#097 Your supermarket cheatsheet
Avoid the inner aisles
When it comes to supermarkets, there’s a rule of thumb that I follow - “Avoid the inner aisles, and shop on the fringes — that’s where the good stuff is”
Of course, not EVERYTHING in the inner aisles is bad, but I’d say most of what you want from a supermarket is always found on the outskirts. Whether it’s pasture raised eggs, fresh dairy or good quality meat, you rarely see it in the middle.
The inner aisles are actually quite despicable when you think about it. It’s usually full of brightly colored packaging, just designed to grab your attention and sell you ‘food’. Whether it’s laden with seed oils, brightened with artificial dyes or just chock-full of ingredients you can’t pronounce, 89% of food you find in the inner aisle is not good for you.
Caveat: We’re starting to see the rise of alternative brands that are making snacks great again, and this is a good thing. Whether this means chips fried in tallow or more extra virgin olive oil snacks, I’m here for it!
Here’s a little supermarket cheatsheet for you:
We're human beings. We can eat everything. Some food groups just need to be prepared the right way. Grains soaked, sprouted or fermented. Some vegetables cooked. Seasonal fruit enjoyed out in the Sun. Bulk of your meals based around high quality protein. Fresh rosemary & thyme everyday. Free range poultry. Organs occasionally. Real omega 3s from seafood. A cheeky pain au chocolat as a treat. It's possible.
Red Meat - Steak cuts of beef (include roasts as well), lamb, liver, gelatinous cuts, bones for broth, ground beef, game meats
Poultry - Pasture raised whole chickens, individual cuts of chicken, duck, turkey, cartons of eggs
Dairy - Yogurt, kefir, raw or lightly pasteurized milk, goat’s milk, assortment of real cheese
Vegetables - carrots, tomatoes, beetroot, garlic, onions, mushrooms, spinach, kale, fresh and dried herbs
Fruit - Mangoes, dragonfruit, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, pineapple, watermelon, figs, kiwis, bananas (eat fruits in season as much as you can)
Grain / Pantry - extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, potatoes, rice, coffee, real bread, nuts, honey, real sea salt (fleur de sel), pepper, pasta, oats, ancestral flour
Seafood - Salmon, cod liver in its own oil, prawns, shrimp, crab, tuna, oyster, mussels, red snapper, sardines, mackerel, trout, octopus, clams
Treats - Mexican coke, authentic tiramisu, flaky pain au chocolat, real ice cream
A MEXICAN coke isn’t the worst thing in the world. In fact, the whole idea of cola itself isn’t even that bad, when you think of what it was supposed to be. A flavored carbonated drink with a little bit of sugar. It’s very tasteful. Of course, avoid the modern day soda that’s filled with high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and dyes but ideally there’s a market for a brand to come up with soda that truly hydrates! In the meantime, a little serving of authentic Mexican coke every now and then won’t hurt 🥂
Also, since we’re talking supermarket shopping, I thought I’d share an excerpt from OPTIMAL FUEL, about how you can create systems at home to aid you with your daily fueling needs. These are some things you might want to consider when it comes to buying groceries.
YOUR GUIDE TO SYSTEMS
Buying Groceries
We’re living in the greatest time ever. There’s never been more ways for you to get groceries. You can head out to the markets yourself. You can have recurring deliveries. Or you can at any time, get fresh groceries sent to your door — sometimes with 2-hour day deliveries!
Split your groceries into two categories:
Perishables
Non-perishables
Perishables are what you need to replenish on a weekly or daily basis, and they usually have a short expiration date. Examples: Eggs, bread, vegetables, herbs, fruit, etc.
Non-Perishables encompasses what lasts for weeks or months in your pantry. You buy these in bulk and they have a longer expiration date. Examples: Pasta, rice, honey, cacao, meats, etc.
Frequency
Based on your living situation, you have to make the call on how frequently you’re going to get groceries. In my opinion, you’d have to minimally go for a grocery shop weekly, unless you’re someone who just wants to use frozen food for most of your meals.
You’ll mainly be purchasing your perishable groceries and get whatever non-perishables you need as you run out. To help you make your decisions here are some pros & cons.
Daily Shopping
Pros: Everything is fresh, you spend less each individual shop.
Cons: Have to remember to buy things daily, might be a hassle.
I’d say daily shopping works if you can tie it down to an activity you’re doing and the locations make sense. For example, I buy what I need daily because my supermarket is right outside my gym. So every morning after my workout, I simply get what I need. It’s also great because it helps you build relationships with these people and you end up getting special deals, unique cuts of meat and even things like bones etc that they usually don’t sell to the public.
Weekly Shopping
Pros: Allows you to consolidate time spent in one session
Cons: Some ingredients will not be as fresh
Weekly works best if you’re an incredibly busy person and you’re not able to organize an online grocer or outsource the task.
Tips For Buying Meat
If you’re new to this whole lifestyle, I’d say you should start off buying what you need on a day-to-day basis. Start buying in bulk after you’ve figured out the specific cuts you like. I usually do it when I see a good deal that I don’t want to pass up, or when I see something that makes sense to share with a group of friends — like a 1/2 cow. If not, and when I’m traveling, I like buying what I need on a day-to-day basis. It helps you build key relationships as well. It’s never a bad day to make good friends with your butcher, fishmonger and people who work day and night to supply the world with nutritious food.
If you’re not doing daily purchases, meat would be the longest interval between your grocery shops. Buy once in bulk and freeze. The important thing about buying and freezing foods before hand is how it is portioned. Think about who you’re going to be cooking the food for. If you live alone, then portion meat per meal and freeze. This way you don’t have to thaw a huge chunk of meat only to re-freeze half of it. If you live with 3-4 people then it makes sense to freeze bigger portions. The “safest” method is to freeze a singular portion for everything (ie 1 ribeye steak in 1 packet) so that you have the leverage to decide when its time to thaw.
I’d also freeze sauces, especially freshly made ones like pesto or any kind of sauce that you make homemade, really. I know its not “traditional” but its how you make them last. This does not apply to things that ferment in your refrigerator. With sauces, technically you can freeze them in tiny portions (I have seen some people who use ice cube trays) but for me that’s just too much work. I recommend putting them in small glass jar containers and just thawing them whenever you need to use.
No such thing as too much garlic
There is never such a thing as too much garlic. Always double or quadruple garlic portions in every recipe 🫡
It’s dried fruit season
Start eating more medjools. Have some figs. Add some butter. Dip it in coconut oil. Oh, it’s dried fruit season.
What’s your favorite fruit?
Mango undefeated. Golden kiwis on another level. Yellow dragonfruit is elite (IYKYK). What is your favorite fruit?
❋ MAKE BEAUTIFUL FIG LEAF ICE CREAM
What better way to welcome fig season than with a natural fig ice cream recipe? The very second I saw this I knew I had to share it with all of you. This recipe uses fig leaves instead of figs themselves, though I’m sure you can add a few chunks of figs with your ice cream.
For the Ice Cream Base:
Fresh fig leaves: About 8-10 fresh fig leaves, washed and patted dry
Heavy cream: 2 cups
Whole milk: 1 cup
Sugar: 3/4 cup
Egg yolks: 4 large
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Optional Ingredients:
Salt: A pinch to enhance the flavors
Honey: 2 tablespoons for added sweetness and depth of flavor
This recipe screams WARKITCHEN. It’s ice cream enjoyed the best way. Made with love, with minimal whole food ingredients. Superfood.
And of course, I bet it tastes incredible as an affogato. Try it and let us know what you think!
Pour a shot of espresso over a scoop of fig leaf ice cream for a delicious affogato.
❋ 25 MOST IMPORTANT CHEESES IN AMERICA
Do you agree?
The phrase American cheese used to mean only one thing: that floppy, pale orange plastic-wrapped slice of processed perfection. But when I use the phrase American cheese now, that’s not what I’m talking about (save for this great and the occasional hamburger). Instead, I’m referring to the incredible range of cheeses handcrafted in America—from young, tangy goat cheeses in Indiana to aged, nutty cow’s-milk cheese in Wisconsin; dessert-like blue cheeses from Oregon and complex, caramel-y clothbound cheddars from Vermont.
❋ PISTACHIO LATTE SANDWICH COOKIES
Pistachio-anything is always incredible. And if you’ve been long overdue for a treat? These pistachio latte cookies will surely scratch that itch.
Pistachio Shortbread
160 g (2/3 cup and 2 tsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
90 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
210 g (1 3/3 cup) all-purpose flour
80 g (1/2 cup) roasted pistachios
1/2 tsp salt
Coffee Cheesecake Cream
125 g (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature
55 g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
180 g (1 1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
Pistachio Cream
80 g (1/4 cup) pistachio cream
❋ Read our latest WARKITCHEN magazines:
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Till next time,
Godspeed!