Grocery list MUST haves

tianas767

as I begin my journey , I would like to know what are the essentials of having a healthy pantry & fridge .

cmriverside

I would say, try to begin to incorporate more vegetables. Whatever you like, buy some. I experimented with many new vegetables when I was trying to just eat more vegetables in general. When shopping, I rarely go to the interior aisles of the stores; I shop the perimeter, where the fresh and whole foods are. Lean meat, dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, fruit and vegetables (some frozen - because they keep longer and they're often cheaper,) bread, rice, nuts, plain oatmeal. I have olive oil, coconut oil and butter for cooking. I do buy prepared salsa and spaghetti sauces because I'm lazy.

I don't buy frozen meals or packaged meals like ricearoni or mac n cheese.

That's my shopping list. I rarely buy treats like cookies, crackers, prepared cereals, or chips - because if they are here I will eat them. I will buy one donut or a small chocolate bar sometimes. Once a week is my rule for sugary treats.

Gallowmere1984

My must haves? Chicken breast, chicken wings, tuna, salmon, shrimp, spinach, eggs, swiss and mozzarella cheeses, cauliflower, and sausage. Everything else is ancillary, and depends upon my cooking plans for the week.

bpetrosky

Chicken breast, eggs, frozen vegetables, mixed greens, peppers, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, bread, tortillas, rice, potatoes, ice cream.

dlkfox

My family loves roasted Brussels sprouts, so we always are on the lookout for fresh, little ones.

Romaine lettuce, spinach, Vidalia onions, garlic, shallots, cherry tomatoes, avocados, raisins, apples, strawberries, asparagus, yellow squash, celery, carrots. Those are things my family likes.

Chicken breast, chicken thighs, whole chickens, pork tenderloin...whatever is on sale that week.

Popcorn for our air popper.

Nature's Path Multibran or Raisin Bran cereal.

Whole wheat angel hair past and spaghetti sauce and turkey/pork meatballs.

Just a few ideas.

michellesz

Lean meats, tuna, fresh fruits (faves bananas, strawberries - great in smoothies or oatmeal etc. and apples and oranges for snacks and vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onion, celery, carrots, broccoli, green beans)-(some frozen liked mixed vegetables or spinach) for convenience and longer freshness. Eggs, milk, yogurt, protein powder, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, wild rice or brown rice and a must have - Peanut Butter!!!

Sarahb29

Extra veggies - Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, spaghetti squash, tomatoes (fresh or canned for sauces) zucchini (to make noodles with!) if you have a spiral-er which I highly recommend. String beans are good roasted in the oven with garlic and olive oil. Those frozen pre-mixed veggies in a bag are awesome for quick stir frys. Bell peppers are great, I like red and green the best but that's up to you. Snap peas are good for snacking with ranch dressing or something like that to dip them in.

Protein - Eggs, Chicken breasts, ground turkey or chicken, ground pork, ground beef. Mix 2 ground meats to make yummy meatballs or hamburger patties.

Fruit - Avocados. Small amounts of other various fruit of your choice.

Misc - Chicken and beef broth, and both bouillon cubes. Lots of olive oil. Vanilla extract. Sugar free flavored syrups and heavy whipping cream if you want sugar free fancy coffee. It's best to froth it with a milk frother with some syrup in it.

Spices - Oregano, basil and bay leaves can be used in almost any soup, chill or stew. Turmeric and garlic are great in curries and both are anti inflammatory. I also like cumin, curry powder, coriander and cayenne pepper. Of course salt and pepper but I'm assuming you have those.

If you're watching your sugars you can get Breyers carb smart ice cream which is sweetened with splenda and is around 4g net carbs (4g of sugar) for half a cup. There's also sugar free hot fudge topping by smuckers but beware of using too much because the first ingredient is malitol.

TR0berts

Eggs
Veggies
Half and Half
Coffee
Tea
Bread
Butter
Cheese
Whatever meat is on sale

janejellyroll

I generally always have raw cashews, frozen vegetables, soy sauce, hot sauce, mustard, guacamole mini packs, tofu, plant milk, kalamata olives, V8, salad mixes, carrots, lemons, protein bars, protein powder, chocolate, oats, rice, canned beans, canned tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, chili paste, olive oil, onions, and garlic. Everything else can come and go, but if I have those things I know I can always figure out something to eat.

kommodevaran

It depends a lot on what you like to eat and what you want to cook. But "healthy pantries" all over the world have some similarities. You don't necessarily need to have everything at any time, but a selection from each subcategory can create a lot of different meals.

I use the categories pantry - freezer - fridge.

Pantry:
Crispbread. I eat this every day so it has its own subcat.
Dried beans, lentils and peas, canned beans and tomatoes (passata), canned fish (kippers, sardines, tuna) and meat (ham, meat sandwich spread, like liver pate).
Grains: rice (jasmine, brown basmati, arborio), barley, polenta, semolina, oats (oatmeal), millet, tapioka, wheat flour (white and brown), couscous, dried corn.
Pasta and noodles: Spaghetti and a selection of macaroni, rice noodles.
Cocoa, coffee, tea.
Herbs, spices and condiments: Salt, pepper, sugar, brown sugar, honeys, maple syrup, ketchup, mustard, HP sauce, Worcestershire, Sriracha, tabasco, stock/bullion cubes, cumin, parsley, oils (olive for salads and one other for cooking), vinegar (balsamico and apple cider), lime and lemon juice, soy sauce.
Nuts and seeds: Sesame, pine, peanut, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts. I make my own nut butters.
Randoms: Cereals, canned fruit and readymade pasta sauces (for when sick or snowed in), and vegetables (for stir-fry).

Freezer:
Fruit&berries: Blueberries, strawberries, banana (I slice and freeze).
Vegetables: Peas, green beans, brussel sprouts, edamame, mushrooms, spinach.
Meat: Chicken wings or thighs, minced beef and lamb, pork chops, lamb chops, beef chops, bacon.
Fish: Salmon filets, cod filets, surimi, smoked salmon/trout.
Other seafood: Greenshell mussels, lobster, scampi.
Randoms: Tortillas (corn/wheat), sliced bread, spring rolls, liver pate.

Fridge:
A selection of fruit: Right now, I have pears, peaches, plums and a small melon. I rotate (depending on season/avalability) through: Pomelo, pomegranate, pineapple, mango, persimmon, passion fruit, apricots, nectarines, loquats, figs, litchi/longans/rambutan, mangostan, tangerines, apples, oranges, grapes.
A selection of vegetables to eat raw: Right now, I have broccoli, beets, kohlrabi, cauliflower, carrots. I alternate between these and rutabaga, cucumber, romanesco and lettuce (different varieties).
A selection of vegetables for cooking: Right now, I have onion, peppers, garlic, chili, shallots, potatoes, ginger. I also use a lot of sweet potatoes, squash/zucchini, mushrooms, celery, parsnips, artichokes, corn on the cob.
A selection of sandwich spreads: Cheeses, caviar, smoked trout/herring/salmon/mackerel, liver pate.
Milk - whole cow's milk. I also have kefir right now.
Cream cheese, hard cheese (parmesan). Occasionally: Dessert cheese or Greek yogurt.
Randoms: Butter, mayo, pickles, pickled herring, eggs.

killdontmurder

Hummus.

Enjcg5

Great suggestions! I will add plain greek yogurt as i use i use it as the base to my smoothies and those steamable veggie bags in the freezer section are a godsend! Also... Chicken sausage from Aldi pairs well with almost anything and they come in different flavors

alelautoe

Sticking to the perimeter of the store is key!! I try to stock up on the veggies I like:
Brussel sprouts, French beans, broccoli, and spinach.
I do not eat a lot of fruit because there is a lot of sugar...but I mix blueberries and no-oil added granola to my greek yogurt (23g of protein in the 2% fage).
Eggs - hard boiled eggs are one of my favorite on-the-go snacks!
Chicken
Almond milk - unsweetened vanilla with protein (I use this to mix with my protein powders).
Cheese sticks
Almond/cashew/chocolate individual serving packs for a treat!

AlisonH729

We have canned tomatoes & various canned veggies, beans, stock & pasta in the pantry at all times. They make for quick and easy soups, chili or pasta dishes. I also have lots of frozen veggies and buy and freeze meat whenever I see it on sale.

We usually have yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and milk/almond milk in fridge at any given time.

But I do shop for fresh produce at least once a week.

rainbowbow

In my opinion you need to take a good long look at your current diet.

what foods do you like to eat? what do you find yourself grabbing for? what do you find yourself going out and buying?

these are the foods you need to stock or try and emulate in your pantry.

obviously some things like fruits, veggies, dairy, spices, oils, etc. which are needed, but there's no point in filling the fridge with a bunch of fresh produce you will NEVER eat. or "healthy" products which you will skip over and never eat.

Too often i see people try and completely overhaul their diet, feel restricted, and then binge on the foods they enjoy anyway. or they bring a "healthy lunch/snack" to their office but choose to order out or eat the office donuts instead of the protein bar they brought. This is just what happens when you don't eat the foods you enjoy.

if you can eat the "real deal" items and still stay within your calorie goal, awesome! If not i recommend you emulate your favorite foods with some lower calorie recipes: Like to eat a mcdonalds burger and fries? make your own from scratch, and bake the fries instead. Like to eat pizza? Eat 1/2 a frozen freschetta instead. like to eat taco bell? Make your own with low calorie tortillas, fresh veggies, salsa, low fat cheese, etc.

You get the picture.


So, i would write down the foods i like to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Log each meal and see how many calories it is. Then write a list of these things. Example:

Breakfast:
oatmeal (300 calories)
Cereal (200 calories)
pop tarts (450 calories)

lunch:
Subway Sandwich (450 calories)
Taco bell (750 calories)
PB&J (450 calories)

Dinner:
spaghetti (800 calories)
chili (200 calories)
burgers (600 calories)


Then you can decide what you can eat to reach your calorie goal. Like, if you want taco bell for lunch then you'll need a lighter (chili) dinner. So on and so forth.

Then, once you have a list of the options you want (MINIMUM 7 for EACH category) then you can go next to each item on your list. what do you need to make those things? example:

Breakfast:
oatmeal (300 calories) Oats, Soy milk
Cereal (200 calories) Cheerios, soy milk
pop tarts (450 calories) pop tarts

lunch:
Subway Sandwich (450 calories) Bread, meat, sliced cheese, tomatoes, lettuce
Taco bell (750 calories) tortillas, ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce
PB&J (450 calories) bread, peanut butter, jelly

Dinner:
spaghetti (800 calories) Spaghetti noodles, pasta sauce, ground beef
chili (200 calories) Ground beef, tomatoes, Onions, cheese
burgers (600 calories) Buns, ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce


Obviously some of these items will have the same ingredients. So then you take this and make your list:

oats, soy milk, cheerios, pop tarts, bread, meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, tortillas, ground beef, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti noodles, pasta sauce, and onions.



Once you have your list, go grocery shopping. Then, i recommend you print out your food options so it's very very clear for you to see. I hang mine on my fridge. I look at it everytime i open the fridge so i know exactly what i have, what i need (highlight anything you run out of), and what i want to make that evening. This has also allowed me to eat literally everything in my pantry before buying more foods. I will never again have a can of green beans in my pantry for 5 years without using them!

nowine4me

Eggs, black beans, yogurt, apples, lean meat (chicken, beef, turkey, pork) and veggies are all good go-to's.

Danny_Boy13

Fresh produce if at all possible (Squashes, Asparagus, Broccoli, Bell Peppers, ect) if not then regular frozen is the next go to for me, a little fruit, usually some kind of berry, Jasmine Rice, Ground Turkey, Chicken Breast Tenderloin, NY Strip Steaks and from time to time either Salmon or some kind of other wild caught seafood.

jackslovely

potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, celery
light english muffins, pita pockets or low carb wraps (something under 100 cals)
ground turkey, chicken breast, chicken thighs, bacon, and any other lean meat on sale
coffee, tuna, organic pasta sauce
frozen veggies: broccoli, brussel sprouts, mixed veggies
some frozen meals for convenience
greek yogurt, eggs, laughing cow cheese, mozzarella and swiss slices, sour cream

This weeks meal plan includes: Taco bowl, chicken and avocado burritos, pan roasted chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and veggies, various pitas, mini pizzas, leftover chili from last week

Jdigs88

A good balsamic and olive oil can make a WORLD of difference in your happiness when eating veggies and salads. I'd recommend investing in high end versions of both to reserve only for drizzling on food after cooked/when raw (I.e. don't use these for cooking). You can use instead of many sauces and salad dressings and they're far healthier and equally as satisfying.

Otherwise, grass-fed ground beef, other meats, eggs, fresh veggies and fruit, dried fruit, almonds and pistachios are all good things for the pantry.

Kobz27

Salmon and any other fish really, beef, chicken, lamb, bacon,Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, celery, romain, spinach, cucumber, zucchini, olives, avocados, peppers, garlic, all types of berries, nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, eggs, heavy whipping cream, cheese, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and water. There's my list :-)

jenilla1

Ground turkey is my only constant. Everything else gets switched up a lot depending on mood and cravings...