Hey there Reader--

I'm trying something a little different today. Instead of a recipe, I want to share something I think might actually help you more...

So people always ask me, "How do you come up with what to make for dinner?"

And tbh... it's pretty anticlimactic.

It doesn't start in the kitchen. It starts at the grocery store. And my grocery runs are shockingly repetitive.

Like, embarrassingly so. Same basic stuff. EVERY single week.

But here's the thing... that repetition is the whole strategy.

When I know exactly what's in my fridge at all times, I don't have to stand there at 5pm spiraling. The decision is already halfway made.

So here's my Always-Buy List.

These go in the cart EVERY trip, no matter what I'm making that week:

Proteins (I grab one from each group):

• A chicken: thighs or breasts. I prefer thighs because they're juicier, cheaper, and nearly impossible to overcook. But breasts are great if you're planning to shred or make chicken parm or piccata.
• A ground meat: beef or turkey. Beef is richer (tacos, bowls, pasta). Turkey is lighter and honestly works in everything beef does.
• A seafood: shrimp or fish. Shrimp cooks in 3 minutes and goes with everything. Frozen works great and thaws in 10 minutes under cold water. (No shame, I almost always buy frozen.)

Produce (every single week):

• Potatoes and carrots (last forever in the fridge, always roastable)
• Onions and garlic (the base of almost everything you'll cook)
• Bell pepper and cherry tomatoes (cherry tomatoes last SO much longer than full-size, trust me on this)
• A lemon or lime (one squeeze changes the whole dish)
• Cilantro (goes great in Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean cuisines)
• One rotating green veggie: broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, or zucchini. I just grab whichever looks best that day.
• Bag of greens (for a quick salad, mix in stir-fries, you name it!)

And then I always make sure I have at least 2 bases in the pantry:
Rice, pasta, tortillas, couscous, or quinoa. Whatever's running low gets restocked.

That's it. That's the whole list.

It's not fancy. But with those ingredients in my kitchen, I can go in about five different dinner directions on any given night without looking at a single recipe. (More on that in the coming weeks.)

Put it into action this week:

• ​Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes — chicken thighs + potatoes + lemon, all from the list
• ​Chicken Fried Rice Dump-and-Bake — uses rice, chicken, and whatever veggies you have
• ​Bang Bang Salmon Bowls — seafood + rice + veggies, 25 minutes
• ​Sheet Pan Honey Harissa Chicken Bowls — chicken thighs + potatoes + carrots