Help me grocery shop!

I shop the farmer's market for produce - this way I know the produce I get is organically produced and in season and local, which means it tastes WAY more delicious than produce than has been on a truck/plane/freighter for a week from South America. I've found that I like many fruits and veggies more unadorned this way than I ever did buying their bland cousins from the supermarket. Sometimes it may seem more expensive, but it turns out they also last way longer, because they were just picked, rather than losing that week in transport. I have my own chickens but you can also get pastured eggs which turn any pile of veggies into a meal!

I then fill in the staples at Trader Joe's and my local Mexican market - cheeses, soy milk, greek yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, oatmeal, organic garbanzo beans, locally made corn tortillas, etc.

I LOVE (LOVE!!!) food, so I'll never be willing to just eat the same old boring thing each day in the interest of weight loss. Food is my passion and my hobby, so I've found the joy in getting the best possible version of each food and this helps me create healthier meals that are still delicious.

If you don't have a farmer's market or CSA nearby, try to mostly shop the perimeter of your grocery store - that's where all the whole foods are. Only delve into the middle for a specific set of healthy things on your list, avoid the snack/processed aisles.

For breakfast....Kroger CarbMaster yogurt. 60 calories, high protein, low carbs. Sometimes I boil an egg (I've got a chicken coop in the backyard, so I always have eggs!) I have a serving of fruit....banana, apple, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and coffee...must have coffee mixed with one packet of fat free hot chocolate (25 calories) (LOVE THIS!!!!)....That's more than enough breakfast for me!!!

For on the go lunches, I like Lean Cuisine's....I like their rewards program, and you can find great deals if you coupon. I like the quality and the variety.

Dinner....I'm lucky, hy husband likes to cook. We grill or pan sear salmon,chicken, pork....and on very rare occasions, beef. We don't have meat/fish every night, but maybe three times a week. love the vegetables....especically squash and onions, sauteed cabbage, mushrooms, kale, love artichokes and spagetti squash. (I have a kidney disease that forces me to steer clear of soy, black or red beans, other green leafy vegetables such as spinach or turnip greens...I try to avoid foods with oxalates, unfortunately, its not on food labels)

Snacks.....a cheese stick, carrots, a handful or sunflower seeds or nuts....and another piece of fruit.


.....and I save up calories so I can have pizza or mexican or italian food out every once in a while. We eat out maybe onece every two weeks..

I need to go shopping this weekend, so I might as well make my list now! I've managed to avoid eating a single salad for the last two weeks and have stayed very full. Here's everything I have in my kitchen, with asterisks (*) next to my staple foods as well as how I use everything. I can do a lot of recipes from these items and I'm satisfied with them

My calorie goal each day is at 1400, but I try to exceed my goals and eat as close to 1200 as possible (that's the minimum I need to be eating to be healthy) and I also burn about 300-500 calories exercising every day. Nonetheless, I really like to feel "full" and "satisfied", so I like superfoods that taste delicious, leave me satisfied, and don't have a lot of calories. I think I'm starting to get a system down with the following foods, and then I stop by the supermarket on the way home if I'm trying a new recipe or need something I don't use often.

*peppers (green, red, yellow) - toppings for many things like sandwiches, fajitas, quesadillas, and teriyaki turkey burgers
*butter lettuce - filling for sandwiches and anything else
*lunch meat (roast beef and turkey) - sandwiches!
*tomatoes - toppings for just about anything
*apples - rotate with bananas and yogurt for breakfast and snacks
*bananas* - rotate with apples and yogurt for breakfast
*Nature Valley granola bars - great snack
*spicy brown mustard - makes me forget I used to love mayo on everything
*pitas - sandwiches
*chicken - great, filling protein in many meals
*Dannon Okios Greek yogurt (vanilla) - great for breakfast and I mix it with granola/berries
*frozen berry mix - great mixed with yogurt and in smoothies
*Provolone cheese - seems to compliment most things I want cheese with
*eggs - excellent boiled, scrambled, or fried and compliment many foods
*shrimp - great in salads, but I like eating a handful as a snack
*seafood cocktail sauce - I like dipping my shrimp
*yellow onion - topping and used in a lot of my recipes
*cottage cheese - SUPER filling and great for breakfast or a quick snack
*Chocolate milk (the kind in the jug - we have TruMoo 1%) - this is my "sweet" treat for the day
carrots - I love them as a quick snack and so does my horse!
rice - great filler or side dish
pineapple slices/tidbits - I love it as a topping on many things
teriyaki sauce - teriyaki turkey burgers
turkey burgers (I buy the patties, but you can buy the ground turkey meat and make your own) - one of my favorite dinners and I don't miss beef
Toasted berry crumble cereal - granola/berry cereal that I mix in with the Greek yogurt, but I'm moving more toward the frozen
avocado - an extra flavor to add to a variety of things
basalmic vinegarette salad dressing - extra flavor on sandwiches
red onion - topping
whole wheat hamburger buns - for my turkey burgers
whole wheat tortillas - wraps
fish (I get frozen fillets to save $$ and season it with Old Bay seasoning)
English muffins - alternative to bread and can be used for breakfast sandwiches or snacks or with an egg
cilantro - this seems to come up in a lot of recipes of mine
garlic clove - this seems to come up in a lot of recipes of mine
green onions - this seems to come up in a lot of recipes of mine
Worcestershire sauce - great for an extra kick with roast beef
yellow mustard - when I don't want as much of a kick as with spicy brown
pancake mix - I can get a filling dinner with pancakes and eggs
lime juice - this seems to come up in a lot of recipes of mine
olive oil - for cooking chicken or other items on the stove, but can also be used like dressing
grapes - snacking

That pretty much covers everything I've eaten over the last two weeks! Hope this helps

eggs, boneless skinless chicken breast, light barbeque sauce (or a little of regular) tilapia, 93% lean hamburger meat, fuiji apples, grapes, strawberries blue berries raspberries, light cool whip, baked cheetos, greek yogurt with fruit at the bottom, skinny cow has some good icecreams, bananas, some cereals that you think wouldnt be so good for you actually are they have a lot of vitamins and minerals and not that many calories so i stocked up on some of those last time i went, and 2% milk