Grocery list MUST haves

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  • MelbaToast361
    MelbaToast361 Posts: 1 Member
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    As mentioned before in someone else post, I usually stick to the perimeter of the grocery store as well and try to stay gluten free as much as possible. Ground turkey is a must, chicken breasts of course, I typically stay away from red meat. Brown rice or quinoa. All fruits and veggies..broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, avocados, bell peppers, English cucumbers, bananas, berries, eggs, stone fruits are my fave! nut milks, boars head sliced turkey and chicken for nights when I'm feeling a little lazy. Can't forget the coffee and almond milk creamer!!! I cook with coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. That's my list from today's grocery run! :)
  • jvanessa89
    jvanessa89 Posts: 332 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Some things I like to have on hand: chicken breast, tuna, eggs, beans, cashews/almonds, olive oil/butter, peanut butter, ekeziel sprouted bread, oatmeal, greek yogurt, tea, milk, cheese, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges, avocado, tomato, lettuce, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    as long as I don't buy peanut butter I'm doing pretty well.
  • AmandaOmega
    AmandaOmega Posts: 70 Member
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    I always have:

    Eggs
    Bread
    Sliced turkey/chicken for sandwiches
    Oatmeal
    Salad Mix
    Green Beans
    Corn
    Black Beans
    Onions
    Garlic
    Tea

    I very rarely have my pantry "stocked" with anything else. Even good things like nuts, fruits, veggies, etc can add up if I decided to get snacky. And on my diet (1200 calories/day), I can't afford to snack. So if it's not in the house, I can't eat it. I usually prepare dinner meals that last for 3-4 days, so I go to the store, get what I need, make it, and then it's leftovers for a few nights.
  • mariannedelanywright
    mariannedelanywright Posts: 5 Member
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    I have been watching You Tube videos on healthy clean eating meal prepping and got some good ideas. I shopped for wild caught salmon, lean sirloin, and chicken breast. I bought a few veggies I like, green beans, asparagus and spinach, mushrooms and onions. I marinated the meats and sliced up the chicken (a tip I saw that I really like). I marinated in lemon juice, vinegar and herbs and made a batch of brown rice and a couple of sweet potatoes. I cooked everything. I then measured and weighed for portion size and put into freezer/microwave containers.
    I pull one for lunch and dinner. It is simple, tastes good and is quick. I like coming home, putting it on a plate and in 5 minutes dinner is served! I sometimes use a no fat balsamic dressing on the veggies, or mix plain greek yogurt with salsa for a creamy dollop. I can add a salad or whole grain tortilla or bread for hubby. Im pretty lazy about making salads, but I have put it all over greens for a cold meal. Lots of variations using few ingredients.
    No dirty pans and stove to clean up, or dealing with my inner struggle of what I want to eat vs what I should be eating. I can serve my husband dinner within minutes of his arrival and it tastes good.
    I find I buy too much food that goes to waste. My goal is to keep it simple, buy, cook and eat what I have before buying more food, and focus on one thing at a time. Then get outside and have some fun!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I always get veggies and fruit. Usually bananas and some kind of berry for me (sometimes cantaloupe when in season, or the rare orange.) My husband juices, so I always have to get his staples: celery, greens, apples, carrots, cucumber.
    My go-to lunch is salad, so I get either spinach or power greens mix. If I want sweet, its berry spinach salad, savory would be Asian with cabbage or more traditional with tomato and carrot. Other produce would be squash (yellow or zucchini), onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, asparagus when on sale. I do watch for sales and will purchase different items according to sales/season.

    Protein: chicken, ground beef or turkey. Less often would be pork chops, sausages, fish. I also like light Greek yogurt. Peanuts...
    Starch: Veggie pasta, regular spaghetti, rice, taco shells, oatmeal, white whole wheat flour, cereal

    I also like to keep lite salad dressing (like raspberry vinaigrette, Italian, or ranch) , hot sauce, and oyster sauce on hand. Don't forget coffee!!!
    I order Quest bars and protein powder for myself to have as snacks.

    A typical day for me:
    Coffee (with either coffeemate, soymilk, cream, protein--it just depends on my mood)
    snack: homemade banana muffin, cookie, dry cereal...(also depends on mood)
    snack 2: protein bar
    lunch: salad or dinner leftovers
    snack 3: fruit and yogurt or veggies/dip
    snack 4: banana
    Dinner: starch/protein/veggie combo
    dessert: anything goes...
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
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    I agree with the practice of shopping the store perimeter. The reason this works is that the fresh food requires refrigeration, so they put those departments against the walls, behind which are the walk-in fridges and freezers - produce, fish, meat, dairy, deli, etc. I tend to do monthly trips for staples, like meat, eggs, fish, and most of it goes in the freezer. Weekly I fill in what I'm missing. I also "forage daily", or at least 2 to 4 times per week, on the way home, to pick up fresh produce. I like to eat it quickly, in abundance, and not store it too long.

    There ARE a couple of good reasons to venture into the central aisles, for things like oils, nuts, specialty items like tapenade, salsa, sauces, broth, protein/meat bars, etc. And 70% dark chocolate! (see if you can find "Icelandic Chocolate" by Sirius Noi...the best one I've found so far; Green&Black is a close second.)



  • jlemoore
    jlemoore Posts: 702 Member
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    shop the parameter of the grocery store. Fruits/veggies/meats/dairy. And then supplement with the frozen section with fruits/veggies/meats.
  • coco095
    coco095 Posts: 13 Member
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    Start with what you like and go from there. What vegetables do you like? Buy those, and eat those mostly, but try to buy 1 or 2 new produce items a week to try and expand your taste. You never know what you may like. A year ago I literally couldn't stand cooked kale, it made me spit it out. However, now, I like cooked kale with eggs and avocado. So you never know what you may like.

    Must haves for me are avocado, broccoli, garlic, berries of some sort, bananas to make banana nice cream, mushrooms, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, kale, romaine, spinach, coconut oil, olive oil, butter, eggs, and tuna. My healthy eating schedule is pretty boring, but it works for me. I mainly eat eggs and veggies for breakfast, or chia seed pudding, lunch is almost always a huge salad with whatever veggies I have plus cheese or fish, and dinner is always some combination of protein+roasted vegetable and sometimes with some added starchy vegetable. So it may be baked tilapia with broccoli and brussel sprouts, or salmon with green beans and sweet potato.

    A lot of people also buy some snack foods for the week, but I'm still working on my self control and currently can't eat traditional snacks without going crazy, so I make my own healthier snacks. I make knock off lara bars, date rolls, banana nice cream, or kale chips.

    TLDR; eat what you like, then add whatever suits your taste. Best of luck with your journey! :)
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Must haves for us would be: Broth (chicken and beef), Chicken breast, beef (ground and steak), turkey (deli), pork chops, bacon, eggs, onions, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cottage cheese, hard cheeses, berries, sometimes cantelope, nuts, Kind Bars, heavy cream and butter. I do go to the store 3-4 times a week so that I can get fresh produce and pick up things I don't have for a new recipe I might want to try.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Strictly diet related products:

    Truvia (both packets and baking blends)
    Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
    Whatever sugar free Torani syrup I can find
    Kraft Fat Free Mayo
    Crystal Light
    Halo Top
    Ole Xtreme Wellness! High Fiber Tortilla Wraps
    Bolthouse Farms low cal dressings
    Coke Zero
    Sugar free maple syrup
    Kraft Fat Free Cheddar
    Baked Lays
    I Can't Believe It Is Not Butter Light
    Silk's 25 cal cashew milk
    Pasta Zero
    Stubbs Sweet Heat BBQ sauce (if you put 2tsp to a tbls of bourbon in the bottle and stir...omg)
    Peanut butter powder

    Grocery items that happen to be low cal:

    Egg whites
    Pork loin
    Chicken breast/tenderloin/bone-in split breast
    Ground turkey or chicken
    Salmon/Tuna/Cod/Rockfish
    Skim milk (mostly for making my own skyr, Greek yogurt, and buttermilk. I rarely drink it straight)
    Fresh and frozen fruits, veggies, and herbs
    Bulk spices
    Bulgur
    Fresh mozzarella
    Feta
    Kirkland Organic Salsa
    Tzatziki
    Clear spirits - rum/vodka/gin/bourbon
    No sugar added applesauce as an oil replacer for baking

  • rsleighty
    rsleighty Posts: 214 Member
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    My must haves: bananas, avocados, baking potatoes, lettuce, cukes, peppers, chicken and turkey breast cutlets, ground chicken and turkey, brown rice, quinoa, dried bean/lentils.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut oil, greek yogurt, salsa, dill pickles.
    Butternut or acorn squash.

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