week. I try to select local and in season as best I can, but through the winter I stick to basics like apples, pears, oranges and bananas. Some others my kids love are kiwis, berries, mangoes, mandarins and pineapple. I also like to buy bagged rogue bananas to make muffins or dehydrated banana chips in my food dehydrator.

8. vegan milk

   for cereals, baking, my daily extra hot rose matcha latte would not be the same without the unsweetened vanilla almond milk from blue diamond thank you very much. I also buy coconut milk, full fat for vegan whip and thickening soups and stews. The boys drink some cow milk as a treat but for the most part the almond milk is our staple.

9. leafy greens

   I make green juice or smoothies a lot and like to use fresh greens, as opposed to frozen or powdered if possible. I buy clamshells of spinach, baby kale or spring mix when my garden is asleep in the winter. For the rest of the year I seed and harvest every 15-30 days during growing season the following: spinach, kale, mesclun, arugula, romaine, parsley, cilantro and a salad mix.

10. gluten-free sandwich bread

    I finally found an awesome company (and bonus! my food delivery service carries them!) that holds up awesome in the lunchbox, is soft, and not the size of a pop tart. I buy 5 loaves of this a week and sometimes still run out. I could bake our bread, but that’s not my jam, at all.

11. cheese and yogurt

    I don’t eat much dairy but the kids do and they like to have these as snacks in their lunch a couple times a week. We definitely limit dairy as a treat because of the stress it can cause on an already stressed out digestive tract. Dairy is known to increase mucus production, cause inflammation and not be absorbed as well as plant-based milk sources.

12. nuts

    I eat a lots of nuts in place of dairy and like to make vegan cheese sauce for snacking on late at night when we make ultimate nachos. If you watch my insta stories you’ll know these are shameful plates and a total his and hers. His with meat and cheese, mine with cabbage, avo, vegan cheese and jalapeños. I buy cashews, pecans and slivered almonds weekly, and then less used ones like brazil and hazelnuts as needed. This includes nut butters too! I buy almond and peanut butters weekly too!

13. beans

    I eat lots of beans and usually buy four cans each week, from garbanzo, black, kidney and lentil, you’ll never find me without a can of bean ready for a quick dip!

14. cauliflower

    let’s be real guys, cauliflower is like the unsung hero of cruciferous veg. It can be fake rice if you want it to, be the shining star in the most comforting cream soup or paired with potatoes make for an incredible mash along side you favourite roasts. I eat it raw, steamed, roasted and right outta the garden. My dogs do crazy for the meaty stems too!

15. eggs

    I get the happiest little eggs in the Fraser Valley, I swear. The yolks are the brightest yellow I have ever seen and they taste delicious! Eggs are a total staple in our house, but for baking I always use flax eggs (where I can get away with it) for added omega 3’s.

I also rely on quality staples like coconut oil, olive oil, primary dried spices (never mixes, they usually have a may contain wheat) and various vinegars.

You may notice I don’t have much by way of animal protein on our list. We try to purchase our meat as direct as possible. We’ve developed a habit of buying 1/2 cow, 1/2 pigs or locally caught fish in large quantities to stock up our deep freeze for ease. I don’t really like to cook meat, and this way my hubs can take out the animal he wants that night and cook it up on the bbq or alongside the other dishes I made.

I also don’t purchase fresh herbs because I always have the standards growing on my windowsill: basil, thyme and parsley; and a full arrangement of natural healing herbs in the outside garden plots.

So what do you think? Does this look like your list? What are your standby, always coming home with ya no matter what, grocery essentials?

xx,