A Realistic Weekly Grocery Shop as a Spoonie

It was Friday morning and my fridge was looking quite empty. The weather was fair, so I decided to go to the mall. After having been cooped up in the house for several weeks (snow first, then a flat tyre) I actually enjoyed my weekly grocery shop as a spoonie. 

Sort of. I mean, it still took a lot out of me, and graciously dealing with meddlesome old ladies is not my forte.

3 shops, 2½ hours, and half a million spoons later

I got back home exhausted but… I knew that before I even left the house, so I planned for that—I always do—and bought a lovely potato gratin that only needed heating up in the oven, so supper was already taken care of.

Some quick snacks (also included in my weekly shop) ensured I wouldn’t have to go hungry in the afternoon. 

🥄 Spoon cost: high

Spoon check and planning

That morning, I felt relatively rested. Most of the snow had melted, and while temperatures were just barely above freezing point, it didn’t feel all that cold. So, after breakfast, I checked my pantry and fridge, and opened my grocery app to see what was on offer.

Shopping list made, backpack attached under the seat of my chair, smaller bag slung across the back of my chair, I headed outside and wheeled to the mall—a 10-minute ride.

This was easily the part I enjoyed most. 

That said, wheeling through the mall, with its smooth floors is a breeze—especially when it’s still relatively quiet, and you won’t have to evade the much slower walking shoppers every other minute.

(Yes, I love speeding. And no, don’t go calling me Max Verstappen—that one got boring ten years ago already!)

How the shop actually happened

I went to Jumbo, at the far end of the mall, first. They opened just recently in this location, and I didn’t know its layout well yet, so I knew this was going to gobble up a lot of spoons. But it’s a supermarket I love for their discounts on products that are near their sell-by date.

And I did get lucky: I scored a potato gratin (ready to just shove into the oven and reheat—perfect spoonie food) and a beetroot salad (perfect for lunch) at only €1.00 each. They also had apples and avocados on offer, so I got those too.

My next stop was at Aldi’s, only a stone’s throw away from Jumbo. Here, I got beets, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bananas, oats, yoghurt, custard, cream cheese, and a special treat: a single portion of cream yoghurt. Yes, all real dairy. Cheaper than their vegan alternatives, and since I’m not lactose intolerant, I chose cheap.

On an impulse, I also bought a small packet of rye bread. This is a scary choice, and I’m not sure how my body will react to it, but I don’t have celiac. The GI-doctor suggested it might actually be a wheat allergy, so I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Finally, I went to Albert Heijn. While this is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, it’s also the most expensive, so I always go there last—just to buy those things I couldn’t get at the other shops. 

I also like that they have a large gluten-free section, so I always check for any discounts there, too. But since I can’t have rice, and most of their gluten-free products have rice, I hardly ever find anything I can safely eat there. Not discounted, anyway.

I snagged a bag of curly kale and some smoked salmon, both of which were on offer and cheaper than at the other shops (I checked). They also had oat ‘rice’ on offer, so I decided to try that, too. And, finally, I actually got lucky at their gluten-free section where I scored a discounted slice of gluten-free, rice-free ‘ontbijtkoek’: a very Dutch treat reminiscent of gingerbread cake, and something I love but rarely have.

What went well and what didn’t

The good

Self-checkout at Albert Heijn is a snap. I love it! I just grab a hand scanner when I enter, which allows me to scan the bar codes of my purchases and put them into my bag straigt away. No hassle with carts or baskets. It’s ideal for wheelchair users like me.

My shopping list (on my phone) helped me not get sidetracked too much, and the relative quiet in the shops was good, too. Autistic brains and busy shops are a nightmare. I also really like that there’s no muzak in the shops. This used to be a huge problem, but I think all supermarkets here simply stopped playing muzak several years ago, and it’s so much better! 

The bad

I needed polenta meal, but neither of the three supermarkets carried it. At least, not the brand I always have, and I don’t want another (read: more expensive) brand.

Checkout at Jumbo was a drama. Some old fruitcake behind me in the queue went and shoved my shopping along the conveyor belt like it was hers. And if that wasn’t annoying enough, she then decided to ‘help’ me put my groceries in my bag. Like I’m a bloody invalid. I’m disabled, not incapable.

Other than that?

Just the usual. Pain, fatigue, and sensory overload.

My weekly grocery shop as a spoonie: this week’s haul

Here’s a clean overview of all the lovely spoonie food this shop got me (not counting the fatigue, headache and other random pains),

After the spoonie grocery shop

A little over two-and-a-half hours later, I got back home. Completely knackered, hungry, and in pain. The cats were screaming for my attention, of course. But a guy’s got to do what he’s got to do—spoons or no spoons.

I put the groceries away first, then grabbed that beetroot salad and a fork. Only after that did I go into the living room to greet the cats and enjoy my lunch—on the couch, too tired to sit up straight without support.

The next hour was spent lying on the couch, with my big, fluffy Viking cat Mozart lying protectively on my chest, purring contentedly, and my other two cats, Rafaela and Thalia, on my legs and on the armrest by my head, respectively.

All the spoonie food I can make (and eat!)

No strict meal plan here, because honestly, I hardly ever stick to them. That’s spoonie life for you. But I have options. Some very good ones, actually.

First, there were the beetroot salad lunch and the potato gratin supper. Of course, just having potato gratin for supper wouldn’t have been nutritious enough, but I still had green beans in the freezer, so I just heated those up while my potato gratin was in the oven, and that was supper sorted.

Even better, I still had potato gratin leftover, which I had for lunch the next day, with some garden peas (again, from the freezer).

I used 1 banana and half an avocado to make Boozy ABC pudding, which gave me an utterly decadent dessert for two nights.

The kale will feed me a hearty Dutch Boerenkoolstamppot at least twice—maybe even three times—complete with my favourite vegan smoked sausage, which I still have hanging out in the freezer. I’ve still got plenty of potatoes, too, since I bought 10 kg when they were on offer.

These potatoes will come in handy for a potato-beetroot salad, too. Easily two or three lunches.

While I can’t eat raw apples, they are perfect for apple crumble, applesauce, and maybe even a real Dutch apple pie. Or… oh, there’s so many things I can do with these apples!

I can eat the cherry tomatoes raw, or pop them in a dish with some mushrooms, onion, and potatoes for a quick oven roast. Another great way to use my mushrooms and cherry tomatoes would be to use them in my pasta with chickpeas and spinach. I could even swap the spinach for kale if I wanted to mix things up a little.

The avocados are not only perfect for my Boozy ABC pudding, but also for a nice vegan avocado mayonnaise. Or I might use them in a hearty curry or a breakfast smoothie.

Speaking of breakfast: these are some of my breakfast options using ingredients from this spoonie grocery shop.

And for lunch:

As you see, lots of options here—and then I haven’t even used my rye bread or oat rice yet—but I’m sure I’ll find some good uses for these, too. It may not be perfect, but it’s good enough. I’ll eat, and that’s what counts.

Lessons from this weekly grocery shop as a spoonie

These are the most important lessons I learnt from this week’s spoonie grocery shop—the dos and the don’ts.

Do

Don’t

👉 What does your weekly grocery shop look like? Do you have a strategy that works for you? Share your tips in the comments!

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