Supermarket Goodies

As promised, today I bring you tales from the supermarket.

Grocery shopping is not really all that entertaining, I suppose, but it’s something we all have to do eventually. I try to make it as bearable as possible.  And while I suspect that nobody really wants to know about our grocery shopping efforts or product preferences, I found a few fun moments in the aisles on our Saturday trip.

Usually, Fab Hub and Kidzilla and I go together and make it a family trip.  This stretches back to when Fab Hub and I were not dating.  We decided to spend less money eating out and started making meals together, usually at my place.  We both hated shopping, so we decided to go together and make it a more pleasant experience.  We have stuck with it ever since.

Now Zilla comes along and she’s learning to be quite the little shopper.  She picks out new fruits and vegetables for us all to try, hunts for products on our list, and gives us scavenger hunt style requests such as “pink crackers.”  Happily, on that day we discovered that Keebler Wheatables Nut Crisps Crunchy Pecan crackers come in a pink box.  Whew!  Thanks, Elves!

This weekend, however, Zilla and I took a girls-only cruise through the store with Super Aunt so Fab Hub/Dad could get some work done.  Shopping with Super Aunt was fun.  She is a lovely young woman, planning her wedding for next year.  She offered to have Zilla ride in her cart.  Great idea!  Super Aunt was, well, let’s just say…not used to shopping with a four year old in the driver’s seat of the shopping cart.  The experience rendered Super Aunt a bit frazzled.  If you’ve shopped with a toddler or preschooler in tow, you know.

Admittedly, though, the trip was a bit harrowing for all of us.  We were shopping at high noon on a Saturday – the crowds were thick and to top it all off, the store where we shopped is in the process of remodeling and there was a promo event going on out in the parking lot.  By the end of the trip, we were all ready to go home and relax.

We were productive nonetheless, bringing home some fun items to show off to Fab Hub/Dad.

In this shot, we start with some Brad’s Raw Kale Chips, which I have to tell you were not all that impressive.  (No offense, Brad.)  I keep hearing people rave about kale chips and how delicious they are, so when I saw these at the register, I snagged an impulse buy to give them a try.  So far, I am not sure I understand what people are loving.  I’m willing to concede that perhaps these are not the brand for me or that I should just try making them at home.

Next, we have some Xochitl (pronounced so′-cheel, according to the bag) tortilla chips.  Know why these are cool?  Because they come in lovely fall shades of black and orange.  And there is a bat on the bag.  (Sorry…still thinking about why Batman is cool.)  Here’s a better look…

Zilla and I thought that between the colors and the fact that they are Bat Chips, we should give them a try.  Haven’t tasted them just yet – we are trying to hold off until October when they’re a little more season-appropriate.  Zilla, however, keeps negotiating to bust them open and sample.  She will probably win that argument.

On the right, we have a box of Barilla Veggie Farfalle pasta that Zilla picked out.  My kid is cool and picks out fancy healthy stuff like that.

And in the front, a box of Sharkies Organic Fruit Chews.  Zilla and I have a long-standing debate going regarding whether I she will be allowed to consume fruit snacks.  She would love to have any number of characters in fruit on her plate for a snack, but I really have to draw the line here because they are just so not healthy.  Now, let me brag a second and say that as a rule, Zilla will opt for plain old fresh fruit and she’s perfectly happy.  But every now and then a girl’s gotta have her fruit snacks.  These Sharkies – and Annie’s Bunny Snacks – are definitely a healthier option than some other fruity friends we’ve seen on the shelves.  The Sharkies are very similar to Annie’s Bunnies in taste, texture, and flavor so if you’ve had any of those, you’ll like the Sharkies.  Too bad we didn’t find these a couple of weeks ago – they would’ve been cool to celebrate Shark Week!

Other than the pasta, none of these goodies were on our shopping list.  Mostly because we were shopping without a list – something I try not to do.  It’s just too dangerous in this family!  When we got home and started putting the grocery items in the cupboards and pantry, we discovered another reason why shopping without a list is a bad idea…

Somewhere in my head, I was convinced we needed back-to-school tuna.  Somewhere in my head, I was wrong.  I’d say we’re good on tuna for a while.

Oh, and see that Grandma’s Molasses in the back?  That is what we use in the most amazing steak marinade ever, so we always keep some on hand.

A quick shot here of some canned “fancy lump” crabmeat in my cupboard just because it’s fun to say I have crabmeat in my cupboard.  There’s something odd, I think, about canned crabmeat but this is probably a good option for some quick recipes because now that I’ve survived my Crab Challenge and Shrimp Smackdown, I just have to keep them in my diet on a regular basis.  Such a chore.

Pay no attention to the canned mini ravioli in the background.  Call it a random nostalgic childhood craving.  Again, shopping without a list?  Bad idea.  Moving on…

The green chiles on top are also fun because they remind me of a brief exchange Zilla and I had with a Dad and Son shopping without their Mom.  Dad was hunting for green chiles in the canned tomato product aisle…he located tomatoes with green chiles, tomatoes with herbs and spices…everything but canned chopped green chiles all by themselves.  Having done the same thing in the past, we offered the Gentlemen some help and referred them to the Mexican foods section.  The Dad looked grateful and as they moved away, the Son reported that Mom also wanted some shampoo.  I laughed because when Fab Hub heads to the store on his own, conversations via cell phone often sound precisely like that.  I hope that nice people send my Fab Hub in the right direction if he ever gets lost.

OK, that’s more than enough tales from the grocery aisles for today.  Just for the record, no, I was not asked to use or mention any products – all choices and opinions here are my very own.

Now I think I need to go make some tuna salad for lunch…