Japanese curry cubes–
(I think it’s available in regular grocery stores, but I usually stock up when I’m at the Asian grocery because it’s way cheaper there)
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Similar to this, the Mae ploy curry pastes are great and easy.
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Aldi brioche buns are really good and worth the money.
I always shop with a list, mostly so that I don’t forget stuff we’re out of, but I sometimes have a free-for-all in the Aldi cheese aisle. MMMMM, fancy cheese that isn’t that expensive. Also in their chocolate aisle. The chocolate hazelnut bar is really good.
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OMG, I forgot about this stuff. Haven’t had it in years, Boyfriend introduced me to it. (though it’s probably way over my current sodium limits though. Sigh.)
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I’ve never used those @Bracken_Joy - good rec! I have used those @kenner and they’re so good! I like more basic bouillon too, and I do like pastes already too!
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As part of my on-going effort to bring our food costs down, I made my own curry powder last time. The stuff is good, if I say so myself. I had all of this in house already, so why pay someone else to mix it?
My stomach can’t handle too much fat, salt, chocolate, caffeine, red tomatoes, spiciness, etc. Along with saving money, when I make my own, I can eat without staying up all night long with multiple trips to the john and a sore stomach for hours. Whatever time I’d have saved by not making the stuff just isn’t worth the misery when there’s something in there that sets my tummy off.
Powder/leaves: 2t cilantro leaves, 2t cumin, 1t turmeric, 1t ginger, 1t mustard, 1t cinnamon.
Seeds: 1.5t fennel seeds, 1t black pepper corns.
Combine fennel, pepper and toast over moderate heat, for a few seconds, until fragrant. Add in remaining spices. Stir once or twice, then remove from heat. Grind all of the spices.
My variation of a recipe from A New Way to Cook - by Sally Schneider, 1-57965-188-7, 2001.
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Honestly? Frozen vegetables. My grocery store added frozen chopped bell peppers a whole ago and we never looked back for 95% of our bell pepper needs. Vegetable blends are handy, having a peas and carrots bag where the carrots are already diced to the same size as the peas is great. I did fried rice the other night, fajitas are pretty quick, or just to have something to add to a pasta dish - heat, dump, and go.
This is reinforced by, when we hosted my dad and his wife for Christmas, most of the prep I did the day ahead was chopping things. There’s even already processed butternut squash in the freezer section which makes BN squash Mac and cheese 75% easier than when I had to start off with a raw squash.
Not quite convenience did like a frozen pizza, but it’s the convenience I make use of the most. Now excuse me while I go in the kitchen to use the store bought dough from the deli section to make a pizza.
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Oooh yes. Trader Joe’s has the fire roasted pepper and onion mix that is SO handy. Requires way less cook time to soften the pepper and onions for things like BBQ bowls.
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Oh, good call–I usually get massive amounts of peppers from the scratch-and-dent section of the grocery store so I don’t buy those frozen as often, but I haven’t bought or shelled peas in years. Magic bags of them just come out of the freezer ready for stir fry or whatever.
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I got very stuck going on circles with things I needed to buy early last year, so I spent the last 6 months practicing buying things as I needed them instead of thinking about them for ages. I’m now all caught up on things we need, so I’m going to try finding a middle ground by putting things on a wishlist and buying stuff on a shopping day near the end of the month.
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Ooo, I have a tough relationship with frozen veg but it is such a good source of vitamins/so quick to use! I had to use them a lot when we were lower income and I still like frozen peas and frozen corn, and sometimes I freeze excess veg to avoid waste. I’m just not that into the rest 
doesn’t pass the taste/texture test for me unfortunately.
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I have to be super mindful of what we cook and how we cook it for this issue. I will say, the quality of the TJs frozen veg has been way, way higher than stuff I’ve gotten elsewhere. Their frozen artichoke hearts are great for air frying too.
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!!! Hold my avocado. I haven’t been to a TJ in years, maybe I will go for fun sometime soon!
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Omg. Convection or air fryer. Olive oil. Like 10 min then flip then 10, I think i do 400F? And then I eat with horseradish mixed into sour cream. So good.
ETA and their canned artichoke hearts are great for like pasta salad, they don’t have the tinned flavor the other ones I’ve tried have.
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I buy the giant jars of them at costco! But I’d love to try frozen. Also TJ’s is like a full grocery store of all fun convenience food so it would be perfect for my new…is hobby too strong of a word? No. For my new hobby. Haha!
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Grocery shopping is 100% my hobby 
pre pandemic and baby, it was my favorite date too.
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I recently heard an interview with Kim Kardashian where the interviewer asked her, “If you could be not-famous for a day what would you do?” and she immediately answered “go to the grocery store”. Ergo, we are both just like Kim Kardashian.
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Without a doubt.
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I have found all kinds of fancy cool shit at grocery stores. Also, visiting grocery stores when overseas (then handful of times I’ve been) is one of my absolute favourite tourist things to do.
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10,000%
Foodland was my favorite part of Maui lol
ETA I realize that’s not abroad but it was the first one that came to mind. Also, it should be. Grumbles about American colonialism.
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