The Ride Or Die Grocery List

The staples Meredith keeps on hand to make it easier to eat well

I’m not here to tell you how to grocery shop, promise. But over time, I’ve realized that when I keep certain staples on hand, life runs smoother. Meals come together faster, snacks are more intentional, and I’m way less likely to go to the Whole Foods hot bar for dinner at 6 pm.

For me, it’s less about being perfectly prepared and more about taking the decision fatigue out of feeding myself and my family. Having a short list of go-to groceries means I can walk into the store on autopilot and still end up set up for a good week.

This isn’t a “do what I do” kind of list- more of a “here’s an easy button if you want one.” Take what works, skip what doesn’t, and make it yours.

MM’s Grocery Staples:

• Carton of egg whites (easy to make an egg bake with or add to scrambled eggs to boost protein)

• Nonfat Greek yogurt (very high in protein. I add a scoop of protein powder to mix in and top with blueberries for a high- protein breakfast)

• Frozen fruit & frozen cauliflower rice for smoothies

• Chia seeds

• Protein Powder

• Almond Milk

• Peanut Butter

• Dark Chocolate (duh)

• Eggs (I make hard-boiled eggs for the week)

• Oats (for baked oatmeal, overnight oats, etc.)

• Chicken sausage (easy for quick sheet pan meals)

• Coffee + Creamer + Matcha

• High-quality hummus (I look for one without seed-oils like Hummus Chick)

• Pre-cut veggies to dip into hummus

• Cheese

• Olives

• Nuts

• Sparkling Water (I’m an addict)

• Cottage Cheese (I make these pancakes with them)

• Dates (my healthy treat = dates drizzled with Maranatha brand peanut butter topped with Maldon Sea Salt)

• Sourdough

These are the staples we have in our house every week. I think about meals differently and shop as needed, but these items are the foundations of our fridge; the “you always need milk in the fridge” items.

PS: if you’re into food and like hearing what other people make for dinner, I post to my Food section weekly over on my personal Substack.

Check out the most recent episode of the Get Mom Ready podcast HERE or wherever you listen to podcasts!