What's in your grocery cart?

gingersnaps828

I'm new and trying to figure this out. I need to get groceries to stock my kitchen with healthier eats. However, I am a picky eater and don't like chickent/turkey, fish or most veggies other than lettuce, carrots (cold), mushrooms, corn and potatoes. I also don't like to cook (although I am working on that). LOL. I know you're all thinking "good luck". But the whole point of this is to make this work with our lifestyle, right?

I use to eat very unhealthy. I wouldn't eat anything all day except potato chips. Seriously. No breakfast, no lunch. Just chips. My work kept me too busy, or I was too lazy. Then dinner came and either my family would have something separate or we'd have a quick dinner. I never really had the time to think about all the options for meals, and morning/afternoon/evening snacks.

So I am asking you smart eaters :-) ........ what types of foods do you get when you get groceries? Any suggestions for me?

Any ideas is appreciated. Thanks.
Ginger

nvpixie

I'm a big veggie eater so I always start in the produce. Get your faves and move on. Then I go to the meat section. I eat all types of meat and fish so I usually get some ground beef, steak to grill, chicken breast and frozen chicken wings. Then I move on to dairy. We get milk, cheeses, cottage cheese, butter, eggs. Frozen foods are mostly frozen veggies and icecream, but I let the kids pick out waffles and pot pies. Sometimes frozen pizza. We love Tombstone. After that, we might venture to the snack aisle and get some crackers, tortilla chips, salsa, nuts and popcorn.

That's about it. We get cereal but not every shopping trip.

silverlining84

My general grocery list consists of:

Chicken Breasts
Tilapia
Quinoa
Sweet potatoes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Almond Milk
Frozen fruit
Amy's soups
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Spinach
Egg whites
Spelt Bread
Sugar free jam

gingersnaps828

Thanks, ladies! great ideas. very helpful!!! can't wait to go and get some food this weekend!

peleroja

I like the preservative free sandwich meats, the ones without sodium nitrate and all that- I love those with some Laughing Cow cheese and vegetables on a whole-wheat tortilla. Great for lunches! I also buy tons of yogurt and fruit, raw vegetables of all varieties, and low-cal snack food like Fibre One brownies, CheeCha puffs (as good as chips for me) and mountains of raw kale, which we make into kale chips. I regularly buy almond milk, fish filets, Weight Watchers bread, soy butter (peanut alternative), dark chocolate... basically just stuff I can throw on a plate or on a sandwich. But I don't eat clean or anything, so low-fat packaged snacks in moderation are okay in my book.

princesspea234

It sounds like you need to reset your taste buds from a carb-heavy diet to one full of vegetables and lean proteins. Try hummus in a pita with carrots and peppers.... cottage cheese and fruit....homemade soups with veggies and beans.... The most important thing you can do is calorie count, watch sugar intake, carb intake and salt... and EXERCISE. Here is a recipe for "golaush" that is my go-to dinner when I want something hardy and healthy. Even my picky meat-and-potato-loving hubby will eat this.

Serves 1....

3-4 ounces ground beef 96% lean
1/2 Bell Pepper
1 clove garlic
Pam Spray
1/2 cup diced tomatoes...no salt added
1/2 cup black beans....no salt added
Salt and Pepper
hot sauce to taste

Heat skillet over medium high heat
Spray with Pam
Add diced bell pepper and ground beef
Season well
Brown beef and soften bell pepper
Add tomatoes and scrap bottom of pan with wooden spoon... That's where the yummy bits live
Add beans and season once more
Simmer over medium low heat for 5 minutes
Serve with hot sauce on the side...

Can serve four by using a pound of ground beef... 2 bell peppers....4 cloves garlic and the whole can of tomatoes and beans.

LeahT84

I get a lot of 100 calorie sandwich thins, 110 calorie pita pockets, avocados, fresh veggies, bananas, frozen fruit for smoothies, tuna, nonfat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, sargentos makes a low cal string cheese that I always have in my fridge for snacks. Trail mix, 100 calorie snack packs, salsa, baby carrots, black olives, artichoke hearts, the list is kind of endless.

pumpkinspice84

The things I buy regularly

Chicken breast
Ground turkey
Eggs
Bag salad
Whole grain bread
Greek yogurt
Strawberries
Blueberries
Apples
Bananas
Veggies for different meals
Almond milk
Oatmeal

gingersnaps828

You are all awesome! Thank you so much for the great ideas. And I will have to try that goolash recipe as we love goolash but this looks healthy, hearty and YUMMY!

princesspea234

oh! and my grocery list for next week is:

45 calorie sara lee bread
turkey breast
bananas
1 percent organic milk
natural peanut butter
96 percent lean ground beef
black beans
diced tomatoes
strawberries
red onion
garden delight ronzoni pasta
30-40 count shrimp
fat free miracle whip
black olives
orange
New England Clam Chowder Healthy Choice
eggs
hummus
radishes
carrots

It's for M-F...Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Mon Menu
B-Peanut butter sandwich with milk
L-Banana
D-Golaush
Tues Menu
B- Banana and strawberries
L-Turkey Sandwich
D-Shrimp Pasta with Olives, Peas and Red Onion
Weds Menu
B- Orange
L-Turkey Sandwich
D- Can of Soup
Thurs Menu
B-Poached egg and bread
L-Hummus with veggies
D- Taco Bell hard taco
Fri Menu
B-Peanut butter sandwich and milk
L-Banana
D- Cup egg drop soup, egg roll and one order of crab rangoon

DancingMoosie

I buy a bunch of my favorite fruits and veggies: grapefruit, apples, bananas, onion, avocado, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, celery, squash, peppers, mushrooms, salad, and sometimes potatoes. Then, I buy meat, like ground beef or turkey, chicken breast, fish (I really like steelhead trout), pork chops, or steak. Then its dairy aisle for milk (soy for me) cottage cheese, yogurt (I get plain lowfat and then some flavored greek for snacks), eggs. We like Mrs. Baird's bread and also the fold-out flat breads. HB gets rotisserie chicken lunch meat, sometimes I get low-sodium boar's head turkey or chicken. Sometimes I get 2 cans tuna and a container of humus. I make pickled veggies out of carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, vinegar. A cup of the pickled veg with salad greens and tuna salad (or lunch meat) and either a scoop of cottage cheese or a 1/4 avocado makes a great lunch. I love eggs with toast for breakfast. Dinner is whatever meat we want, with a vegetable(or two). I like to cut up a squash with several mushrooms, some onion and garlic and cook it in the nuwave.

gaylynn35

Salad mix
Tomatoes
Avocado's
Onions
Low fat cheese
strawberries
apples
bananas
watermelon
grapes
chicken breast
fiber one brownies
Atkins bars, I eat them for snacks!
Any kind of meat is okay as long as you watch the portion size
Broccoli
green beans
carrots
yogurt
eggs
bacon
peanut butter
almonds

seabuckaroo

yogurt, fruit (especially berries), fat free refried bean, salad kits with dressings you like, crystal light, nuts, peanut butter, almond milk, sweet potatoes and yams

mrsbrightside4

I was a very picky eater before and rarely cooked. I started cooking easy meals, modifying stuff to fit my tastes, and the more I did, the more I wanted to try. I absolutely LOVE veggies now.

I usually get eggs, beans (not too big on meat), salads, bread, LOTS of fruit, almond milk, almond butter...

And spices help mix things up!

vixtris

large eggs
1% milk
honey wheat bread (its not really whole wheat but i like it!!)
cantaloupe
apples
carrots
different types of chicken
93% lean beef
nature valley bars
unsalted peanuts
frozen corn

thats all i can think of for now.. lol

tootchute

I tend to do Jennie-o turkey meats, chicken, fish, veggies, brown rice and potato's, my husband likes homemade mash potato's. I also get fruits, and drink lots and lots of water.

nikilis

here's one I prepared earlier.

gingersnaps828

Okay, it's midnight here and I'm getting hungry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I better go to bed before I do something I regret

highervibes

Stick to the foods that you do like that are actually food. All the things you listed would qualify so you can certainly eat those I would say pick what you like around the edge of the grocery store as a general rule. Enjoy!

gingersnaps828

Ha ha. LOVE IT, nikilis !!

KateClivex

One of my new favorites is Dannon Light and Fit vanilla greek yogurt. I am not a greek yogurt fan, but this is decadent. Not bitter at all... like a really really thick whipped cream - just that hint of vanilla. It would make a great base for adding other things, jam, fruit, etc. Also, I think if I were to sweeten it a touch, maybe add an extra drop of vanilla, it would make a great topping for desserts or pancakes and the like.

I concentrate on protein, so I hit the meats section first. Chicken especially. Lunch meats and cheese - shredded and 2% string cheese (kraft is my fave, by far). Eggs are always good. Peanut butter.

Produce: I buy all the normal stuff, bananas and the like. I have recently fallen in love with spaghetti squash. Easy to cook, and pretty tasty and versatile. And pretty bland, to be honest. And I am not a big fan of squash normally. Use it is in place of pasta - it is great! And it cooks easily in the microwave with no prep besides cutting it in half.