How To Grocery Shop and Like It

I LOVE grocery shopping. I love to pick out the food, check out the produce, find new and delicious ingredients. I think trying to enjoy grocery shopping is one of the first steps to enjoying cooking for yourself. Last night I went to the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op. Outside they had herb and veggie plants! I was going to start my own garden from seeds, but when I found an organic beefsteak tomato plant and an organic yellow bell pepper plant, I couldn't resist. I'm so stoked to grow these babies and start my own garden! I love the Aerogarden that Mike got me, but other than refilling the water and nutrients, I don't do much, which ensures I do not kill all the herbs, which I've done in the past. I'm just convinced I haven't developed my green thumb yet. I really intend to take care of these babies!

You should always make a list for groceries. If you don't, and you're not one of those people who eats simple protein and veggies and fats for most meals, you will buy things you do not need. Lists help you organize your meals while saving money also. It's helpful to make a chart of breakfasts/lunches/dinners for the week and formulate a list based off of that. While grocery shopping, the old addage is true, do not do it while you're hungry! I really had to force myself to not buy 4 different items in the prepared foods section. Since I was starving though, and they didn't have Amy's vegan gluten free pizza (seriously best pizza ever) I got a brown rice spicy tuna roll for dinner. Not the best option, and $7! But that's what happens when you're unprepared. I usually do my grocery shopping on weekends. That way I'm not scrambling to get to the store after work, and I'm usually not hungry.

When I got home, I forced myself to work out. I stopped for a couple weeks because I was A) lazy and B) my back started to kill me. I kept saying the mantra I heard from Peanut Butter Fingers, "I never regret a workout." But I knew I'd regret not working out. So, I forced myself to get off my ass and stop watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (no, that is not a joke). For workouts, I rarely do cardio. I lift weights! I find it's much more beneficial. After the workout I had some liquid protein to replenish.

Around 9 I was hungry again and didn't want to make a full on dinner so I had a random assortment. Tomatoes with olive oil, s&p, and basil, an avocado, a piece of soaked spelt bread (don't usually eat bread, but it was soaked spelt, and an impulse buy) and a hunk of brie with mushrooms in it!! I found this at the co-op. Amazing.

I love simple food. The brie!

Tonight for dinner I'm going to make my own tortillas! Grain free baby! I'll be using this recipe from Mark's Daily Apple (love this dude). I'll post a recap tomorrow, have a great day!

Sample Healthy Eating Grocery List

When I first started the transition into eating a healthier, more balanced diet I wasn’t really sure what to buy at the grocery store. It seems like such a simple task but it can be daunting if  you’re unsure of what to buy. First, it really helps to plan meals. I know that I’ll have some form of eggs for breakfast every morning, so I buy four dozen (for both Mike and I, not just myself). I try to eat a good amount of salmon, fish is one of the best things you can eat and salmon is loaded with Omega 3′s so you should eat a good amount. I know I’ll need ground beef so I buy that, along with whatever vegetables I need from the farmer’s market every Saturday morning. Luckily, our farmer’s market is about a block away from a Whole Foods, so what I can’t buy at the market I buy at WF (or Trader Joe’s, because it’s cheaper). I thought it would be helpful to demonstrate my grocery list for this week.

• Rutabaga 
• Broccoli slaw
• broccoli
• Jalapenos
• Chicken links if you can find organic, or  organic/grass-fed/uncured hot dogs
• raw cheese
• carrots
• Kale
• Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• potatoes
• lettuces
• Broccoli
• tomatoes
• cilantro
• Avocado
• smoked salmon
• Steak
• ground beef
• Fabric softener sheets
• detergent
• shampoo
• scallops? (With a ? because they are expensive, but I wanted to make a really nice dinner).
• Cream
• Pastured butter
• Turkey
• brown rice wrap
• black beans
• canned tomatoes
• mayo (I bought safflower mayo, not ideal, but I’ve been craving mayo and this is better than canola and/or soybean based mayo. I’ve also bought vegan, soy-free grape seed oil, which is superior to safflower, but I couldn’t find it).

It really helps to jot down breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks and then base your grocery list off of that. I already have a lot of pantry staples so I did not need any of those. I also know what I will need, and meals I eat semi regularly, so I don’t need to write a meal plan every week (although I like to sometimes because I honestly think it’s fun).
I do need to get better about buying snacks. There are SO many times when I’m not super hungry, but I am hungry and want to munch on something. I usually go for carrots and hummus, but I’d like to add more variety. The problem with snacks is they’re usually so processed, and contain either tons of sugar, or tons of refined carbs. Or they’re potato chips (which I LOVE, but have to limit). Mike recently bought Amazing Grass Green SuperFood which you can find here. It tastes sort of like chocolate tea. It’s loaded with veggies and antioxidants, and is super easy to chug down with water when I don’t have time to make juice (like this morning). I’m thinking I’m going to buy their bars. I love that they’re organic, and I hear they taste pretty good.