payday tomorrow- your top food/supplements 5 items and why?

Eggs.. 2 dozen (I hard boil and peel one doz)
Chicken breast
tuna packs (they have some flavored... like peppered or herb)
apples
cottage cheese
string cheese
bottled water if you aren't using your own refillable cups
green peppers
mini bags of microwave popcorn
sugar free jello
reddi whip (see above)
grapes (eat frozen... yumm)
multivitamin, omega 3, calcium, fiber supplement... cuz everyone poops

i buy meal replacement powder from sams club naturade total soy i usually drink the shakes when i don't have time to prepare breakfast or at night if i'm craving food. its very low in calories and pretty good in protein to keep you feeling full and sometimes i try to drink as many as i can during the weekend when i feel hungry since i don't work on weekends so i don't need as much energy hope this helps

Protein whey ( I love to make shakes for breakfast and late night snack) One flavored with coffee in the morning and one with fresh berries in the evening.

Quick Oats (you can use these in the protein shakes or for breakfast with ground flax and berries) They also make some yummy healthy cookies with a couple other ingredients.

Eggs - I haven't made them yet but I saw a post on pinterest that used a muffin pan to make like little egg patties with veggies and such in them. Ah, the incredible edible egg

Honeycrip or Fuji apples (an inexpensive healthy sugar go to) 1/2 with lunch and 1/2 with evening snack

Raw almonds (can be expensive, but a little goes a long way with this healthy fat/protein combo)

1. Greek yogurt (because you can use it in so many different ways from a sweet treat to sour cream).
2. Almond Milk is an absolute must. I use it in everything that calls for milk. Cereals, shakes, etc.
3. Fresh veggies - that's a no-brainer
4. Egg white substitute - great for breakfast (veggie egg bake) and use in recipes that call for eggs
5. La Tortilla factory low carb tortillas - you can wrap anything in them for a few calories

I agree about the lack of need for supplements if you have a balanced diet unless you are a super lifter or something. (I am SOOO not! I do take two of my kids' vitamins every day because I like them...I am just a kid, I guess)

Five required foods each week:

*Fresh fruits and veggies (broccoli, baby carrots, baby spinach, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, whatever else I like that's reasonably priced and looks good)
*quinoa or barley - they are both pretty easy to cook with and offer a great nutritional addition to any meal
*skinless, boneless chicken breast - again it can be used in SO many ways
*whole wheat/grain pasta - my two young kids love it plain and it's an easy addition to any meal (although I only eat it about 1-3 times per week myself)
*natural peanut butter - it's my go to food for a quick snack. I love it on bread, celery, crackers, from the jar;-)

If I had to stick with only 5 food items:

1. Baby spinach (so good in green smoothies!)
2. Frozen fruit (usually mango, strawberries, and/or pineapple--ditto)
3. Bananas (good in smoothies and as a snack by themselves, good source of potassium)
4. Black beans (good in soups and stews or in burritos, great source of plant protein)
5. Hummus (another good source of plant protein, can be eaten with crackers or raw veggies or as a sandwich spread)

My 5 must haves are:
Almond milk
Vi shake mix
Boneless/skinless chicken
Fiber one choc chip bars
Fresh fruit

Green Tea
Baby spinach leaves
Carrots (great to munch on as a snack)
Tofu
Steam fresh bagged veggies

My favorite snack ever=100 calorie popcorn, it feels like I'm eating a lot and totally gets me out of the "I want to eat the whole house" mode.... I would have been so miserable at the beginning especially without this stuff!