What are your staple fruit / veg / salad items

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Every week I but the same lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and carrots.

I need to mix up my staples.

What are yours?

I put spinach in almost everything. From sandwiches as a salad addition through to cooked meals. Added it to a chilli tonight. Also add it to most other cooked meals...pasta etc.

SPINACH

We have steamed spinach with loads of things but especially fish (eg a chunky oven-baked piece of cod or sea bass, with roast peppers, olives, sweet potatoes) on a bed of spinach.

Wilt it into a casserole of veggy curry.

Wilt it into a tray of roast veg for pasta (aubergine, pepper, mushrooms etc).

Soup- spinach, pea and mint - simmered and blended.

Omelette- used as a filling with cheese

Salads- mixed with lettuce leaves, rocket, etc.

I go through a bag a week- sometimes two.

Lettuce
Cucumber
Tomatoes: beef and baby plum
Avocados
Tender stem broccoli.
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Aubergine
Sugar snaps
Sweet potato (does that count?)

Apples
Banana
Strawberries (in season)
Blueberries or raspberries
Mango

If the veg is not all eaten, it usually resurfaces in a soup! The fruit is usually demolished fairly quickly.

My every week staples are:
lettuce (little gem), cucumber, tomato, peppers for salads
banana’s, apples and melon for breakfast toppers and pack ups
peas, sweetcorn, potatoes, parsnip, sweet potato, carrots and mushrooms to go with evening meals

on top of this and budget depending I buy other fruits and veg as needed. I’ve just done this weeks food shop and as well as the above I got baby corn, mange-tout, broccoli, cherry’s, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Bag of bistro salad, an avocado, pack of tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, pears, bananas, tenderstem brocolli, asparagus, satsumas or apples, carrots, peppers, mushrooms.

frozen raspberries, blueberries, spinach, sweetcorn, peas.

Also sweet potato or butternut squash is a nice alternative to white potatoes with dinner and sugar snaps are a nice snack.

Another one I love in warmer months - red cabbage! Chopped and rubbed with salt, then rinsed after a few minutes and dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Absolutely lovely with bbq meats and flat bread, or in a chicken burger.

Apples for lunchbox everyday
Potatoes carrots and frozen peas for meat and veg type dinners
Tinned tomatoes, onions and red bell peppers for pasta sauce

I like much more fruit and veg than that but tend to just buy what my child is willing to eat as we're on a budget. Occasionally will treat myself to some pears 🍐

Do you buy based on price, flavour or health benefits?

Does anyone know any interesting health benefits of the staples they buy?

I think spinach is one of the best isn't it?

It’s a balance of because we like them, because they’re in season and because they’re cheap. Asparagus is cheaper and nicer when it’s in season. If I’m buying a pricey veg I balance that buy buying cabbage or broccoli that’s cheap.

Tatties
sweet potato
onions, red and white
carrots
peppers, red, green, orange pack
celery
lettuce
tomatoes
cucumber
mushrooms
spring onions

apples
oranges
bananas
grapefruit
grapes
berries and melon in the summer

Veg: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, savoy cabbage, white cabbage, onions, frozen peas, frozen sweetcorn, frozen or fresh peppers, frozen base mix, frozen spinach, celery, corn on the cob, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tinned tomatoes, tinned mixed beans, mushy peas, swede, watercress, lettuce

Fruit: pears, apples, bananas, grapes, satsumas, fresh or frozen blueberries, fresh or frozen strawberries, mango

Always buy:

cucumber
tomatoes
salad leaves
avocado
carrots
apples
grapes
strawberries
raspberries
blueberries
oranges
bananas
potatoes
peppers
onions
broccoli
mushrooms
garlic

Tend to have frozen peas/sweet corn/spinach/berries in the freezer too.

We're buying more frozen stuff because of the cost and to reduce the potential of waste when things go off before they're used.

I make a fab watercress, spinach and celery soup for my lunch. One batch lasts all week. Insanely healthy, high fibre, cheap and really tasty.

We buy each week...

Spinach (occasionally rocket aswell)
Mushrooms
Peppers
Broccoli

Apples
Bananas
Oranges or satsumas
Blueberries

Always have carrots and onions in but don't buy each week. Always have soffrito mix in the freezer so handy to add into stuff, and a pea/broad bean/edamame mix and also frozen mixed veg

Apples, bananas, onions, garlic, lettuce, tomato, seaweed, and frozen mixed veg is purchased weekly all year round. Then we add in other fruit/veg as recipes/taste require.