If you want to cook more often, there's a simple truth:

Cooking starts long before the pan or oven.
It begins... when you go grocery shopping.

Many people think they don't know how to cook, when in reality they simply have nothing practical at home.

Not the right products.
Not the right staples.
Nothing to improvise a simple meal with.

The purpose of this bonus is to help you shop smarter, more usefully, and more cost-effectively.

No need to fill your cart unnecessarily.
You just need the right essentials.

🧠 The simple principle

If you have at home:

• a few vegetables
• a protein source
• starches
• seasonings
• 2 or 3 convenient products

... then you can already prepare a lot of meals.

🥕 1. The most useful vegetables to buy

I advise you to always have 4 to 6 versatile vegetables.

Fresh (very useful)

• onions
• carrots
• zucchini
• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• potatoes

Why these?

Because they are used for:

• stir-fries
• oven dishes
• soups
• side dishes
• sauces

If you want to simplify even more

Get:

• 1 bag of plain frozen vegetables
• 1 bag of frozen spinach
• 1 plain vegetable stir-fry mix

To use in emergencies on busy days.

🍗 2. Easy proteins to always have on hand

Having a simple protein changes everything: your meal quickly becomes complete.

Fridge / fresh

• eggs
• chicken breast
• quality ham
• Greek yogurt / cottage cheese
• grated cheese or feta

Pantry

• canned tuna
• sardines
• lentils
• chickpeas
• kidney beans

Freezer

• chicken fillets
• fish (cod, pollock, whiting, sea bream)
• ground steak

Quick example

Vegetable stir-fry + 2 eggs = good meal.

🍚 3. Essential starches

They save you many meals.

I advise you to have:

• rice
• pasta
• potatoes
• couscous
• bread in the freezer

Why?

Because with vegetables + protein + starch = simple balanced meal.

Example

Chicken + rice + zucchini.
Soup + toast.
Stir-fry + pasta.

🧂 4. Pantry essentials

These are what give flavor.

Minimum recommended:

• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic granules or fresh
• paprika
• herbs de Provence
• mustard
• soy sauce
• stock cube

With these, you can already transform many simple dishes.

🧊 5. The smart freezer

The freezer can become your best ally.

To keep:

• plain frozen vegetables
• sliced bread
• portioned meat/fish
• frozen herbs
• homemade leftovers

Why?

On days when you haven't planned anything... you're saved.

💰 6. Example of a useful small budget grocery list

With about €25 to €35 depending on the store:

• 6 eggs
• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 kg carrots
• 2 onions
• 2 zucchini
• 250 g mushrooms
• rice
• pasta
• canned tuna
• frozen vegetables
• plain yogurts

With this, you can already make several meals.

🍽️ 7. Example of 5 meals with one grocery trip

Meal 1

Zucchini + onion stir-fry + rice + eggs

Meal 2

Carrot + potato soup + toast

Meal 3

Pasta + mushrooms + light cream

Meal 4

Roasted vegetables + tuna + potatoes

Meal 5

Frozen vegetable fried rice + eggs

❌ 8. What many people buy unnecessarily

Often useless at first:

• very specific sauces never reused
• expensive processed products
• fragile vegetables not used
• too much variety at once
• useless kitchen gadgets

Keep it simple.

Better to have 10 useful products than 30 poorly used ones.

🧠 9. How to stock your fridge smartly

When you put away groceries, ask yourself this question:

With what I have, can I make 3 simple meals?

If yes, you're good.

👨🍳 My honest advice

Good everyday cooks don't necessarily make complicated dishes.

They mostly have:

• good staples at home
• a few habits
• the ability to improvise quickly

That's often the real difference.

🎯 Small challenge for the week

Next time you go grocery shopping:

Choose only:

• 3 vegetables
• 2 proteins
• 2 starches
• 3 seasonings

Then try to make several meals with them.

You'll see: buying less, but buying better, makes a big difference.

Thanks for being part of the adventure. 🍳