1st time grocery shopping...

Rambles:

Chobani greek yogurt plain
Rolled oats
Eggs to hardboil/scramble
Whole wheat biscuits
Brown rice
Whole wheat bread slices
Chicken breast
Lean ground turkey
Citrus fruits
fresh/no-sugar added jam
Almond milk plain
whole wheat english muffins (mini-pizzas and buns for burgers)
tomatoes (tuna salad, burgers, and slices with a little salt for a snack)
1 red bell pepper (half for tuna salad, half for stir fry)
fresh asparagus
celery (some for tuna salad, some for stir fry, some to eat with hummus)
sweet potatoes
1 lemon (used for lemon garlic asparagus, tuna salad, and stir fry)
pasta sauce - no added sugar
1 or 2 cans of organic soup (amy’s split pea is the best)
2 cans of tuna

here are the things i’m definitely making at some point for dinner:

burgers (english muffin + veggie burger + tomato slice + lettuce)
lemon garlic asparagus (asparagus + garlic clove + lemon)
tuna salad (2 cans tuna + plain yogurt + celery + 1/2 red pepper + lemon juice + apple)
stir fry (bell pepper + soy sauce + chicken + brown rice + any other veggies i throw in)


For ideas/inspiration:
http://fitasfu**.tumblr.com/post/26095880512

http://fu**yeahfitspo.tumblr.com/

http://itstimetoburn.com/healthy-lunches-for-work-our-top-10-made-quick-and-easy/

http://pinterest.com/hopefulturk/yumm/

http://pinterest.com/hopefulturk/health/

First key - shop the perimeter of the store. It is where the freshest and most nurtitious item are. The produce, dairy, meats. the center aisles have all of the processed foods.

Second, the more ingrediants there are the less healthy the food is likely to be. For example - if you like peanut butter it should have nothing more than peanuts, salt and oil. Any more than that is just junk. Some don't even have those three. there are plenty of healthy versions of the things you love to take the time to read labels until you have locked away the brands you know are the best.

Cooking is all about flavor. Spices are your friend.

Some good easy ideas: any kind of fruit or veggie cut up with some kind of dip you make on your own. you can also use the natural peanut butter, honey or other things like that. I personaly like roasted sweet potatoes with honey to dip them in. A fast and easy breakfast is to get a low cal high fiber english muffin, one egg, canadian bacon and a slice of cheese if you want. nuke the scrambled egg - takes all of a minute - while you toast the muffin. make a sandwich and off you go. Protien to keep you full, flavor and under 350 cal.

For snacks nuts are an easy option. The key for snacks is prepacking. get the snack size baggies and measure servings into them so that you don't over estimate a serving size. Also, give yourself a mix of flavors and textures. Some crunchy, some sweet, some salty, etc.....

One benefit of eating someting similar a lot is that you begin to figure out if you are truly hungry or just snacking to snack.

Hope some of this helps.

Breakfast:
• eggs
• egg whites
• morning star veggie sausages
• whole grain 45-calorie (a slice) bread
• or, ezekiel low-sodium organic bread (not low calorie, but additive and preservative free, wonderful wonderful product)
• chobani low-fat greek yogurt
• fruit
• oatmeal

Breakfast Ideas:
• breakfast sandwich w/ egg (or egg whites), veggie sausage and cheese (sargentos ultra thin slices) on whole grain toast
• oatmeal w/ fresh fruit (blueberries are my fave to mix in)
• chobani yogurt w/ fresh fruit mixed in
• breakfast wraps (egg, veggie sausage & cheese on whole wheat wraps)
• omelets w/ fresh veggies (mushrooms, broccoli, onions, bell peppers)

Lunch/Dinner
• frozen meals (yes sodium is high, but they are great options for busy days)
• chicken breasts
• tilapia
• salmon
• shrimp
• pork roast (pork is a great, lean meat, if you get the RIGHT CUT)
• veggie burgers (morning star & boca brands are both great)
• beans (white beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbonzo beans)
• lentils
• split peas
• low-sodium veggie/chicken stock (always keep on hand)
• brown rice
• quinoa
• frozen spinach
• veggies (asparagus, broccoli, butternut squash, acorn squash, mushrooms, ect)

Lunch/Dinner Ideas
• Portabella mushroom burgers
• Grilled chicken w/ rice and veggies
• Salmon w/ terriaki glaze (they make low sodium ones now!)
• Shrimp tossed with lemon, garlic and pepper w/ roasted asparagus
• Tilapia crusted w/ toritlla crumbs and baked, served with salsa and veggies
• salads (beans for protein source)

Snacks
• nuts
• peanut butter
• crackers
• dried fruit
• hummus
• yogurt
• fresh fruit

hope that gave you some new ideas!!!
good luck on your shopping trip!!!

♥m