So it’s been 3 months since I was diagnosed a diabetic and I generally have by blood sugar under control. When testing my blood glucose I have a general idea if it’s high or low based on the viscosity of my blood.
Yes, that was a totally random discovery that is not at all related to shopping. Back on track. I’ve found that carbs really do throw my blood sugar out of whack so I do tend to gravitate towards foods high in protein, low in carbs, and whenever possible, low in fats, especially saturated.
One of my favorite foods as a child seems to be a great fit for a diabetic. Cottage cheese! I put cottage cheese on pretty much anything. I used to put it on pizza to cool it off…. similarly hotdogs too.
My brother and I called it “chips and cheese” growing up and we always had a barrel of tortilla chips to dip. Now that I am responsible for the purveying of foods to include payment, I travel across the city to save more than 50% on this protein packed favorite!
Aldi
While I didn’t have stores near me growing up, I saw them when biking in The Netherlands, and a German colleague raved about it and Lidl.
The closest store to me is about 3.5 miles away in NE DC and while I should take my own bike, I have been using the electronic assist bikes from Capital Bikeshare to get me there in under 30 minutes for $1 each way. This is pretty good considering I take city streets the entire way.
Shopping Box?
Since I’m on bike with my messenger bag I don’t take a cart inside the store, nor do I usually have a quarter to release on to begin with, I grab a medium sized thick cardboard box. I normally get several cottages cheeses at the bargain price and need a sturdy box to make it through the store. It’s too bad they don’t have baskets, but maybe it’s an issue with theft or more likely since I haven’t seen them at any of the locations I’ve been to in search of “wicked grove” hard cider which sadly I have given up, but is much smoother than Angry Orchard, believe the reasoning may be the same model that Frozen Yo uses. Give them a large cup and charge by weight. It takes a lot of self control to not spend $15 on the tart deliciousness. 🙂 Give them a shopping cart and they will fill it up! No baskets at Costco either now that I think about it. Sometimes you need a flatbed there.
Back on task…. Generally I’m able to get everything into my bag, but as I’ve discovered additional items, or those with exceptional value, I end of needing to strap a box onto the bike rack paying extra care to avoid the terribly maintained streets and planned speed calming humps.
Shopping list
- Cottage cheese $1.59 for 24oz!
- Prosciutto $2.69 for 4oz
- Hot and spicy pork rinds $.95 for 3.5oz
- Raspberries for $2.29 and occasionally $1.25 🙂
- Blackberries
- Pears
- Luncheon meats and sliced cheese
- Italian sausage and brats
- Scallops for $5.49 a pound!
Special purchases
So there are one time buys on presumably overstocked items from mainstream companies, but the above list is what I normally go for. I didn’t find black or raspberries today which are particularly good for diabetics or those conforming to a keto diet, but I did get strawberries for $1.29 a pound which is very good considering they don’t seem to be in season now.
Another random find (that I should not have purchased due to carb content) was Bacon Habanero pretzel chips or “slims” legally. There was Parmesan Garlic in addition to the usual sea salt and everything varieties. I will have to say the generic pretzel chips don’t have the consistency of the mainstream brand, but I did taste the bacon flavor, but could have really used more habanero.
Speaking of snacks that really pack a heated punch, mainstream manufacturers are really stepping up the heat from Chex mix and Bugles to Doritos. I normally laugh at the warnings on the packaging, but heed these warnings.