What are the food staples you buy at the grocery store?

chloeraesmommy

what r u eating with whole grain pastas? spaghetti sauce.....???

SweetSammie

Spaghetti sauce on whole wheat pasta (with homemade meatballs). Or sometimes I make a cold seafood salad pasta salad, or another pasta salad, and use yogurt to replace some/all of the mayo. I also like whole wheat ravioli - saute some veggies, garlic, ect., add ravioli...make a salad. DINNER.

karmah2771

Now as to what I shop for now that we are eating healthier:

Baby Spinach: Great in salads or to use in place of lettuce in sandwiches.

Romaine Salad Blends: I like the convenience of the pre-cut mix with the shreds of carrots and red cabbage already in it. Then we just add whatever extra veggies to it that we want that day. I usually purchase ones with romaine lettuce as the base because hubby isn't fond of the other mixes that contain field greens, etc.

Fresh Veggies: ones for recipes and others for dipping into hummus or yogurt dip or eating plain. We like to dip carrots, celery, red/yellow/orange peppers, and cucumbers. My husband also likes to dip broccoli and cauliflower.

Frozen Stir Fry Veggies mixes: These are very convenient for us as it saves prep time and gives us a variety of vegetables in one dish. Sometimes we add meat, other times we just use them as veggie sides. We purchase a sauce we like to use as flavoring or add our own spice mixture to them.

Fresh or Frozen Fruit: We like to get fresh fruit when we can (bananas, grapes, strawberries and apples mostly). But there are some times when the fresh offerings aren't so, uh, fresh. So we buy a package of frozen fruit and then thaw it out in the fridge. This also helps when we want a fruit that isn't in season. Today I bought a package of assorted melon already prepped because I am the only one who will eat it.

Dried Fruits: These transport well, and can be stored at room temp (less fridge space!). Plus I can take them to work and leave them there for an emergency snack. We like to add raisins or other dried fruits into our yogurt as well. We mainly buy: raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots and prunes.

Greek Yogurt: We went from occasional yogurt eating to buying the low cal regular then switching to greek because there isn't the artificial sweetener stuff and you get more protein, etc. for your calorie buck. You can also use plain greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in dips, etc.

Whole Grains: We still eat sandwiches, crackers, etc. just made with whole grain breads or wraps and maybe other things added into them (flax, etc.). The kids like Pepperidge Farm breads and we like the Flatout Wraps and Damascus Bakery flat breads.

Nuts & Butters: These can be high in calories, but so yummy. We eat raw pecans, walnuts and almonds. We also like the pre-shelled pistachios (although these are salted). We eat peanut butter and almond butter. I purchase the cashew butter only at holiday baking time for cranberry cashew cookies.

Hummus: Never thought that I would like it. But it is a great dip for veggies and a spread for crackers. We mainly purchase the Sabra brand of regular hummus (it has a garlic like flavor) as we can get them in individual servings in a big box at Costco. We've learned that because there are only two of us who eat it that a regular sized container may go bad before we finish it. But the individual servings are perfect to take to work and actually encourage us to eat it more often. We do like other hummus flavors, but only purchase them if we know that we are going to use them before they go bad. Have not tried making my own, but it is also possible to do so.


Tip: Take advantage of in store samples. A lot of stores are now sampling more of the healthier products. Gives you a chance to try before you buy. This is how my daughter found out that she likes to eat strawberries. But only with vanilla yogurt and a bit of honey drizzled on top because that's how the sample lady was doing it. Lol.

Also, if it's something new that you want to try out, opt for the smaller package the first time around. It might cost a tiny bit more per ounce than the bigger package, but you won't end up wasting it if it turns out not to be to your liking.

karmah2771

what r u eating with whole grain pastas? spaghetti sauce.....???

I make a cold pasta salad with cut up veggies and balsamic vinaigrette. (You could use any low cal dressing.)

You can make your own pesto. Or drizzle warm noodles with olive oil and some freshly shaven parm. You can still do tomato sauce.

The important thing with the pasta is to measure out the serving of the pasta portion of it. That's where a lot of the calories are.

DinahKyle

bumping for future shopping trips!

vltaylor35

loads of fruit and veg,
skimmed milk
prawns
chicken breast
any kind of fish
quorn mince (very low fat and high in protein)
fromage frais or fat free greek yoghurt
wholegrain cereals
ice pops- feels like a treat and are only about 25 calories
fry light spray oil

GerritTheBlacksmith

Whole Grain Bread
Eggs
Brown Rice
Dried Beans
Boneless Skinless Chicken breast

Loulady

Our usual:

Chicken breasts
ground beef
what ever meat is on sale
(all those get portioned up and frozen)

Spinach
Grapefruit
Frozen blueberries
Frozen steamfresh veggies
Carrots for snacking
hummus


String cheese
Greek yogurt
light sour cream
Almond milk

diet sodas and carbonated waters

LindsyMarie

Hi!! I always have fresh fruit and veggies, and one of my very favorite snacks is raw veggies and hummus. I use peppers, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini...whatever I have and use thm as dippers for my hummus.

butterfli7o

I love seeing everyone's list! It's good for getting ideas.

Mine are:
Avocados
Bananas
Frozen berries (for protein smoothies)
Lean ground turkey
Eggs
Quinoa
lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion
Splenda
Lite fat-free yogurt (don't like Greek)
Olive oil
Isopure protein powder
Fat-free milk
Chicken breast, Lean ground beef
Fish (mostly salmon)
Canned chicken, canned tuna
Low-cal wraps

Karebear_68

It looks like everyone has covered just about anything I was going to write!! One thing, if you are like me, I have to have something sweet at LEAST after lunch every day. I buy the Russell Stovers sugar free candy in the bag (the coconut is my fave) and eat one. The serving size is 3 but 1 is satisfying and it tastes GREAT!! I have to have little treats and this is my new fave!! Good luck! :flowerforyou: