Hey Liz:
Welcome! I am pretty new to ww (1 month now) and also this board. I have been having the same problem as you are. Trying to figure out what are the "staples" I can buy when grocery shopping to have on hand for many of the recipes I can fix and also snacks I can eat. I will not say I have a handle on it yet, but I do have some ideas for you. Alot of the recipes I find in my " Simply the Best" cookbook call for things such as Black Beans, fat free flour tortillas, of course all kinds of green veggies, carrots, fruits, microwave popcorn is a good snack(I couldn't live with out it), also store bought rice krispie treats(when I have a sweet tooth) they are only 2 pts for one, fat-free chicken broth, lean meats(alot of turkey,chicken, fish). I try to buy whole grains now instead of the more processed ones. Brown rice instead of white rice, lite wheat bread instead of white bread, etc. I hope this helps you. Also check out the recipes that people post on this board and look at some of the ww cookbooks at your meetings. Once you start looking at them you will start seeing some of the same ingredients used over and over again. Those are the ingredients that I am starting to keep extra of on hand as they seem to be "staples".
My biggest pressure point is cravings....I have them all the time even when I am not hungry. I may all of a sudden get a craving for Chinese food and I will not be happy until I have it. Also I get bored in the evenings when I am sitting watching tv to unwind or reading a book and I have to have something to snack on(now I always try to leave enough points in the day for me to have a bag of popcorn in the evening).
Good luck to you and I hope this post helps(sorry it was so long).
Oh, I was afraid when I first joined ww that all of the food was going to taste bland and sort of like cardboard, but man oh man it is some of the BEST food I have ever tasted!!!!! Even DH who doesn't like "diet" food goes back for seconds and sometimes thirds(he doesnt have to worry about his weight therefore totally ignores portion sizes!! MAKES ME SICK!!!
). So if that has ever been one of your concerns forget it. Every thing I have tried so far has been Yummy!!