Help! Newly wed who is clueless on 'eating clean'..

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Best advice a Doctor once told my Mom - shop the perimeter of the store ONLY. Think about it, EVERY store has the basic food groups around the perimeter - meat, dairy, grains, fruits & veggies! Don't worry about shopping organic for the time being; you have to start somewhere & can work into organic as finances permit.

Skinnytaste.com has some great recipes with no crazy ingredients that you'll only use once!

I would recommend investing in a good, all-purpose cookbook, like Joy of Cooking. It has great menu planning advice and you can plan your shopping trips ahead of time so you know what to have on hand for what you want to cook. There is a plethora of cookbooks out there with low-cal cooking tips and menus. They may be of help, too.

I had used a Groupon a few months ago for www.emeals.com But, the normal price is about $50 for a year's worth of dinner recipes. What you get is 7 dinner recipes each week plus a shopping list of what you need for each meal. Some of the plans have where you can get a list for a particular grocery store. I use Publix and the Low Fat plan. So, it gives me 7 dinner recipes and grocery list for what is on sale at Publix that week. They also have a Clean Eating plan which I chose at first but I found the groceries to be more expensive each week which is sad that eating healthier has to cost more. Clean Eating was basically everything fresh. Fresh produce and meats. Pretty much staying away from boxed ready made products. I love emeals because I never have to worry about what to cook for dinner. And I always have what I need from week to week because we do the shopping once a week to get everything we need for the next week. On the low fat plan our grocery bill at Publix has run from around $50 to $90 because sometimes I will cross a meal or 2 off if I don't plan to cook on a certain night. They have Clean Eating, Low Fat, Low Carb, Portion Control and regular plans. I strongly recommend it if you can afford the initial yearly subscription.
Have fun with it!
Monique

Do you have an aldi near by? If so aldi is your BEST friend. Lots of good fresh produce, very cheap! X

I am basically clueless. I feel overwhelmed at the grocery store because I am new to cooking and now I am trying to think of ways to shop healthier for Hubby and I and its. not. computing. hah... Like our version of cooking would be hamburger helper, or a lean cuisine you stick in the microwave. I just need simple practicles that will get me started in the right direction. Maybe grocery list examples, or a website that has recipes that arent super complicated or expensive. Another big concern is budget/money. When you go all out and buy everything organic, the grocery bill can get really high.. so I want to learn how to cook healthy, but be smart about it for a reasonable price! I am willing to take a day like sunday and prepare meals before hand for the week and put my crock pot to use! I just dont know what to cook! Somebody please show me the light!! I'm tired of feeling frustrated.. I didnt know there was a whole new world out there when it comes to eating right!

Stick to the outside aisles at the grocery. Going up and down the aisles will only give you heavily processed foods. There's exceptions, but let's face it. They're not stocking high-sodium/high-carb/high-everything else next to the produce. Learn how to use your crisper (bottom shelves of your fridge) and get ready to go to the produce section at least 2x/week.

If you want to find more info on what is meant by clean, search for paleo diets/caveman diets, etc. I pick and choose from them and craft what works for me.

Congrats on your newly wed status, too! All the best to you and your husband as you start on a healthy life together! I'm pulling for you!!!

I have to throw my vote in for skinnytaste.com and skinnyms.com. Especially Skinnyms if you want to use your crock pot. There are a TON of slow cooker recipes on that site!

I dont buy all organic, but as others have posted, I try to adhere to the dirty dozen/clean fifteen list. I also wash everything before I use it. I got tired of paying for the expensive veggie washes at the supermarket, so I make my own - white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I swear your fruits and veggies will NOT come out tasting like vinegar, heh. Totally cheap. Spray, rinse, and go. I think it's a good idea to wash everything, even if you're not going to eat the peel, because your knife is just going to drag whatever's on the outside to the inside when you cut/slice. Just my two cents.

I also cook my own beans instead of buying canned. Even the "low sodium" canned beans are still pretty ridiculous with regard to the salty stuff. I just soak a pound or two of dried beans overnight, rinse, cover with water in a big pot. Bring to a boil, simmer until they are *just* done and tender (about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how fast they're simmering), drain and rinse. When they're cool, I pack them into quart freezer bags two cups at a time and freeze flat. They don't take a lot of space in the freezer that way, and one bag is roughly one can of beans. It's a little more labor intensive than opening a can but a whole lot cheaper.

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Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" book. Worth every penny. Find it at the library if funds are tight. There also may be a lot of great info on his food revolution website.

Jamie's website: www.jamieoliver.com (you do need a nickname and password to post anything)