Grocery Store Staples

salads and chicken breast. I like to cut mine into strips and make them spicy and toss them on a salad and I"ll keep them whole and not spicy for the rest of the family. I also really like the butterball everyday turkey sausage. Even my 17 year old likes it.

Salmon (cooking spray, tin foil, toss on some seasoning, some chopped up veggies...Seal the foil so everything is in a 'bag'...Cook on 350-375 for 20-25 minutes)
Boca patties (little high in sodium but better than many alternatives)
Skim Milk
Egg Whites

I pre-portion EVERYTHING. My salmon, I buy them, portion, and toss in bags (into the freezer). It has SERIOUSLY helped me make quick and easily meals out of just about anything.

Check out skinnycrockpot.com

fat free ranch dressing
hot sauce
emeril's original essence
laughing cow lite cheese wedges
frozen veggies (broccoli, california blend, zucchini)
fresh veggies (onions, mushrooms, spinach, romaine, etc)
fresh/frozen fish (haddock, salmon)
tuna fish
VitaTops
frozen fruit (strawberries, peach, pineapple, mango, raspberries, blueberries)
fat free cottage cheese
Greek Yogurt
Eggs
plain oatmeal
boneless skinless chicken breast
canned beans (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, red beans)
Canned veggies (mostly just green beans)

**They say to shop around the four walls of the grocery store to eat healthy - which if you think about it makes sense because that's where all the produce and frozen foods, fresh meats are! (all the processed packaged things are in the aisles!)

plenty of fresh fruits and veggies
olive oil (fresh veggies stir fried in olive oil yummy!)
yogurt
string cheese or mini babybels
eggs
low fat milk
oatmeal
peanut butter
100% whole wheat bread
tuna
chicken breasts (i'm bad I like to buy the pre-marinated ones, I know they have too much sodium but they're quick and delish)
ground turkey (for chili, sloppy joe's, burgers ect)
I personally don't like the taste of beef or pork (yea I'm picky) so I don't buy them. But lean cuts of meats are a good choice
boca soy chicken patties
nuts
whole wheat pasta (mixed with a bit of olive oil, fresh parmesan and garlic pepper is yummy)
For snacks - I like to keep the 100 calorie packs on hand in case my sweet tooth gets the best of me

raw nuts
fruit
cucumbers, carrots - easy veggies to snack on
barabara's cereals
almond milk
keifer
greek yogurt
almond butter

cauliflower! for low carb rice

and i just made a cauliflower crust pizza today

This sounds interesting!! Could you please go into more detail. recipes or instructions. Thank you. Nat

agree check out skinnycrockpot and skinnytaste both have great crockpot recipes. good idea to start cooking, its amazing how much better you can eat when preparing your own food. my staples are:
produce-i buy A TON of fruits and veggies throughout the week, i usually go on Sundays and Thursdays just for my produce: broccoli, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini are the most frequent. Fruit-blueberries, bananas, strawberries, oranges are the most frequent other things i buy at every trip:
healthy life bread
egg beaters
flat out wraps
boneless skinless chicken breasts
laughing cow cheese
skinny pop popcorn
special k or fiber one bars

Tuna, whole wheat pasta, avocado, sweet potatoes, kale, garlic, onions, ground flaxseed, hemp milk, boneless skinless chicken breast, ground turkey.
Those are just some of the things. I don't have very many recipes though. I just make the things I would normally make like chicken parm, meatless lasagna, breaded pork chops and measure out a serving.

chicken breasts and low fat pork loin roasts from costco. I usually stir fry the chicken, but it works well in a crock pot. The pork always gets slow cooked. I make alot of simple soups and low fat chilis on the weekend (now is the time of year for chili!) That way I dont have to think about lunch/dinner for part of the week.

Frozen bags of veggies that are good for meals/soups/stir fry are an absolute must! I use boca/morningstar crumbles alot in lieu of meat and I always keep some boca-type burgers or pre-formed 96/4 hamburger patties in the freezer. I'm often on the go and I need to cater a bit to the 'OMG, I need something to eat now and I'm too tired to cook.'

If you like cottage cheese, it's a fridge staple. The protein in it really helps to keep you feeling satisfied and it takes so little time to plop some in a bowl and add whatever to it. Apples. To me, they're almost the perfect fruit, if you just eat em raw and cold. So easy to grab one and they last well in the fridge. I try and buy the bags with the smaller to med sized apples.

I buy alot of black beans, mushrooms, whatever fresh veggies lasts decent in the fridge and works well in stir fry, high fiber tortillas, eggs, and multi-grain rices. I usually go to an asian store for the rice - my fav one right now has like 9 different things in it, including dried yams. Nice nutty taste, but works with stir fry or mexican. Or you can mix up your own with different grains.

example - got a tri tip beef roast on the weekend. Slow cooked it. It's been whacked up and mixed in at the end of a stir fry, eaten with veggies in a tortilla, eaten with beans, veggies and enchilada sauce on top, even whacked some up small and used it as topping on lavash bread pizza.

I also use ALOT of peanut flour (like PB2, sans sugar) in various sauces and for veggie/fruit dips. It's always in the house. But I buy it online since trader joes no longer carries it.

These are some of my staples, and they really help me do right by my diet, and thus my body!

REALLY healthy cereal, like Kashi (the only one I can stomach is the mixed one with fiber twigs, soy protein grahams, and honey puff cereal). However, this on it's own, is still a little uninspired. So I add a tablespoon of chopped pecans, and it kicks it up a nice notch or two! And if I really want a treat, I throw in a tablespoon of craisins too! YUM!

Whole wheat tortilla wraps.
Low sodium turkey or chicken from the deli (stand in line at the counter, and buy the most expensive meat you can afford - it tastes SO much better!)
Whole wheat pita pockets
Low fat yogurt, of your choice (again, a GREAT snack if you throw in a Tbsp of pecans or even a Tbsp of DARK chocolate chips!)

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Lean pork (pork chops, or roast)
Ground Turkey or Chicken

Okay, so I'm a SAHM, but with two small children running around all over the place, I need quick and easy meals too! Thankfully, my children are GREAT and healthy eaters, so they will generally eat what I do, and so will hubby. Here are some examples of quick dinners:

Chicken breasts cut into tenders - the family's a douse in Shake 'n' Bake, mine I roll in herbs and spices (NO SALT!), baked in the oven (generally only takes about 30 minutes to cook).
Brown rice with EVOO
Steamed veggie - broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, edemame, carrots, asparagus, ANYTHING!

Grilled pork chops (or chicken, or steak, or fish, or whatever you'd like) - again, I put BBQ sauce on the fam's, and herbs on mine.
Grilled zucchini, cut into thick slices (about 3/4 of an inch, maybe even an inch), drizzled with EVOO
Throw on some potatoes for the fam, and eat left over brown rice for yourself! I always make more brown rice than I need for a meal so I can eat it with other dinners - I think it reheats just fine in the microwave!

Tacos! Beef or chicken, or whatever! I don't use a seasoning package, I use my own herbs so I can control the salt and the spice, as my kids don't like it spicy. Let me know if you want the "recipe".
Then I chop up 3-4 cups of romaine lettuce for me, and I have a taco salad, while the rest of the fam has tacos. I try to keep my salad really healthy, but still full of flavor - so here's what I put on mine: lettuce, 1/2 c. taco meat, 1/4 c black beans, 1/4 c corn (canned), 1/4 c salsa, and a couple dollops of sour cream. I don't put on any cheese, but I don't miss it.

I hope that helps! The only crock pot recipes I have are pretty high calorie - I tend to stick with baked and grilled meats for all my meals!

Good luck during the witching hour! That's the WORST!

Have any of y'all ever tried the Ziploc Zip 'n Steam microwave bags to steam single chicken breasts?

Don't cook anything in the microwave in plastic. Even if the plastic is declared 'safe' it can still add chemicals to your food. Plus--microwaving raw chicken--that's something my grandmother would do (seriously).

Please make sure to always microwave in glass (Pyrex bowls work well) or something that is microwave safe. Not plastic. Especially when cooking for children (they are more sensitive to the toxins in plastic)

Things that are immediately replaced when emptied:

Whole grains - brown rice, Lungberg wild and brown rice mix, quinoa (white, red and/or black), Kashi 7 grain pilaf
Organic low sodium stock
Kashi TLC chewy granola bars - peanut butter and almold flax
Low sodium V8 (I really hate slapping myself in the head)
Vegetable staples - onions, garlic, carrots, kale, jalapeno, mushrooms and brussel sprouts
Soy Milk - Silk unsweetened
Nestle Quik no sugar added
Beans - I keep a variety on hand
Peanut butter - all natural

For quick and easy these are my "go to" meals.

Grilled fish and roasted veggies. (throw veggies in bowl, toss with olive oil and seasonings, dump on baking sheet, baked until carmelized, season fish, grill on both sides for 2-5 min depending on thickness)

Beans and rice - this requires some chopping, but otherwise is a one pan meal that allows down time while cooking, and is very versatile by switching up the beans and grains. Chop onion, peppers, carrot, and/or celery and saute in deep skillet until tender. Add cooked beans (canned or leftovers) and raw whole grain of your choice, add liquid according to grain package. Cover and let simmer until grain is cooked. Optional - toss in some banana pepper rings and/or chopped greens (kale, collards, turnip, arugula, spinach, etc) at the end.

Stir fry - Super easy and quick. Serve with leftover grains, or instant brown rice and you can have a meal in 10 min. Nuts are great are a great alternative to meat as the protein in stir fries.