Starting up...need ideas for grocery trip

seearainbow

My fiance and I are tired of getting fatter and have yet again decided to change our life and our eating habits.

I need to go to the grocery store today and get us some good starter foods.

Also though, we move in less than a week, so I don't want to do a really really huge trip since anything we buy we will have to transport to a new location.

What are your healthy food staples?

Also good ideas for snack type foods....it's our biggest downfall.

And--we have an 11 month old son and both work, so some of the things I get are more instant type foods that I know may have too much sodium or whatever, but we have to start somewhere and it's better than our normal fast food.

So far I have written down (I'm going to make a list so I don't buy stupid stuff when I'm there):
-Skim milk
-Protein drink mix (my fiance has lost a lot of weight with this before and LOVES them)
-Lean pockets (for a quick hot lunch at work instead of the take out they order)
-Protein meal bars (for the days at work I don't get a lunch break or for mornings I don't have time to make a breakfast, or whatever)
-Light wheat sandwich bread
-Ham deli meat
-Turkey deli meat
-Frozen chicken tenderloins (for use on my george foreman grill...yum!)
-Apples
-Carrots

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

TexasNurseMom78

I like jimmy Dean turkey sausage for breakfast. Lower in fat and cal than regular, good protein and lower calories. Protein shakes are good too. i like unjury. i order it onlne. The chocolate is good. easy to grab veggies ( carrot, celery, cherry tomoatos) for making snack bags for on the go, crystal light drink mixes for a break from plain water, fiber one 90 cal bars or any of the 100 cal pack snacks. Special K cracker chips are super yummy. I think they are like 130 cal for 27 pieces, and they come in sour cream and onion flavor which helps with the chips/salt cravings. Hope this gives you some ideas. Congrats on making a life style change!

Kirsty_UK

My staples are porridge oats, frozen chicken, veg (carrots, broccoli etc), fresh fruit and un-salted nuts for snacking, and a big bag of spinach, some ham, some diarylea cheese triangles and some plain/herb wraps for wraps for lunches.

smitchell37

Sounds like a great start. I agree with everything Texasnursemom said. I would add when buying lunch meat go for the low sodium. and if you like them bananas. Im also on an egg thing right now (I boil them and eat the whites only and put sea salt on them

ambie35

greek yogurt
raspberries
high fibre oatmeal
bananas
cherry tomatos
spinach


these are staples on my grocery list.

topazzzoe

I eat a lot of hummus which you can find prepared in almost every store nowadays. It is super yummy, filling and a quick easy protein based snack and all you need with it is some nice crisp veggies.

kristy_estes21

Whole wheat, low carb tortillas with hummus.
Bananas (great in protein smoothies)
Natural peanut butter
Olive oil for cooking (good fat!)
Avocados (also good fat and great on turkey sandwiches)
Quinoa
Quick oats (not the instant oatmeal packets)
Frozen unsweetened fruit for smoothies and/or quick oats

I posted a good recipe for no-bake oatmeal protein bars in the recipe section earlier. They are like Clif bars kind of.

I recently made a wrap that was a 50cal whole wheat tortilla (La Tortilla Factory) with some natural peanut butter and half banana. Yum! Another wrap that is good is a cranberry turkey wrap. Wrap, turkey breast, 2tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp Craisins, and some fresh spinach. Delicious and super filling!!

kimmerroze

Breakfast

english muffins with peanutbutter and a side of fruit like a banana

Yogurt and cottage cheese (if you do portion sizes you will be through these in a week

Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal with a side of cottage cheese

English muffin with cheese melted on top with a side of fruit

Protein shake with a banana and peanutbutter blended in

Cream of Wheat

Oatmeal

Lunch

Vegetable STEAMERS with a few slices of cheese(they have all different veggies, and you simply cook them in the microwave there is two servings to a bag, or you can buy one person servings)

English muffin with veggies piled high, and a few slices of meat and one slice of cheese

Chicken breasts cooked the night before, with steamed veggies

Steak cooked the night before with veggies or fruit

SNACKS

Almonds

Fruit

yogurt

Cheese Sticks

Dried fruit (keeps better)

Glass of fruit juice (sugar free) and a string cheese

Protein bar (if your working out shortly)

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

Avacados

Melba toast and peanutbutter or apple butter or sugar free jelly/jam

8 0z chocolate milk and an apple (my favorite)

2 oz Dark chocolate

Sugar Free fat free pudding and Jello

The posiblities are endless, have fun! and have fun moving!

juleseybaby

Bell peppers, carrots, pretzel sticks, baby spinach. Favorite throw together salad = baby spinach, slivered almonds, crumbled blue cheese, fat free or lite raspberry vinaigrette. Yummmmm. Sometimes I get Salad Pizazz. Good stuff.

TexasNurseMom78

Oh yeah, greek yogurt is good too. But know that it may take some getting used to. it is not sweet like yoplait, but is so much better for you! I lkike it with a handful of low fat granola or sliced almonds thrown in. Laughing Cow light cheese is good. Only 35 cal/wedge.

ZoeLifts

Look for some protein to fill you up!! There are several things that are always on my list, especially because I premake breakfast burritos each week for my husband to grab and go to heat up at work:

Egg substitute/Egg whites (I use for breakfast burritos, but I also take a carton with me to work to make my own in the microwave)
High fiber, low carb, low fat wrap/burritos (breakfast burritos)
brown rice (I also premake on weekend and divide out into portions in plastic containers to heat up)
Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage (I'm with you, TexasNurseMom!!)
Fat Free shredded cheese (breakfast burritos)
Picante sauce/Salsa (breakfast burritos)
Frozen berries for smoothies (Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry)
Grapes (to freeze for a sweet snack)
Tuna Filet/Salmon Filet (individual frozen packs - good dinner choices)
Tuna in water
Potatos (sweet and baking, many grocery stores have them ready to microwave)
I can't believe it's not butter spray
Greek Yogurt (Chobani blueberry is so far my fav! Can't do the plain stuff, though. These have way more protein than plain ol' yogurt)
Romaine Lettuce
FF dressings
Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast - family pack (cook up all at once - I use a crock pot - with whatever seasonings you want, portion out into plastic containers for the week!)
Frozen veggies, i.e. chopped spinach, carrots, broccoli, etc, that can be either steamed out of the box, or you can make on the stove. Don't get the stuff that has butter or sauces added, though.

That's my basics that I can think of at the moment! I add and subtract according to what I have on hand, or what I think I need for some more dinner varieties. I find the frozen veggies and fruits the best since I tend to let the fresh stuff spoil unless I am specifically using it for a recipe!)

Hope this helps!

farmgirl88

Lowering how much processed food you eat is a great first step! Another key to healthy living is to eliminate added sugar from your diet--soda, snack cakes, low-fat dressing, ice cream, etc.

Here's my shopping list:
- Organic baby romaine/spinach (great for quick, filling salads--use olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar for a healthy dressing)
- Asparagus (broil these with just a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of kosher salt until heads are crispy... easy and wonderful!)
- Tomatoes (to add to meals and to eat with cottage cheese for lunches)
- Other seasonal veggies like squash, carrots, fresh green beans, etc. (try for at least 1-2 servings per meal!)
- Berries (eat with a handful of nuts for a power snack)
- Almonds/Brazil nuts/Sunflower seed kernels/Pumpkin seeds (no salt or sugar added--a yummy snack on the go!)
- 1% cottage cheese (excellent for lunches--high protein, low fat, very filling!)
- Athenos Greek yogurt (very natural yogurt, again high protein, low fat, very filling!)
- Eggs (great breakfast!)
- Salmon, cod, flounder, shrimp (thaw a fillet in the fridge overnight and broil for a few minutes per side and dinner's done!)
- Lean beef (ground beef is a staple--ideally, choose a lean beef that has been ground the same day, take home a brown, divide and store in glass containers in the fridge and freezer for quick dinners)
- Chicken (for the George Foreman is a great choice! You can also cook one in the morning before you go to work to put on a salad for lunch!)
- Canned black beans (great source of protein and fiber, great option if you want to have meatless meals)


This list is perfect for moving... if you're moving in 2 weeks, only buy 2 weeks worth of fresh things and then you won't have to transport anything!

nicolerah

Wow... the answers here are really helpful.. thanks seerainbow for posting such a great question!

seearainbow

Awesome you guys! Thanks for the help!