In need of a grocery list... PLEASE HELP AND READ!

lexy83

HI Everyone...


What are some must have foods? I am cleaning out my kitchen and throwing EVERYTHING OUT!!! I need to start new.... A fresh start with no temptations! Please share your must have food items, I REALLY need some ideas so I know what to buy.... I am not doing any particular type of diet... I just want to eat better and need some suggestions. HELP Please!

chelseaalicia

-quick oats
-natural peanut butter
-all the fresh veggies/fruit you want
-2% cottage cheese
-extra firm tofu
-brown rice
-canned tomatos (one of the only canned things I bother with anymore)
-low fat cheese
-egg whites
-eggs
-good olive oil
-beans
-frozen veggies

KrazyAsianNic

When I go shopping, I always make sure my fridge is stocked with Chicken and tilapia. And I always have plenty of BROCCOLI.

Lovinglife12

Good question. I've been doing okay shopping but I need more ideas.

dvisser1

Veggies. Lots of them. All kinds, colors, shapes and descriptions. Fresh and frozen. Broccoli, spinach, dark leaf lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, celery, peppers....

Brown rice
Oatmeal (I prefer steel cut oats)
lean protein (could be tofu, fish, chicken, pork loin, very lean red meats)

dvisser1

One thing I also try to do, more so on weekends when I have more time to cook, is I pick up something I've never cooked before and look up a recipe. Figured out swiss chard and kale are really good and easy to prepare cooked greens by doing that.

Icedancer94

Skimmed milk!

BobbieLee1959

One thing I also try to do, more so on weekends when I have more time to cook, is I pick up something I've never cooked before and look up a recipe. Figured out swiss chard and kale are really good and easy to prepare cooked greens by doing that.

Yep, I agree...find new recipes for clean cooking and eating...whole foods should become your "friends" ♥

Pebble321

Lots of great suggestions, here's some more:

Don't forget some things to make your meals tasty without adding lots of extra cals:
- soy sauce
- balsamic vinegar
- herbs and spices (ground cummin, cinnamon, ground chillis for a start)
- fresh herbs (parsly, coriander, mint, basil etc)
- parmesan cheese (not low cal but you don't need much to add flavour)
- passata (tomato puree made from tomatoes with nothing added)
- lemon and lime juice (I like it fresh best but usually have the squeezie bottles in the fridge for when I don't have fresh on hand)
- chilli sauce

And have we talked about dairy (if you eat it)?
- cottage cheese
- low fat cream cheese
- unflavoured greek yoghurt
- powdered skim milk (if you don't drink much milk, you can use it for sauces or soups or oatmeal. Perhaps that's only me though, lots of people get freaked out by powdered milk)

Snacky stuff:
- almonds or cashews
- cherry tomatos
- hommus (or buy chick peas and tahini to make your own)
- grapes, strawberries
- any other fruit that is in season
- carrots and celery and capsicum for dipping into hommus or greek yoghurt
- grainy bread
- peanut butter
- low fat cheese slices (I like swiss cheese)
- rice crackers
- muesli bars (if you can find some with no chocolate and not too much added garbage)
- dark chocolate (if you have the willpower not to eat it all at once)

For actual meals, I suggest finding some recipes that you like and just buy the ingredients you need for that meal - this way you will build up a collection of spices and extras without spending too much all at once.

In general, I suggest planning meals for the week - make a list of a few recipes that you are going to use for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just buy what you need for these recipess as a start.

offthedeependay

do most of your shopping around the outside ilse ,most of the food in the middle ilse are processed ,I try to stay away from most processed foods,but I do indulge in them once in a while,but my main foods are meats,dairy,veggies and some bread ,hope this helps..

Kerrihurman

My downfall is potato chips, so I've learned to substitute. I buy rice crackers (usually chili and lime) and hummus. For snacking at night I'll chop up cheese in small thin squares and maybe some sundried tomatoes and put it on top of the hummus. Any type of cracker will do as long as they are less than 10g of fat/100g. It doesn't matter if they have lots of taste or not because the toppings are flavourful. If you want meat for them try slicing two turkey bites sticks thinly on angles. I also found that I will eat veggies and fruit for snacks if I cut it up when I get home. Pineapple, mango etc are great to have and dip into yogurt when you are craving something sweet. Check out food.com it's saved me many times when I want to just give up and eat everything in site! Lol. :drinker:

Seirura

http://www.shopwell.com
Feldkamp Bread Whole Rye
Blue Diamond Almond milk Vanilla, Unsweetened
Jennie-O Turkey Store Bacon Turkey, Extra Lean
Tofu Shirataki Noodles

nickyfm

- Oats
- Tuna in Springwater
- Wholegrain bread
- Strawberries
- Natural organic peanut butter
- Roasted chickpeas
- Apricots
- Low carb vanilla protein powder
- Capsicums
- Zucchini
- Pre-mixed salad packs
- Natural yoghurt
- Light soy milk
- Roasted Almonds

juliekaiser1988

Lots of great suggestions, here's some more:

Don't forget some things to make your meals tasty without adding lots of extra cals:
- soy sauce
- balsamic vinegar
- herbs and spices (ground cummin, cinnamon, ground chillis for a start)
- fresh herbs (parsly, coriander, mint, basil etc)
- parmesan cheese (not low cal but you don't need much to add flavour)
- passata (tomato puree made from tomatoes with nothing added)
- lemon and lime juice (I like it fresh best but usually have the squeezie bottles in the fridge for when I don't have fresh on hand)
- chilli sauce

And have we talked about dairy (if you eat it)?
- cottage cheese
- low fat cream cheese
- unflavoured greek yoghurt
- powdered skim milk (if you don't drink much milk, you can use it for sauces or soups or oatmeal. Perhaps that's only me though, lots of people get freaked out by powdered milk)

Snacky stuff:
- almonds or cashews
- cherry tomatos
- hommus (or buy chick peas and tahini to make your own)
- grapes, strawberries
- any other fruit that is in season
- carrots and celery and capsicum for dipping into hommus or greek yoghurt
- grainy bread
- peanut butter
- low fat cheese slices (I like swiss cheese)
- rice crackers
- muesli bars (if you can find some with no chocolate and not too much added garbage)
- dark chocolate (if you have the willpower not to eat it all at once)

For actual meals, I suggest finding some recipes that you like and just buy the ingredients you need for that meal - this way you will build up a collection of spices and extras without spending too much all at once.

In general, I suggest planning meals for the week - make a list of a few recipes that you are going to use for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just buy what you need for these recipess as a start.

Awesome post...

skadoosh33

Oatmeal
Spinach
Broccoli
Eggs
Bananas
All natural peanut butter
Black beans (no salt)
Asparagus
Lemon (for water)
Chicken
Fish
Ground turkey
Fat free milk
Protein powder

That's my must haves.

MizzDoc

HI Everyone...


What are some must have foods? I am cleaning out my kitchen and throwing EVERYTHING OUT!!! I need to start new.... A fresh start with no temptations! Please share your must have food items, I REALLY need some ideas so I know what to buy.... I am not doing any particular type of diet... I just want to eat better and need some suggestions. HELP Please!

http://www.hungry-girl.com/uploads/File/HGSupermarketList2012.pdf

This list is definitely one you want to keep handy!

kimw91

I think everything's been covered in the above posts, but my list would be:

Cupboard
Plain oats
Muesli
Mixed unsalted nuts
Honey
Natural sweetener (I use stevia)
Muesli bars
Tortilla wraps
Crackers
Whole-wheat bread
Sugar free jam
Canned diced tomatoes
Herbs & spices
Whole-wheat pasta
Brown rice
A very broad selection of tea

Dairy
0% fat Greek yoghurt
Skim milk
Cream cheese
Eggs
Low fat cheese

Fruit & Veg
Apples
Bananas
Berries (blueberries, strawberries, red currants..)
Lettuce, tomato and cucumber
Onion
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Peas
You could just stock up on frozen veg

Fish & meat
White fish (such as tilapia) and salmon (freezer)
Chicken breast fillets
Sandwich toppings: lean ham & turkey

lurkette

*Hazelnut, almond and coconut milk are amazing. I've cut out dairy milk entirely... not because I'm trying to lose weight but because I genuinely dislike it. Even if I did like it, the fat-to-nutrition ratio is simply not worth it. (And skim is plain out disgusting)
*Also, 2% cottage cheese is kind of gross too, but add a bit of honey to it and it's not bad. (Adding honey to most lowfat things makes them good.)
*Get a carton of egg whites, they will come in handy. Add 1/4 cup to anything that requires eggs, like meatloaf. If you make an omellette with 1 regular egg + the egg whites, you'll never be able to tell the difference. Don't cut out egg yolks entirely, they have essential nutrients like choline which your body absolutely needs to be healthy.
*Do you have a trader joe's near you? I would absolutely recommend them.
*Search for any green markets in your area. Any produce you get from them may be a bit pricy but there are no pesticides and the money goes towards farmers, not corporations. Try sprouts. Pea sprouts, Mung bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, they are all so delicious, packed with nutrients and you can put them in everything.
*Quinoa and other heritage grains, which are more nutritious than couscous or pasta.
*Frozen edamame. I cannot recommend this veggie enough. They're stupidly simple to prepare, the nutrition they contain is off the charts, and they taste so good!
*Grapefruit. Yes, they're sour, but that's where they honey comes in.
*Brown rice. Until recently I couldn't stand this stuff. It's chewy, takes forever to cook and bland as hell, but I grew to like it. It has the same amount of calories as white rice but it's unbleached, unprocessed and packs a lot more nutrients for your body.
*Beans. Beans, beans, beans. Any kind, any color. Just eat the friggin things because they are fantastic for you.
*Avacados, because they're good for you and when whipped with garlic and herbs, they make a great topping for baked chicken and an even better substitute for fat-laden mayo.
*Squashes, yams and pumpkins boosts the immune system and prevents cancer.
*Mushrooms are a natural muscle relaxant. Did you know that?

lexy83

bump

Sandytoes71

Bump

bcc112986

Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Avocados
Tomatoes
Spinach
Romaine
Red Onion
Garlic
Limes
Cilantro
Red, Green, Orange Bell Peppers
Organic sprouted bread
Natural Peanut Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chicken
Turkey
Tuna (solid white albacore)
Black beans
Brown rice
Organic Cottage cheese, Yogurt, milk
Soy milk
Almond milk

My favorite brands are Kashi (Cinnamon Harvest cereal is awesome), Earth Grains, Stonyfield and Horizon Organic (yogurt, milk, cottage cheese), Bertolli, Bumblebee, Wholly Guacamole, Silk, Morningstar Farms (Spicy black bean burgers, yummy)...

Good luck with shopping!

BC

mkayb1

Celery and Hummus for snacking
Ezekial Bread products (English Muffins, bread and wraps)
protien powder for after workouts (current fave is muscle pharm combat powder)
Cabot 75% reduced fat cheese
Red Grapes, raspberries and blueberries
100 calorie packs of almonds

These are my must have staples.

lexy83

Bump

lastspen

What I do when shopping is plan my meals for the week with a couple of different options in case I run out early (cause I'm feeding my bf) or I get tired of what I made. I just completed my shopping so here it is (a lot of these items I already had at home):

Breakfast Option 1: Spinach Omelette with Salsa (Eggs, Frozen Spinach, Low fat cheese & Salsa)
Breakfast Option 2: Berrylicious Minute Muffin (Quaker Multigrain Oats, Eggs, Frozen Berries & Brown Sugar)

Lunch Option 1: Tuna Pasta Salad (Tuna, Whole wheat pasta, Onion, Olive Oil, Seasonings (or soup mix) & Tomatoes)

Dinner Option 1: Honey Lime Chicken w/ Coconut Brown Rice (Chicken Thighs, Honey, Limes, Soy Sauce, Seasonings, Rice, Coconut Milk & Frozen Veggies)
Dinner Option 2: Lemon Pepper Baked Cod w/ salad (Cod, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Salad Fixin's, Apple Cider Vinegar,)

Snacks: Sugar free Fudgsicles (I'm a chocolate/ice cream fiend)
Celery & Salsa
Tangelos
Almonds

I find that planning meals helps when coming up with a list. Because of my busy schedule I only like to do heavy cooking once a week and I have "filler" meals (Dinner Option 2) that only requires the oven. Breakfast Option 2 is a meal that I can keep at work in case I'm in a rush in the morning. This keeps me from eating out as much. I also try to plan my meals around the grocery sales ad cause I'm on a budget. Fudgsicles, cod, tuna and salsa are BOGO, limes are 3 for $1, Tangelos were $3.99 a bag. Hope this helps someone.