grocery shopping Hel!? What to buy to stay on track?

Littlemissjackie1

Hello!
I am having a huge dilemma with my grocery shopping habits. I am so used to just buying what looks good, and when the week comes, I hardly have any healthy snacks, breakfasts meals or lunches so then I get fast food.. My issue is that I do not have tons of time to cook meals, I work fulltime + over time most days, and I also go to school full time.
I am curious to see if there any awesome grocery finds out there for quick and easy meal prep.. When you guys shop, what are staple items that you always purchase?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

davepearson86

Protein powder, ice cream, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, kraft dinner, hamburger, chicken, steak, shrimps, buns, frozen vegetables, cottage cheese, egg whites, yogurt, butter, dark chocolate, all bran buds, oatmeal, peanutbutter, jam, cheese wiz, pasta sauce, pasta, meat stuffed pasta, pizza, sweet potatoes, apples, tuna....

ON DECK!

ashenriver

My staple items I always purchase are fruits, veggies, milk, eggs and bread. I shop the outer circle of the grocery store. The only time I go down the aisles is when I need something specific like coffee or rice. If you don't go down those aisles you can't be tempted.
When I make dinner I cook more then needed for leftovers. I just do NOT buy any premade foods so then I am forced to cook (I do buy the occasional frozen pizza about once a month).

If you more dedicated then me, you can plan out your meals and go with a list and only buy what is on the list.

Easy meals include:
Breakfast: peanut butter and jam toast with fruit, a pre made batch of oatmeal that can be portioned out, heated and eaten as needed.

Easy lunches: Egg or chicken salad sandwiches, leftovers from dinner. It is very easy to add frozen veggie, protein to a grain or lettuce for lunch. I usually prep carrots on sunday so they are ready to grab from the fridge for lunch.

Easy suppers are: grain (pasta, rice, quinoa), add veggies (frozen or fresh), then add a protein (legumes, fish or meat). It takes 30 minutes or less for the grains to cook, about the same for the protein, and the veg takes seconds.

When I have more time to cook I will make chili, soup, stew and freeze a bunch of the leftovers for lunches. I just pull it out in the morning or night before and its thawed for lunch.

TinaTyffyni

In addition to what you buy, pick a day and cook/prep food for the whole week. Separate veggies, crackers, cheese cubes, etc into individual snack size bags. Then you can grab them and they are pre-portioned. I bought some individual sized bakewear to cook in as well. You can prep, say, 4 indiviual whole grain pasta dishes, cook it in the oven and its already portioned out. This works for me.

HappyStack

I plan for the week in advance so my shopping reflects that. I cook usually once every 2/3 days, because most recipes make 2-4 servings so I always have leftovers. It means I eat repetitively, but that doesn't matter to me if the food I'm eating is delicious.

Don't be afraid of canned or jarred goods. I frequently used canned beans, lentils, new potatoes and so on in what I eat. They make everything quick.

Hummus and pates are great for quick & "healthy" snacks, they require nothing but a few whizzes in the food processor and an airtight container for the few days they last in the fridge.

My favourite at the moment is a smoked kipper/mackerel pate. It's nothing but broken up smoked fish (make sure there are no bones when you crumble it through your fingers into the food processor), some lemon or lime juice, a good shake of paprika and quark (or creme fraiche).

Delicious high-protein snack, really great with raw veggies or (my favourite) parsnip and onion bread.

bethiewilliams

Our favourite supper is 2 poached eggs on toast with field mushrooms (baked for 20 mins or microwaved for 3 with a little pepper), and sprinkled with some bacon bits which have been cooked until crunchy and blotted with kitchen roll to remove fat. I don't have toast so my cals are 350 and with toast 550. I finish with yoghurt and fruit. Takes 10 mins prep.

PS. We bought an egg poaching pan because I wasted so many eggs trying to cook them properly!

Enjoy!

Katmary71

I always start in the produce area as I'm there the longest. Make a list before you go. BTW, some magazine sites are having healthy meal planning with grocery shopping lists, such as Cooking Light and either Clean Eating or Eating Well. All three are great resources for recipes. OK, back to the topic. First, I'll list what fruits and veggies I need. Salad fixings (lettuce, carrots, green onions, fennel, etc) and whatever else you like in a salad. I usually make the basics of the salad when I can so it's handy, so the greens and non-mushy items are a basic prepped salad. From there, you can add a meat to it any mushy veggies like tomatoes, or something like apples and feta or mandarin pieces and almond slivers.

I'm making this too long. In general, I made a list by thinking of the grocery store I'm going to and the lay out of the store. Produce is almost always at the front of the store, and since I spend most my time there, that's where I start. Depending on what you eat and the store layout, group the sections and what you need (for example, frozen foods, dairy, canned goods, and so on. This keeps me on track and I rarely add something I don't have on my list, though magazines are a weak point!

I think it's important to have a rough idea of what you'll eat during the week so you don't end up eating junk or going off your plan. For example, a rotisserie chicken can be used in many ways and last a few meals depending on how big your family is. You can make chicken wraps one night, then chicken salads another night.

Hope this helps a bit.

eylia

My biggest thing would be to preplan; during the week, I make note of staples I'm low on and ALWAYS keep around (tea, coffee, rice, soy sauce…) and if I have time, I often open up my supermarket's website (they list everything online, specials and such too, but I'm not in America, so catalogues, or whatever work too) and make a list of things I need and am sure I can use in at least a few ways so there's no wastage. I'll buy things like pasta sauce and such when they're on sale.

I don't deviate from my list once I get there, and I stick to the perimeter of the shop aside from the specific isles my list might need me to go down.

My basics are things like broccoli, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, spring onions, tomatoes, chicken, rice etc. I keep a tonne of sauces around, and often cook asian inspired things; stir fry is fast and tasty, and can be made with any jumble of vegetables, and curries are great and filling and pretty much cook themselves. It's about what works for you.

I freeze my meat, as I eat small portions, so I have a little bit of everything in my freezer, portioned up and ready for any dish-saves me wastage, and I prefer variety.

alisonlynn1976

I always make a list before I go and only buy what's on the list (and have always done this, just used to put more junk foods on the list!).

TheMaryAnn

sweet potatoes...I LOVE them. and they spike my blood sugar less than normal potatoes.

also:
almonds
apple
cottage chesse
eggs

Mojoman02

Fruit and veggies are a priority. Then protein....eggs, tuna, nonfat Greek yogurt, chicken.....then low cal breads, wraps.....then condiments.....low fat mayo, mustard, ketchup, low cal salad dressings....and buy some spices to spice things up!

Confuzzled4ever

pre cut veggies..
plain yogurt
cottage cheese
cheese sticks
hummus
avocados
lots of chicken
salsa
fish
lots of fruit
PB
Jelly or jam
eggs
milk
plain oatmeal
beans
rice
Bread/wraps
balsamic or red wine vinegar
olive oil

if you work out
protein powder
protein bars

crock pot! (cook on Sunday and you have your meals for the week!)
I eat a lot of stir fry because it's quick and easy and you can add different spices to change the flavor
I try a lot of new recipes just to find quick easy healthy things that I like that i never heard of before.

jayjay12345654321

I think the protein powder suggestion up top was a good one. Personally, I'm raw, so I don't cook. Saves time not cooking and not doing dishes. Probably not an option for everyone, though.

kgibbz

I think the protein powder suggestion up top was a good one. Personally, I'm raw, so I don't cook. Saves time not cooking and not doing dishes. Probably not an option for everyone, though. wink

^^ Do you eat meat? If not, what is your biggest source of protein?

kgibbz

I think the protein powder suggestion up top was a good one. Personally, I'm raw, so I don't cook. Saves time not cooking and not doing dishes. Probably not an option for everyone, though.

^^ Do you eat meat? If not, what is your biggest source of protein?

Littlemissjackie1

Wow thank you everyone!! All of your idea has really helped me gather a good list to take to the grocery store. Thanks again!!

Littlemissjackie1

What kind of protein powder to you use or recommend?

Protein powder, ice cream, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, kraft dinner, hamburger, chicken, steak, shrimps, buns, frozen vegetables, cottage cheese, egg whites, yogurt, butter, dark chocolate, all bran buds, oatmeal, peanutbutter, jam, cheese wiz, pasta sauce, pasta, meat stuffed pasta, pizza, sweet potatoes, apples, tuna....

ON DECK!

Quinn_Baker

This is my list of staples:

Apples
Berries
Bananas
Asparagus
Broccoli
Whole grain bread
Oatmeal
Turkey
Chicken
Almonds


Among some others.

What I like to do is prep stuff on Sunday or whenever I have time. I put snacks in individual Baggies ready to go each day. I also portion meat and veg in bags to freeze and throw in the crock pot for a quick dinner.