Grocery list

aprilh576
aprilh576 Posts: 50 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone what to share there staple go to healthy foods. Or what your grocery list looks like? In need of healthy options.

Replies

  • Carlala2
    Carlala2 Posts: 28 Member
    I try to get as many fruits and veggies as I can and I go to Aldi so I can get more for cheap! Broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, baby carrots, zucchini...anything to throw together a salad, to have for snacks, or a side for a meal. Hummus, salsa. Cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, yogurt..to take in my lunch. Some chicken, fish, and turkey to have on my salads. Extra thin cheese slices to have on a sandwich..I like to use the 100 calorie sandwich rounds for the bread. Oatmeal for breakfast. And low calorie Popsicles for dessert
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    edited April 2015
    Typical weekly list looks like:
    *Greek yogurt
    cottage cheese
    cheese sticks (though I buy big packs so I might only buy these once every 2-3 wks)
    baby carrots
    low-sodium deli sliced turkey
    spinach
    asparagus
    bell peppers
    steak (I generally buy fresh from the butcher counter, I buy extra to freeze when it's on sale)
    strawberries
    avocados (I eat 2-3 a week usually)
    eggs if needed
    egg whites in a carton if needed


    and probably some other stuff but my mind is going blank right now.
  • AmZam05
    AmZam05 Posts: 130 Member
    - Vegetables, a ton of them, both fresh and frozen. Onions and garlic are mandatory in my kitchen.
    - Aaaallll of the meats (I stock up at Sam's Club or Aldi sales, portion, and freeze)
    - Plain whole milk greek yogurt
    - Frozen mixed berries for said yogurt
    - Some fresh fruit
    - A ton of eggs and cheese
    - Brown rice, quinoa, old fashioned oats for them carbs
    - Almond milk (or regular milk if you fancy, we just got hooked on almond milk)
    - Black beans, navy beans, chickpeas, etc
    - Natural peanut butter and fresh-ground nut butters if you have a store that supplies them. Market District has stations where you can grind your own nut butters fresh - it's awesome!
    - Nuts! Unsalted in-shell peanuts, raw cashews, raw almonds
    - Oh and cool whip. I'm hooked.

    I personally like to eat a lot of whole foods and not so much processed stuff (excluding cool whip lol). Everyone has their own thing that works for them, I like to cook with real food.
  • pinkteapot3
    pinkteapot3 Posts: 157 Member
    I think you should start with the meals you want to eat, not the ingredients. You could buy the items listed above and then get home and think "What am I going to do with these?".

    Look for healthy meal recipes that you'd like, then list the groceries you need for them. Might be an easier approach?
  • mysticlizard
    mysticlizard Posts: 896 Member
    Carlala2 wrote: »
    I try to get as many fruits and veggies as I can and I go to Aldi so I can get more for cheap! Broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, baby carrots, zucchini...anything to throw together a salad, to have for snacks, or a side for a meal. Hummus, salsa. Cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, yogurt..to take in my lunch. Some chicken, fish, and turkey to have on my salads. Extra thin cheese slices to have on a sandwich..I like to use the 100 calorie sandwich rounds for the bread. Oatmeal for breakfast. And low calorie Popsicles for dessert

    Aldi rocks! Asparagus is in season right now and the berries and pineapple have been awesome. Vegies, vegies, and more vegies. When I get home from the store, I clean and cut up all the vegies before they go into the fridge so I can grab them and easily use them during the week, either eating them raw for lunch or cooking them for supper.
  • Graceraeg
    Graceraeg Posts: 84 Member
    AmZam05 wrote: »
    - Vegetables, a ton of them, both fresh and frozen. Onions and garlic are mandatory in my kitchen.
    - Aaaallll of the meats (I stock up at Sam's Club or Aldi sales, portion, and freeze)
    - Plain whole milk greek yogurt
    - Frozen mixed berries for said yogurt
    - Some fresh fruit
    - A ton of eggs and cheese
    - Brown rice, quinoa, old fashioned oats for them carbs
    - Almond milk (or regular milk if you fancy, we just got hooked on almond milk)
    - Black beans, navy beans, chickpeas, etc
    - Natural peanut butter and fresh-ground nut butters if you have a store that supplies them. Market District has stations where you can grind your own nut butters fresh - it's awesome!
    - Nuts! Unsalted in-shell peanuts, raw cashews, raw almonds
    - Oh and cool whip. I'm hooked.

    I personally like to eat a lot of whole foods and not so much processed stuff (excluding cool whip lol). Everyone has their own thing that works for them, I like to cook with real food.[/quote

    This is how I shop! No cool whip though And I buy snacks for the kids. I also shop at aldis. Eat my fage 0% yogurt with 1/4 cup almonds and maybe some honey.
    I don't buy peanuts or cashews because they can add to viseral fat. I buy almonds pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Chicken breasts, frozen veggies, rice. I usually keep those on hand for easy meals.

    I also do what pinkteapot3 suggested and write out a list of dinners and then build my grocery list off of that.
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    I start off my shopping in the fruit and vegetable area. I usually make a meal plan as I'm going through and find ingredients that fit in the meals and are in season. I usually have a few meals that are pretty common like grilled chicken or hamburgers that I spice up differently depending upon what is in season. I will then tailor the rest of my shopping to fill in sides to go with my meals, like risotto, mashed potatoes or vegetables. I look for lower sodium packaged foods if I need them. I have a wife and 2 kids that I have to consider as well so I plan my meals to suit them more than myself but I try to make the meals as healthy as possible. I also tend to shop on the outer isles more than the middle ones since that's where they keep most of the fresh produce and meats.
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    My grocery list:

    milk
    eggs
    bread
    thin bagels
    cheerios
    raisin bran
    yogurt
    lettuce
    tomato
    cucumbers
    baby carrots
    celery
    shrimp
    flounder - not every week because one bag lasts 3-4 meals.
    oatmeal
    bottled water
    seltzer water
    juice
    chicken - I buy the 6-8lb packages when they go on sale and then split it and freeze it
    beans
    crushed tomatoes
    butter
    cheese
    whole wheat English muffins


    That's just an idea again some I don't buy every week because its enough to last a few meals but I always buy fresh produce every week. That's not everything because I do have a husband and 2 kids so I do buy lunch items to pack their lunches and that differs from week to week. I do not eat cereal but my husband does otherwise I would never buy it. I also make my meals out for the next 7 days and make my list out of there. Its easier and I tend to not over buy or buy garbage if I go with a plan.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I agree with those who said to do it the other way around. I meal plan, so on the top of my list, I write maybe 6 meals I plan to make over the following two weeks. I write ingredients that I don't have at home on the bottom of the list and fill in with things that we always need like milk, almond milk, eggs, canned tomatoes, etc.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    I think you should start with the meals you want to eat, not the ingredients. You could buy the items listed above and then get home and think "What am I going to do with these?".

    Look for healthy meal recipes that you'd like, then list the groceries you need for them. Might be an easier approach?

    This. I check my freezer stash and then see what's on sale at the grocery stores I frequent. From that I get an idea of what I'm making for dinners/lunches. Do you have Pinterest? I have a lot of my dinner ideas there and skim it over.






  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
    I switch things up a lot and don't have many staples. I would say

    Most used items
    Garlic bulbs
    Butter
    Milk
    Eggs
    Olive Oil
    3lb bag of onions
    Bananas & frozen fruit for smoothies
    Unsweetened almond milk

    Other staples
    Meats in bulk
    Frozen Fish (the kind that is vacuum sealed & frozen ON the boat)
    Celery
    Baby Carrots
    Avocado
    Canned tomato (diced, crushed, & whole)
    Chicken and Beef Stock
    Greens (arugula, collards, chard, kale, spring mix)
    PB and Almond butter
    Feta Cheese (in brine)
    Parmesan Cheese

    I eat fairly low carb, but when I'm running low, I stock up on brown rice, basmati rice, and old fashioned oats. Like I said - I mix it up a lot so I will also buy 1/2 cup of barley, farro, israeli cous cous, etc in the bulk bins section and then use that in a few meals across the week. I will buy different healthy toppings there in small quantities (various nuts and seeds) to put on entrees and salads. I'll also pick 2-3 vegetables I want to prepare that week, and perhaps some yams or other healthy starches. I typically stock up on frozen vegetables once every few months so that I have something healthy on hand in a pinch.


  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    Hi! I have a tip when you buy your nuts seeds go in the baking isle they are much cheaper than the snack isle! Also buy seasoning from the mexican section or grocer they are in baggies and generally 98c!

    Also buy from discount stores such as aldi, smart shoppers, or 99 c only. Sometimes big lots has good deals too.

    my general list:

    Lots of eggs
    simple grilled chicken strips
    chicken breast individual wrapped
    eggwhites
    frozen fruit
    yogurt plain (greek if on sale)
    Cheese
    avacado(if affordable)
    Kale
    spinach
    zucchini
    english cucumber
    hummus
    okos salad mixes
    black beans
    navy beans
    canellini beans
    kidney beans
    whole wheat toryillas
    brown rice
    salsa
    celery
    pb
    frozen veg mixes
    salad mix
    nuts
    olive oil
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    Oh canbed tuna and crab and any fish that fits in budget
  • aprilh576
    aprilh576 Posts: 50 Member
    Thanks, I'm not really a cook or good grocery shopper that's why I asked and so happy to see the response. I eat out a lot but have slowed down. And I use to buy a lot of box processed food. I'm losing weight with small changes and exercise however my food selection mainly for dinner can be way better.
  • lulucitron
    lulucitron Posts: 366 Member
    I buy every couple days so there isn't waste.
    Almond milk
    Eggs
    Tuna packed in water
    Rodgers oats with added flax
    frozen raspberries
    bananas
    plain greek yogurt
    ezekiel bread
    whole wheat english muffins
    natural peanut butter
    balsamic vinegar and olive oil (don't buy often but ensure I have on hand)
    coconut oil (same as vinegar and olive oil)
    protein powder
    baby spinach
    sweet kale salad from Costco
    natural almonds, walnuts
    asparagus, green beans, broccoli
    melt organic spread
    lavash spelt crackers
    smuckers no sugar raspberry jam
    refrigerated chocolate jello pudding
    coffee mate sugar free vanilla coffee creamer (I can't drink black and it's so tasty in coffee)
    Ground flax seed (buy small quantities as it goes bad quickly - keep in fridge)
    nature's path cinnamon flax cereal (so good and the nutritionals aren't bad)
    or Alpen no sugar added museli cereal
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    I typically meal plan before. Then make my list based off the meals and snacks I have selected.

    The bulk of my groceries come from the dairy, produce and meat sections. I also get lunch meat from the deli counter. I try and avoid the interior part of the store as much as I can.
  • AmZam05
    AmZam05 Posts: 130 Member
    aprilh576 wrote: »
    Thanks, I'm not really a cook or good grocery shopper that's why I asked and so happy to see the response. I eat out a lot but have slowed down. And I use to buy a lot of box processed food. I'm losing weight with small changes and exercise however my food selection mainly for dinner can be way better.

    I would definitely agree with others and say to meal plan ahead of time. A good place to start is choose a protein, an accompanying vegetable, and carb if your macros allow. I'll typically run through the dinners I want to make for the week before I shop and I always start with meat then pair things off that. Having a freezer heavily stocked with meat and vegetables is always a good idea if you are trying to shy away from processed foods and save money, seriously, buying meat in bulk saves a TON. And remember that frozen veggies typically have a higher nutrient content than fresh because they are blanched and frozen immediately after being picked.

    Start by buying what you need for the meals you want to make, and after a while you'll learn that your particular staple items are that you'll want to have in the house.
  • ashypashy7
    ashypashy7 Posts: 50 Member
    I tend to make a lose meal plan then by the things I need for that. I make salads in a jar, boil 12 eggs, cook a pack of chicken breasts and cut up veggies at the start of every week and store it in the fridge. Then if I run out of time or I'm not sure what to make I have the chicken, salad stuff and whatever else to grow together. The eggs we eat as snacks or I mix them with some greek yogourt for egg salad.

    My list looks like

    Chicken breast
    2x eggs
    Soy milk
    Bananas
    Fruit (apples, berries)
    Spinach
    Kale
    Green leaf lettuce
    Carrots
    Roma tomatoes
    Canned tomatoes
    Tuna
    Beans
    Whole wheat pasta
    Turkey lunch meat
    Ground turkey
    Whole wheat bread
    Cheese
    Almonds


    I stock up on things we eat often when they go on sale and I use bulk stores for spices :)
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    I think you should start with the meals you want to eat, not the ingredients. You could buy the items listed above and then get home and think "What am I going to do with these?".

    Look for healthy meal recipes that you'd like, then list the groceries you need for them. Might be an easier approach?

    Another in agreement with this. Meal planning is a pain, but I shop faster (and waste less) because of it. If I see a great sale on produce my family likes (sweet potatoes, mushrooms, bright colored peppers), I'll work it in the plan. When our favorite meat cuts are on sale, I buy double and freeze half. Aside from sale items, it saves time in the store and the kitchen to stick to the plan.
  • PiSquared
    PiSquared Posts: 148 Member
    I typically make a meal plan, and write my grocery list from there. I think this is important for fresh produce that I want to use before it goes bad and I have to toss it. I have a little more leeway with meats because they can be frozen, so I'll stock up on meats if there is a good sale.

    With that said, I do have a list of pantry staples I like to keep around, for nights I need to throw something together.
    Minced garlic
    Crushed ginger (I cook a lot of Asian inspired meals)
    Canned diced tomatoes (preferably no salt added)
    Canned black beans
    Canned chickpeas
    Rice (I usually have 4 different types of rice - long grain brown, jasmine, wild rice blend, and arborio)
    chicken broth (low sodium)
    vegetable broth
    olive oil
    peanut oil (my preferred cooking oil)
    various hot sauces (sriracha, sambal oelek, tobasco)
    vinegars (white wine, balsamic, rice, and plain white are my work horses, but I have a few more)
    dijon mustard (works well in salad dressings, sauces, and marinades)
    honey
    flour
    brown sugar
    soy sauce
    lemon juice

    And then the perishable staples
    Fat free milk
    eggs
    butter
    Greek yogurt

    I also try to eat 2 pieces of fruit during the day. I usually have my 10am banana, and then another piece of fruit in the afternoon as a snack (somewhere around 2:30 or 3pm, when I start to get hungry again). My fruit choice will depend on what's in season/looks good/is on sale. We're still in the throws of winter in the northeast, and citrus is still pretty inexpensive right now, so I've been eating oranges. In the summer, I'll eat peaches, plums, and other fruits in season.
  • PiSquared
    PiSquared Posts: 148 Member
    I forgot to add frozen veggies. Lots of frozen veggies. They're relatively inexpensive and will keep a long time. I will steam them in the microwave as a side dish, or sometimes thaw them in the refrigerator and use them as I would fresh veggies in dishes like stir fries, or sometimes oven roast them.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Things we buy in bulk:

    Extra virgin olive oil
    Frozen peas, corn and beans
    Pasta
    Rice
    Flour
    Dried beans and lentils
    Frozen fish
    Tomato paste
    Coffee
    Tea
    Sugar


    Things I always have at home and buy as needed whenever we have just 1-2 days worth left:

    Milk
    Fresh fruit, whatever is in season plus bananas year round
    Eggs
    Yoghurt (greek) both plain and with fruit
    Feta cheese
    Tomatoes plus whatever vegetables are in season
    Honey


    Things I frequently buy depending on the meals and snacks planned for the next days:

    Beef, pork, chicken
    Fresh fish and other seafood
    Cheese
    Bread
    Mushrooms
    Fresh herbs
    Deli meats
    Nuts
    Cereal
    Treats (chocolate, ice cream, cookies etc)
  • hnm921
    hnm921 Posts: 49 Member
    silly question...for those who put frozen berries in your yogurt, do you defrost them first or do you add them frozen and let them defrost or eat them frozen? I was just curious as I've been wanting to switch to plain yogurt.
  • courtneyallisonatx
    courtneyallisonatx Posts: 133 Member
    That's actually a really good question, I was wondering the same thing!
  • lulucitron
    lulucitron Posts: 366 Member
    I defrost them first. I like them syrupy. I only add them frozen when I'm making shakes or before I microwave my oatmeal.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    edited April 2015
    I forgot, I buy banana's every week. I usually eat one banana a day.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I have a meal plan before I make my final grocery list but keep one posted in the kitchen that I add things to as we run out.
    A few things that are frequently on the list:
    Greek yogurt
    Fruit
    Eggs
    Milk
    Cheese
    Onions
    Spinach
    Potatoes
    Granola bars
    Chicken
    Frozen vegetables

    I keep things like dry beans, lentils, rice, pasta, flour, and spices stocked up.
  • AmZam05
    AmZam05 Posts: 130 Member
    hnm921 wrote: »
    silly question...for those who put frozen berries in your yogurt, do you defrost them first or do you add them frozen and let them defrost or eat them frozen? I was just curious as I've been wanting to switch to plain yogurt.

    It depends when you eat it. If you're eating it right away, let them thaw. However I make mine in advance in a custard cup with berries on the bottom and yogurt on top. Sitting in the fridge for several hours will thaw them out and release all the lovely berry juices. I also add a packet of Stevia in the Raw because I can't quite handle it straight.
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