Looking at my new and improved grocery list... boring..

Well, when I started decreasing my grains intake grocery shopping got a lot less fun temporarily. But then it got fun again as I discovered new recipes and foods.

For months I've been hating what I eat 6/7 days of the week. The most exciting thing I've put on my list lately has been beanitos bean chips!

When I began my food tasted really bland. As time has passed over the past month I really taste the food more now. I've been eating really clean though and when I eat something like broccoli or spinach the flavor really pops. Hell green beans are like candy to me now.
I guess what I'm saying is as you remove the super saturated sugar and fats from your diet you develop tastes for stuff that is much less rich and sugary. I'm pretty sure if I ate a meal like I did before the grease and sugar would make me sick.

I love the simplicity of my shopping trips now-meat department, produce department and then a quick stop in dairy for cheese, butter and eggs. I'm in and out in under 15 minutes-love it!

I also love what I eat now-never bored with my food

I would recommend Yoplait's flavored Greek Yogurt! It has much better consistency than a lot of the other brands

I would avoid the flavored greek yougurt they have a crap ton of sugar in them ...I just eat the plain one and sometimes add my own fruit...

I do this too and then add honey and a sliced banana. I'll add berries once they come into season.

I know what you mean. I love fruit, so I always get excited stocking up on strawberries, oranges, apples, and whatever else I can get (peaches and watermelon in the right season, and every once in awhile a pineapple). Ah, I love fruit. So, that gets me stoked. But yeah, as for the rest, yawn. It's especially hard walking by the bakery and the cereal aisle, my two big weaknesses.

I would advise you though, to keep trying new vegetables. I thought I hated all vegetables except baby carrots. Turns out I just hate all raw vegetables, with the exception of baby carrots, cucumbers, and summer squash. I'm not a huge fan of roasted eggplant, but I've heard if you do it right, it's awesome (I've never done it right). Roasted butternut squash is beyond awesome, roasted turnips, zucchini, summer squash, red and green peppers, and brussel sprouts are all decent. I also like steamed broccoli, green beans, and snap peas (I actually also like snap peas and green beans raw). So, I actually do enjoy getting home and seeing all my fresh produce stacked up, especially when there's a lot of different colors.

But yeah, some days I miss the times where I came home with Doritos, pizza rolls, candy, and fruit snacks, frozen meals (which weren't that high in calories but still not ideal), and like, 4 boxes of different cereals.

Call me boring, but all weekend I look forward to the Farmer's market. I still go to the grocery store for a few things (grains, almond milk, etc.), but everything else is bought at a MUCH cheaper rate out there. The crowd is usually pretty colorful. If you have something like this in your area, you might give it a go! My family loves it and most weeks I have friends tag along.

My goal is to NOT shop the inner aisles (except for coffee!) - most all located in the interior of the store is processed.

I know what you mean. I love fruit, so I always get excited stocking up on strawberries, oranges, apples, and whatever else I can get (peaches and watermelon in the right season, and every once in awhile a pineapple). Ah, I love fruit. So, that gets me stoked. But yeah, as for the rest, yawn. It's especially hard walking by the bakery and the cereal aisle, my two big weaknesses.

I would advise you though, to keep trying new vegetables. I thought I hated all vegetables except baby carrots. Turns out I just hate all raw vegetables, with the exception of baby carrots, cucumbers, and summer squash. I'm not a huge fan of roasted eggplant, but I've heard if you do it right, it's awesome (I've never done it right). Roasted butternut squash is beyond awesome, roasted turnips, zucchini, summer squash, red and green peppers, and brussel sprouts are all decent. I also like steamed broccoli, green beans, and snap peas (I actually also like snap peas and green beans raw). So, I actually do enjoy getting home and seeing all my fresh produce stacked up, especially when there's a lot of different colors.

But yeah, some days I miss the times where I came home with Doritos, pizza rolls, candy, and fruit snacks, frozen meals (which weren't that high in calories but still not ideal), and like, 4 boxes of different cereals.

I make it a point to pick out a new veggie each trip to the store, and my girls are required to pick one fruit and one veg each themselves as well.

Some... have been major fail, but some I have discovered are simply amazing. I will say I am clueless about spices and making any kind of sauces or anything, so a lot of it is very bland, but I am slowly trying to learn.

Go to Allrecipes.com and search for recipes using the veggies you're planning on buying for the week, then buy the herbs / spices in the recipe and cook it. I love cooking and experimenting and use this website to get ideas. The recipes are well written and easy to follow.

Why does nutrient dense, whole food have to be boring. There are about a gazillion cookbooks and recipes out there that have you cooking from scratch that aren't at all boring. None of my food is boring and I shop primarily the perimeter of my grocery store. If it's boring, you're doing it wrong and you need to broaden your horizons with some good cook books and/or online recipes. Also, don't be afraid to cook with a little olive oil, etc...so many people are just terrified of dietary fat and frankly don't get enough...fat = flavor.

Buying things that do double- or triple-duty helps me feel less bored with my shopping. I get more excited about, say, a huge bag of spinach if I know it's going to be a sandwich topping, an amazing avocado/strawberry salad base, a delicious addition to lentil soup, and a colorful pasta addition. I get a kind of meh feeling looking at something and thinking, "Well, that's it, that thing is all it is."

Don't forget to change things up as the seasons progress. Just as you're getting sick of apples (which are amazing diced fine and added to tuna salads, baked with cinnamon, or slivered into slowcooker oats -- not just raw), peaches are in season! And just when you can't take another bite of grilled salmon, shellfish like clams and mussels are at their peak. This really helps stave off some shopping boredom.