Grocery List Must Have's

I get the following pretty much every week, local as possible for the fruits, veggies, and meats):

Bananas
Greek Yogurt (low fat* fruit on the bottom)
Plain full fat regular yogurt
Block cheddar cheese
Organic corn chips
Salsa of some sort
One or two other types of fresh fruit (right now it's clementines)
Broccoli
One or two other types of fresh veggies
Whole milk (from a local dairy)
Cage-free eggs (from same dairy)
Locally-sourced bacon
Frozen beef and turkey patties (when possible from the above-mentioned local dairy, otherwise I get Philly Gourmet).
Ground turkey (at least 93/7)
Boneless, Skinless chicken breast (both "tenders" and "regular")
Breyer's Natural Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry Ice Cream

* I would get full-fat if they sold it where I shop)

Everyone else will fill in the "clean" stuff.

I'll suggest good old fashioned ice cream sandwiches.

You have two kids who will want periodic treats - you will want periodic treats...

The iced cream sandwich, the normal ones, are reasonably priced, yummy, provide good portion control, and are only about 150 calories.

I like this advice!!

Before making a grocery list you have to make a plan for what you will be eating for the week.

I don't find this to be entirely the case. While I do plan some meals and add the foods needed to prepare it to my list, my standard grocery list has items that can be made into meals depending on how I feel any particular day. Sometimes I like to play "Chopped" and randomly pick 4 things from my kitchen and try to make an entrée.

Eggs, some sort of smoked oily fish, tinned tuna and sardines, leafy green stuff, carrots, onions, full fat organic milk, brown rice, oats, fruit (fresh/frozen/tinned), parmesan, yogurts (but not sugar free or diet ones), chocolate and english breakfast tea.

I also keep things in the cupboard to make food more interesting (not sour cream or cheese, sadly!) - tamari sauce, mustard, wasabi, lime/lemon/yuzu juice, harissa, lots of spices and vinegars, that kind of thing. I grow herbs and usually have garlic/chillies/ginger about. I have stock in the freezer or use that Swiss bullion stuff, so if I'm stuck I'll dump in the contents of the veg drawer and whizz it up or add noodles.

I tend to plan what I eat for the week ahead, only because it stops me wandering about and spending money on things I won't use or will go to waste. I don't buy meat or fish from the supermaket, so I have to plan when I'm going to eat it.

Popcorn kernels are a good cupboard stand-by, they make loads of the stuff and they're cheap. I like salt and pepper on it.

Everyone else will fill in the "clean" stuff.

I'll suggest good old fashioned ice cream sandwiches.

You have two kids who will want periodic treats - you will want periodic treats...

The iced cream sandwich, the normal ones, are reasonably priced, yummy, provide good portion control, and are only about 150 calories.

Agree 100%.

Looking for a reasonable healthy snacking and meal plan ideas and grocery list must haves for a mom of 2 My problem is knowing what I need to have daily on hand in my fridge and pantry for everyday eating...a good list so when I go to the store I know what to get

Hire a nutritionist

I agree with meal planning and buy around that... along with some fun snacks. That way you don't have food spoil and you know you don't have to run to the store to finish making something.

In the morning my usual meals are:
- Oatmeal (old fashioned, 1/2 cup dry.. then cooked of course), with brown sugar (1 Tblsp), and 1/4 cup of milk.
- Breakfast sandwich. 1 whole egg, or 1 egg + 1 egg white, 1/2 of 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, about 40 calories worth of ham (generally that means under an ounce), and a Thomas 100-Calorie high fiber muffin, toasted.
- Egg omelette. 2 whole eggs or 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites. 1/2 of 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup fresh salsa, 1 Tblsp sour cream.

My shopping list for breakfast foods would be ingredients for salsa (tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, salt, granulated garlic.. or to make sure I had enough of that stuff on hand), english muffins, mozzarella cheese, ham, milk, brown sugar, oatmeal, EGGS, sour cream.

Lunch - Generally I've been having open faced sandwhiches. Olive Oil mayo, chicken breast.. or other lean meat, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salt and pepper. Today the plan is rock fish Civeche. I have lime (for the ranch dressing I make for dinner), and salsa (I already made for breakfast), black beans (I already made for dinner), the rock fish I had purchased for dinner.. but this sounds better.

Added to the shopping list would be bread that I can fit into my calories, olive oil mayo, chicken breast.. or other lean meat, lettuce, fish. The other stuff is already purchased.

Dinner - Lately have been eating brown rice with spinach, or baked potato with ranch, broccoli, and grilled meat.. beef steak mostly. Tonight the plan is black bean burgers (mixed 50/50 with ground beef). I can use the bread I bought for lunches, the onions and tomatoes I have on hand for salsa, it takes eggs.. I've got those on hand, cooked black beans (I did that a few days ago for this meal), mayo.. I have from the lunch plan.. ketchup and mustard.. hardly ever have to rebuy those.

Added to the shopping list is black beans, brown rice, spinach, potatoes, ingredients for ranch (parsley, fresh garlic, lime juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, and I have the other ingredients.. onions, sour cream, black pepper and salt)

Just for me, to remake my food this week:
1 6-count package of Thomas English Muffins (will have some left over)
3 dozen eggs (will have some left over)
1 - 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2# ham (will have some left over)
4# fresh tomatoes
4# broccoli +
3# onions
3 jalapenos
1 bunch of cilantro (will have 1/2 left over I will use the following week)
1 bunch of parsley (will have 3/4 left over.. that I will dry and use in future weeks)
Bunch of green leaf lettuce
Small apple cider vinegar (will have plenty leftover)
Granulated garlic
salt
black pepper
white pepper
Bottle of lime juice (will last us months)
bottle of ketchup (kids usually use this up)
Mustard (will last us months)
milk
sour cream
brown sugar
oatmeal
Loaf of bread
olive oil mayo,
1# chicken breast.. or other lean meat,
1/2# fish
1/4# Ground beef
1# Steaks
Black Beans
Brown Rice
spinach (I get 1# bags of frozen for most things.. fresh goes bad so fast)
potatoes
1 fresh garlic bulb
Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan cheese

Also I've had 100-calorie fudge bars for dessert, and orange chocolate wedges.. and my coffee (takes sugar and half and half).

I think next week I'll add green bell peppers (for omelets and stir fry), fresh ginger, Chinese 5-spice, sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce.. or stir fry. Served with brown rice and some kind of meat.. doesn't really matter the kind. Carrots, barley, celery, broccoli to use up some leftover beef steak in beef barley soup. If cabbage wasn't so crazy expensive I'd have one of those every week too.

Really, think about what you guys are going to eat and buy for that. I like the idea of shopping twice a week.. then you don't overfill you fridge and lose stuff and your fresh vegetables stay fresher before they are used, meat could go bad (especially thawed poultry)... then you have time to reevaluate what you need.

Totally seconding the ice cream sandwich idea! I buy the banana split ones for my son and me; we both love them and they're not calorically loaded at all.

Other than that I just do the basics.

FRESH: Spinach, tomatoes, avocados in season, sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots, onions... sometimes potatoes, but not always. Squashes and zucchini. Spaghetti squash and parsnips. Sometimes some pre-made salads for convenience on long work days.

BUTCHER: Whatever meats look good and are affordable -- always chicken, but the red meat and pork vary depending on the sales. Pork loin roasts are great, as are huge New York strip steaks, ribeyes, or T-bones (just cut them into appropriate servings). Boneless, no-fat pork chops are a regular thing too. Usually some fish; I particularly love flounder at the moment. Scallops when I can afford them. Smoked salmon.

BREAD: Whole-grain sandwich and bagel thins, sometimes low-cal bread but not always, flatbread wraps when I can find them, light English muffins.

CANNED/JARRED: Tuna, sometimes flavored and sometimes not. Cans of broth-based, veggie-heavy soup sometimes. Low-sodium broth or stock. Good salsa and hot sauce (I like Cholula). Canned stewed tomatoes and pasta sauce (particularly pesto -- I find a little goes a long way). Salad dressing, usually Greek yogurt-based.

FROZEN: Tons of veg -- broccoli and cauliflower always, then just whatever looks good. Stir-fry mixes are always a hit. Brussels sprouts (I steam them, refrigerate them, then have them with a little salad dressing). Morningstar veggie burgers. Ice cream sandwiches and/or Yoplait Greek frozen yogurt bars.

DAIRY/DELI: Laughing Cow wedges, pre-sliced real cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt in whatever flavors are appealing. Sometimes butter, but I don't use it often as I find it's not often truly necessary. Sliced deli meats, usually something low-cal like turkey or chicken, but sometimes I splurge on good salami, pastrami, or roast beef. Ham steaks for breakfast. String cheese for work snacks.

MISCELLANEOUS: Popcorn, popchips, rice cakes, almonds, pasta (only occasionally), bottled water (sparkling or still), diet sodas for the work fridge, tea bags, coffee, creamer (sometimes), lemon juice, and oddities like wild rice, fancy soup mixes from the local spendy grocery, etc.

... Wow, I buy a lot of food! But aside from the fresh, butcher, and frozen categories I don't tend to buy all of it at once.

Well, I just went to the grocery store and I bought a selection of in-season fruit and vegetables plus bananas, some fresh meat, fish, whole milk, cheese, some healthy pre-made meals for the freezer for those days I just can't be bothered cooking, some canned tomatos, canned pineapple.

My pantry/fridge also has, a selection of nuts and seeds for snacks and salads, basil pesto, some pasta and cos cos that I go through really slowly now, chickpeas, kidney beans, frozen veges and lots of herbs and spices.

I like to have a mix of things I need to spend a while cooking and things I can make quickly so that I always have something depending on the day. Some days I just don't have the time/energy to cook, but when I do I like to make my food from scratch.

Hummus )))