Reposting: Food Shopping Help!

beansoverjava

Reposting this cause I need more suggestions! :P
Grocery shopping must haves? What low calorie items are you sure to grab while your shopping and/or what can you suggest? Foods, Snacks, Meals, etc! I'm trying to prevent myself from eating the same "safe" foods on a daily basis and in turn prevent my body from a plateau! Help? Also suggestions for packing a lunch, I work in retail and I need quick lunches!

cococa

I will preface this by saying that I've always been someone who enjoys small portions but big variety.

This lends itself really well to bento boxes for lunch. When I pack them, I usually do a tuna or egg salad (made with greek yogurt or mustard, skip the mayo) in a lettuce cup, a small bag of 365 veggie chips, chopped veggies (carrots, cucumber, etc) with a bit of hummus, a fruit salad with greek yogurt, and for dessert - a nut mix that I bake with a bit of brown sugar and dark cocoa.

I posted a bit about it here: https://csquaredculinaryadventures.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/mason-jars-and-bento-boxes/

...but you can find a ton of different ideas and ideas if you search for bento box recipes.

c_faulkenburg

Apples, baby carrots, celery, hummus, peanut butter, sliced (real!) cheese, whole wheat English muffins

jenilla1

I don't necessarily pick low calorie stuff. I try to pick nutrient dense and/or high fiber healthful foods. That way my body isn't craving more food than it needs (because I haven't eaten a bunch of empty calories.) I cook almost everything I eat from scratch. I even mill some of my own flour, so I don't eat a lot of processed food.

Spinach, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, apples, bananas, etc. Frozen fruits and veg are cheaper, easy to store, just as nutritious and always on hand. I choose whole grains, seeds and nuts, beans, etc. Eggs are good. I get chicken and turkey and fish when they are on sale and freeze them. If I did eat dairy (can't tolerate milk protein) I would choose the lower fat versions (not non-fat) just to keep the saturated fat lower, but lots of people like high fat dairy. I personally use unsweetened almond milk - low calorie, no sugar and high calcium. I choose to eat low fat animal products and save my fats for vegetable sources like olive oils, nuts, avocados, etc.

Quick lunches for me would be making up something in advance with all my healthy ingredients - like a casserole or salad or something - and then portioning it out ahead of time so you just grab it and go.

Good luck shoppping! Hope others can give you some good advice.

TurquoiseSky

Yoplait Source 0% Greek Yogurt. So delicious and 50 cals + 8 grams protein per 100g is fantastic. I start with that and mix in chopped avocado, fruit, whatever. I eat this every day at least once.

Zucchini... another fave with eggs, stirfrys, or baked with a little fresh parm. Great filler (as with eggplant) for rich sauce-based dishes.

Oatmeal when I want something filling for few calories. Like yogurt, I tend to throw in fruit, cinnamon, etc.

Fish... great source of good fats and delish.

Tzatziki -- delicious, low cal, high calcium condiment.

Francl27

Chicken, fish, deli cuts (the low fat/low sodium stuff), fruit, veggies, low fat cheese sticks, nonfat plain yogurt, oatmeal, lettuce (the big leaves ones), fat free cream cheese, whole grain bread/bagel/muffin on some sort, avocado, salsa, black beans... You could make lettuce wrap or salads for lunch, or cucumber sandwiches, sandwiches with whole grains and deli meat with just mustard and tomatoes/lettuce in them, egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad (I just mix with greek yogurt, a tiny bit of mayo, and mustard)..