Grocery Shopping...NEED HELP!!!!

A good rule of thumb : Buy ingredients, not products ! You'll be healthier and save money. If it comes in a package with a brand name, that's a good sign its overpriced and not as healthy for you.

Definitely go to the produce department first. Better yet, go to a farmer's market.

Anything you haven't cooked recently ? Buy it.

Anything you've never tried ? Buy it.

You really can't go wrong with veggies, but maybe skip the corn.

As far as recipes for veggies go, if I don't already have an idea in mind I just google the name and come up with lots of new ideas.

Definitely pick up a bag or bunch of carrots. Hungry ? Eat a carrot ! Need some "boredom food" ? Eat a carrot !

Most of us could stand to eat more _fresh_ fruit, especially if you use them to replace refined sugar.

If you eat yogurt, buy it plain. You can eat it plain sometimes, or else mix in (healthy, nutritious) fresh fruit instead of corn syrup and ink and preservatives.

Stay away from canned fruit as much as you can, and by all means "Just Say No" to fruit juice.

Whatever else you do, buy a huge sack of apples and keep your self stocked up. Apples are an awesome snack : they're sweet, they fill you up and stick with you. I eat one every day for breakfast, and another every day after lunch.

And once you make it out of the produce dept, buy yourself a whole lotta beans. Beans are yummy, super-cheap, and really nutritious. And they're another food that keeps you feeling full and satisfied for hours. They way food should ! Canned ones are okay, but for variety and value, dried is the way to go. Soaking them and discarding the rinse water is a good way to avoid getting gas. Also, the "good bacteria" in your gut adapt to a diet with lots of beans, so if gas is an issue, it is something your body gets used to. Anyway, once you learn how to soak dried beans overnight and toss them in a slow cooker in the morning, its a no-brainer.

Secret tip : any bean tastes even awesomer when its cooked with pig fat. Go ahead, check the calories : surprise, its not that high !

Next stop is the meat counter. You can make super-satisfying meals that fit in your budget and diet by using meat as an ingredient, or as a small-ish side, instead of a main course. Hint : don't forget about the non-industrial meats like bison and lamb, cornish game hen, etc.

Also, once you learn to broil fish (I use a cast iron grill pan), your life will change for the better.

Anyway, here's a few things I've learned to cook for myself since I started my diet. I vowed NOT to deprive myself of yummy, satisfying food, and so far its working. Mostly recipes i just online :

Chickpeas and ground lamb, with sauteed onion and garlic and spices (ginger, cayenne, cloves, cinnamon, paprika,...)

Cabbage and sausage with white wine (choucroute)

Salmon (or any fish) cooked in a cast iron grill pan, with kosher salt and pepper.

Roma tomato and cucumber salad (with salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar)

Yellow squash and tomatoes.

Spaghetti Squash, boiled 20 minutes. Use instead of pasta.

Lamb and eggplant ragu (recipe in cookbook, but about 3x more eggplant than lamb stew meat, with canned diced tomatoes, onion, and spices.)

Real, naturally ripened, non-supermarket tomato that's dark red all the way through : just slice it up and add a few drops of olive oil. Add salt and pepper. This is a meal !

Fresh beets, peeled and roasted in slow 3-4 hours cooker with a litle bit of V-8 juice. Amazing !

Greens (beet tops, spinach, ...) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and crushed red pepper. Then just throw in the rinsed fresh greens and cook 'em until they're irresistable.

Bean soup : toss in 5 different cans (drained) of beans in a slow cooker, add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and a can of refried beans (stir this with a little stock first), bay leaf, pepper.

Quinoa with wild mushrooms (dried, let them soak in broth first) and chicken broth. If you've never tried quinoa, be sure to.

Thank you so much for the input. I see a nutritionist, and she told me anything I can eat raw is a good carb. Most veggies....corn is something I should only eat every now and then. Beans should be limited, too. I'm not big on veggies, so how do you suggest I get into eating them?