Grocery Shop Like Sporked Managing Editor Gwynedd Stuart

Before she became Sporked’s managing editor (and my boss), Gwynedd Stuart was an L.A.-based writer and editor who spent way too much time at the grocery store. Since joining Sporked, well…not much has changed. She’s still a real creature of habit when it comes to grocery shopping. So, when the world’s best boss heads to her local grocery store—Pavilions, in case you were wondering—to stock up on essentials, what does she toss in her cart? 

Gardein Plant-Based Ground Be’f

Neither Gwynedd nor her husband are vegetarians, but they often buy plant-based products because they try to eat as little meat as possible for health and ecological reasons. She uses Gardein veggie crumbles for “pretty much anything”—tacos, chili, and as an add-in for mac and cheese, to name a few. When she can’t find Gardein, she grabs Quorn Meatless Grounds instead.

Chobani Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer

As a longtime Chobani Sweet Cream consumer, Gwynedd was pleased when it took the top spot in Sporked’s coffee creamer ranking. She says, “So many coffee creamers are made with oil, but this one is actually made with cream, which is why it tastes so good.” She pairs it with Lavazza espresso in her homemade Americanos.

Related: The 6 Best Coffee Creamers Will Enrich Your Morning

Fage Total 0% Milkfat Plain Greek Yogurt

If you’re not eating them simultaneously, it can hard to tell the difference between full-fat and fat-free Greek yogurt. This is especially true when it comes to Fage’s fat-free Greek yogurt, which Gwynedd describes as “thick and satisfying.” She eats it with honey and diced honeycrisp apple for breakfasts, and pretends it’s sour cream when she makes tacos.

Related: Best Greek Yogurt: The 8 Best Greek Yogurts for Breakfast and Beyond

Old El Paso Stand ‘n Stuff Taco Shells + McCormick Taco Seasoning

In true Los Angeles fashion, Gwynedd is 10% human and 90% taco. If she’s not eating the delicious, authentic tacos you can find pretty much everywhere in L.A., she’s eating not-at-all-authentic tacos at home. Old El Paso Stand n’ Stuff taco shells are her favorite because they have plenty of room for fillings and they don’t tip over! “Stand ‘n Stuff taco shells are one of the great innovations of the 20th century and you can quote me on that!” (Alright, Gwynedd, I did.) She also buys McCormick Taco Seasoning to spice up her Gardein veggie crumbles.

Related: The Best Taco Dinner Kits for a Tasty Taco Night

Open Nature Three Cheese Cauliflower Crust Pizza

“I absolutely love products that allow me to pretend like I’m doing something good for myself when I’m not,” Gwynedd says. For her, that means opting for cauliflower crust pizza instead of pizza made with wheat flour dough. Is it better for you? Who knows! But she likes the chewiness of the crust and the fact that she can pretend she had a vegetable for dinner instead of pizza. Speaking of vegetables, she usually tops her frozen pizzas with sliced Vidalia onion and canned mushrooms.

Related: The 5 Best Cauliflower Crust Pizzas

Signature Select Mushroom Pieces & Stems

Since her husband dislikes mushrooms, Gwynedd rarely buys them fresh. These canned, pre-cut mushrooms are a good solution when pizza night rolls around.

Harvest Snaps Wasabi Ranch

This is another product that lets Gwynedd pretend she’s eating a vegetable when she’s actually just eating more snacks. To her, Harvest Snaps taste “a little green and gardeny like peas.” In other words, healthy. And the Wasabi Ranch flavor is especially zippy and delicious.

Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Roasted Chicken Base

In Gwynedd’s household, Sundays are for soup. Since she buys Better Than Bouillon, she always has broth on hand—no need to stock up on countless cartons of broth from the store. “It’s so chickeny and savory and comes in hand for adding flavor to so many things,” Gwynedd says. Even if you use it a lot, a jar of it lasts for ages.

Related: Welcome to the Bone Zone: It’s the 7 Best Bone Broths

Canned Tomatoes

Gwynedd always picks up a can or two of tomatoes. She buys fire-roasted diced tomatoes (usually Hunt’s) for soup (probably chicken tortilla) and whole tomatoes (usually San Marzano) if she’s making pasta sauce.

Related: Best Canned Tomatoes: The 7 Best for Your Sauces and Soups

A Block of Decent Parmesan Cheese

Gwynedd firmly believes that “parmesan is a very underrated snacking cheese,” so she always keeps a block on hand. And, of course, it comes in handy when a recipe calls for some grated parm (or a rind if she’s making soup).

Fruits and Vegetables

In the produce section, Gwynedd goes bananas. By that I mean, she grabs bananas for her husband, who eats one every morning. She also picks up honeycrisp apples, Cuties, and a couple lemons and/or limes for soup. She also grabs Vidalia onions, iceberg lettuce (for tacos, of course), and Nature Sweet Cherubs Grape Tomatoes because they’re “the best.”


About the Author

Navya Hari

Navya Hari is a writer, baker, and utter nuisance who would gladly take the salt out of every recipe and replace it with ten cloves of garlic. When she’s not whipping up some medieval pie, trying to create food from a video game, or covered in flour, you can probably find her asleep in bed dreaming about Indian mangoes.

Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!

Your thoughts.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *