First Diet Grocery List

SeasideOasis

Staples for my boyfriend and I when we go grocery shopping:
Protein (Ground Turkey, Chicken, and Seafood)
Vegetables (Bell Pepper. Spinach, Carrots, and Celery)
Fruit (Bananas, Apples, and Mangos)
Drinks (100% Fruit Juice, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Soy Milk, and carbonated water)
Dairy (Low Fat Cheese Sticks and Yogurt)
Whole Wheat Products (Bread, Past, and Brown Rice)

We kick some "quick" items in the house such a boca burgers and green giant healthy steamer bags.

We belong to a wholesale club, so we have a lot of bulk items. We look around our cupboards before EVER going to the grocery store so we see what we actually need to keep from overbuying.

DariensGirl

1. 3-4 cases of bottled water.

2. Fresh/Frozen vegetables

Baby spinach
Baby carrots
Celery
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Onions
Bell peppers
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Kale

3. Fresh and frozen fruit

Bananas
Apples
Cuties California Mandarins/Clementines
Pears
Peaches
Berries

4. Meats

Lean hamburger
Lean ground turkey
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Tilapia

5. Grains, nuts and cereals

Whole grain pasta
Whole grain breads
Whole grain cereals
Oatmeal
Almonds
Pistachios in the shell
Brown rice
Natural peanut butter

6. Dairy and Eggs

1% Low fat milk
Low fat cream cheese
Low moisture, part skim mozzarella
Low sodium, light string cheese
Greek yogurt
Egg whites

7. Miscellaneous

Mrs. Dash
Low fat, light mayonnaise
Yellow Mustard
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100 Calorie snacks

This is really great, thank you!

mamalade1

I would start with some meal planning. Maybe just buy for one or two meals to start with, unless you're an awesome long-range meal planner (I'm sure not). The person who said shop the perimeter is bang on.

mofireman

Protein (Ground Turkey, Chicken breasts, Tilapia filets, Tuna/Water, Chicken/water)
Vegetables (Organic greens, Canned and frozen veggies)
Fruit (Bananas, Apples, Grapefruit, Oranges)
Drinks (Almond Milk, Coconut Milk)
Dairy (Low Fat Cheese Sticks and Yogurt)
Whole Wheat Products (Bread, Pasta, and Brown Rice)
Stuff (Low Fat Mayo, Protein bars, Almonds "plain", Agave nectar, Egg substitute, Boca-burgers)

vim_n_vigor

I like liquid egg whites. Still allows me the protein from the eggs, but less the calories.

Or, on a budget, you can buy the whole eggs for much cheaper...

TeaBea

I've switched to ground turkey, leaner and cheaper than ground beef..

I like turkey and turkey bacon is tolerable (of course, not as good as a pig .) Do you miss the "beef" flavor?

Ground turkey is sometimes actually higher in fat than beef. Never assume; look at the label. Ground sirloin, and ground round are made with leaner cuts of beef. With leaner beef, you don't need to use as much.

As far as the flavor .... when ground turkey is used in spicy dishes (chili, tacos, enchilladas) .... the difference in flavor is minimal. If you made a "turkey meatloaf" .... then you would notice big time.

DariensGirl

Any suggestions on a picky husband?
I love veggies but he hates, This has prevented me from eating healthy for awhile because I did not like makeing two seperate meals so I would just have something bad for me that he loves.
He hates all veggies except broccoli and cauliflower smothered in cheese (Steamer meals we love)
I would like to make stir fry sometimes but he would not eat it if it had veggies or anything healthy.

chrissy10taylor

Yes it costs money for the service but I find it to be very affordable and it keeps me from eating out so the money I spend for her is money I otherwise might eat out. So it balances out. It isn't any special food. (Like Jenny craig or anything like that) It is just a girl who lost a lot of weight and has a large base of recipes. Just like if you opened a cookbook and found a recipe. But she does all the planning making life easier. I work full time and Im a single mom. I don't have a lot of time to meal plan.

WOW! That would be great, sometimes I'm just stuck on what to make. I need to google that in my area!

dakitten2

.Definitely fruit and veggies from the produce section, making sure to get things to make an awesome salad.

Changed over to a whole wheat bread.

Protein always includes turkey bacon, turkey sausage, ground turkey, and chicken. I buy the 99% lean ground turkey breast.

As for water, skip the bottles and invest in a brita water system or something like it for ecology purposes.

Lo-fat milk, eggs and egg whities. String cheeses (lo-fat variety), laughing cow cheese.

I changed all condiments I could over to lo-fat or fat-free and reduced fat crackers for soups and cheeses.

For treats, I buy skinny cow ice cream products but dont eat them every day. I also buy a bag of mini candy treats, peppermint patties, or such and only eat one a day if my calorie count will allow it.

I do carry around granola bars or protein bars in the car so I wont be caught out hungry and have the urge to hit a drive thru.

Also a god multi-gran cereal.

Just a few of my regular shopping list.

allysonb80

I say cook what you want. If he doesn't want to eat it he is a grown man - he can make his own meals!

DariensGirl

I say cook what you want. If he doesn't want to eat it he is a grown man - he can make his own meals!

Haha try telling him that.
We are trying to do this together so I am trying to find some healthy alternatives for him otherwise he will make a party pizza, He has an addiction to them and they are always in the house. (Not something I have control of, Someone else buys them)

sjv1966

Any suggestions on a picky husband?
I love veggies but he hates, This has prevented me from eating healthy for awhile because I did not like makeing two seperate meals so I would just have something bad for me that he loves.
He hates all veggies except broccoli and cauliflower smothered in cheese (Steamer meals we love)
I would like to make stir fry sometimes but he would not eat it if it had veggies or anything healthy.

My suggestion is to make a side of vegetables along with whatever you are making for him. When fixes his plate he doesn't have to take the veggies. When you fix your plate take a small portion of whatever made for him and a big portion of vegtables. It means making and extra side dish but at least it is not making a whole othe rmeal.

For the cheese covered broccoli and cauliflower -- try making the cheese sauce seperate and letting him put it on his half only. This means not buying the pre-made stuff where the cheese sauce is already on it but you can still keep it simple by buying plain frozen (or fresh) veggies and a jar of cheese sauce or block of Velveta that you can heat in the microwave. He might even like this better because he can then really douse it with the cheese!

For stir fry normally when I make this I cook the meat first and put it aside and then cook the veggies and then toss it all back together. You could do this too but just don't toss it together -- serve it as two seperate dishes and he can load up on meat and you can have some meat and some veggies.

DariensGirl

Any suggestions on a picky husband?
I love veggies but he hates, This has prevented me from eating healthy for awhile because I did not like makeing two seperate meals so I would just have something bad for me that he loves.
He hates all veggies except broccoli and cauliflower smothered in cheese (Steamer meals we love)
I would like to make stir fry sometimes but he would not eat it if it had veggies or anything healthy.

My suggestion is to make a side of vegetables along with whatever you are making for him. When fixes his plate he doesn't have to take the veggies. When you fix your plate take a small portion of whatever made for him and a big portion of vegtables. It means making and extra side dish but at least it is not making a whole othe rmeal.

For the cheese covered broccoli and cauliflower -- try making the cheese sauce seperate and letting him put it on his half only. This means not buying the pre-made stuff where the cheese sauce is already on it but you can still keep it simple by buying plain frozen (or fresh) veggies and a jar of cheese sauce or block of Velveta that you can heat in the microwave. He might even like this better because he can then really douse it with the cheese!

For stir fry normally when I make this I cook the meat first and put it aside and then cook the veggies and then toss it all back together. You could do this too but just don't toss it together -- serve it as two seperate dishes and he can load up on meat and you can have some meat and some veggies.

Thank you! I told him this and he thanks you too.

sjv1966

Regarding grocery shopping -- I go to a local mom-and-pop Mexican grocery story that has produce really cheap. See if you might have somethng like this in your neighborhood. I find that the big chain grocery stores seem to make produce very expensive and the "bad stuff" really cheap which makes it hard to do what you need to do.

I spend about $50 per week on groceries for myself only. My normal list:

1. Fruit -- mostly I get stuff that doesn't require any prep like apples, oranges, bananas, pears. Sometime I buy fruit that needs cutting up like melons or pineaple. I eat a banana for breakfast every morning and take one other piece of fruit with me to work every day for a snack. This means I need 14 pieces of fruit each week!

2. Veggies for snacking -- every day I bring some sort of raw veggie to work for a snack. Cucumber slices, zuchini slices, baby carrots, celery sticks, whatever. On Sunday when I do my shopping I cut them up and put them in little baggies so they are quick to grab on the way out the door.

3. Veggies for cooking -- this depends on your menu of course, best thing is just to mix it up as much as you can.

4. Lean protein like chicken breast or lean beef or pork. I try to have only half of my meals contain meat. For the other half I do vegetarian meals. If you are trying to save money there is nothing as economical as a bag of dried beans! Even one vegetarian meal a week can be a money-saver and a way to try new things.

5. Whole grains in various forms -- whole grain bread, pasta, brown rice, whole grain crackers, etc.

6. Low fat dairy -- yogurt, part skim mozerella sticks, low fat cottage cheese, skim milk, low fat ice cream.

7. Canned tomato products -- the one thing I get in a can all the time. I do buy jarred spaghetti sauce but it has so much salt I try to only use it when I am really in a hurry. Mostly I try to make my own sauce from cans of crushed tomatoes.

8. Condiments and flavorings -- I keep my pantry stocked with olive oil, vinegars of different flavors, mustard, soy sauce, dried herbs, chicken boulion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, chipotle chillies, hot sauce. Anything that gives flavor without a lot of calories! I also am a big fan of light mayo. And cooking spray -- indespensible for frying with minimal oil.

I am at the point where at least 50% of my cart is fruits and vegtables. I didn't used to be that way! I used to have a cart full of Lipton Rice and Sauce packets and instant mashed potatoes and spaghetti-os and frozen dinners. Now that stuff doesn't even seem like food to me.

sjv1966

Regarding grocery shopping -- I go to a local mom-and-pop Mexican grocery story that has produce really cheap. See if you might have somethng like this in your neighborhood. I find that the big chain grocery stores seem to make produce very expensive and the "bad stuff" really cheap which makes it hard to do what you need to do.

I spend about $50 per week on groceries for myself only. My normal list:

1. Fruit -- mostly I get stuff that doesn't require any prep like apples, oranges, bananas, pears. Sometime I buy fruit that needs cutting up like melons or pineaple. I eat a banana for breakfast every morning and take one other piece of fruit with me to work every day for a snack. This means I need 14 pieces of fruit each week!

2. Veggies for snacking -- every day I bring some sort of raw veggie to work for a snack. Cucumber slices, zuchini slices, baby carrots, celery sticks, whatever. On Sunday when I do my shopping I cut them up and put them in little baggies so they are quick to grab on the way out the door.

3. Veggies for cooking -- this depends on your menu of course, best thing is just to mix it up as much as you can.

4. Lean protein like chicken breast or lean beef or pork. I try to have only half of my meals contain meat. For the other half I do vegetarian meals. If you are trying to save money there is nothing as economical as a bag of dried beans! Even one vegetarian meal a week can be a money-saver and a way to try new things.

5. Whole grains in various forms -- whole grain bread, pasta, brown rice, whole grain crackers, etc.

6. Low fat dairy -- yogurt, part skim mozerella sticks, low fat cottage cheese, skim milk, low fat ice cream.

7. Canned tomato products -- the one thing I get in a can all the time. I do buy jarred spaghetti sauce but it has so much salt I try to only use it when I am really in a hurry. Mostly I try to make my own sauce from cans of crushed tomatoes.

8. Condiments and flavorings -- I keep my pantry stocked with olive oil, vinegars of different flavors, mustard, soy sauce, dried herbs, chicken boulion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, chipotle chillies, hot sauce. Anything that gives flavor without a lot of calories! I also am a big fan of light mayo. And cooking spray -- indespensible for frying with minimal oil.

I am at the point where at least 50% of my cart is fruits and vegtables. I didn't used to be that way! I used to have a cart full of Lipton Rice and Sauce packets and instant mashed potatoes and spaghetti-os and frozen dinners. Now that stuff doesn't even seem like food to me.

MMarvelous

Write down what you like to eat. Then figure out to make it healthier is another strategy to have. When you look at your local grocery sale circular, pay attention to the fruits and veggies on sale. Select the ones you can use in meals for the week or month. I would recommend only buying fruits and veggies you usually eat and then adding 2 or 3 new ones so you don't waste too much. I am single and have no kids so I buy way more frozen fruits and veggies as they last longer.

There is a recipe section on MFP you may want to peruse before you go shopping to find a few new recipes to try. Coupon websites can help too with saving some money.

Marty_D

Sounds interesting. Hey, If you can get her to come in and cook it for you, then you'd really have something there!!