grocery dilemma?

hungry eyes...

After my last post, I had a few requests for my personal grocery list, and why wouldn't that be helpful? It is a fact that 80% of loosing/maintaining weight comes from what you put into your mouth! Let's visit that factor, but with that being said, let's also not forget it's 100% dedication that is going to help you achieve your goal. 

 

One of my favorite sites to visit is Undressed Skeleton. The writer is a young girl who has come a long way on her weight loss and lifestyle change journey.  She posts lots of different, easy recipes for the average dieter. She also has a tab on the sidebar of her page entitled "grocery guide" where she does just what I am going to do for you; gives you her weekly list and tips on what you might need. This is her list of items you will need to start your journey:

That being stated, I would like to add several factors that may alter this list for you. 1. Your lifestyle. Do you work full time? A mom always on the go, driving kids to and from school and practices? Well, you might need a more healthy "grab and go" type of list, like yogurts, granola bars, protein bars as meals, 'Special K' protein drinks, 'On-the-Go' Quaker oatmeal containers, etc. 2. How many people are you feeding, and do they eat the same foods? If your family isn't dieting with you (although, I don't consider eating right and making this lifestyle change 'dieting') you may need to take some of my later information about HEALTHY carbs and factor them into your family dinners. Luckily for me, Eddie is just as into fitness and eating right as I am.

Let's get right into it...

I always seem to notice when someone comes to the decision that they want to start eating right, they buy everything low-fat, organic, and every vegetable and fruit they can get their hands on. Well, fruits and veggies go bad rather quickly, and just because something is low in fat, doesn't mean it's 'magically delicious' and your going to enjoy it. You will probably find yourself wasting money, throwing foods away, and getting discouraged. My goal in writing these blog posts over the next few weeks is to let you know you CAN lose weight by eating NORMALLY, and help you stick to your resolutions.

I plan my meals. I sit down, normally on Sunday, look through the circular, see what's on sale, and contemplate 'what's for dinner.' This week, for instance, london broil was buy one get one at Giant. My mom and I went together, so we split the cost. That large London broil will be a meal (paired with some broccolini and a sweet potato) and the leftovers will be put on a strawberry, feta, steak, spinach, and balsamic dressed salad the next day for lunch. Seeing the pattern? 

Note: *Your plate should be 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 healthy carb.*

Examples of healthy carbs:

sweet potatoes, red potatoes,

Brown rice. Cous cous,

Beans, veggies,

Whole wheat pasta

Just as Undressed Skeleton has her staple items, I do too. Every week, without fail, I have these items in my cart:

If I plan on trying a certain recipe, I write down specifics on what I will need, then go on with my weekly list. I tend to repeat meals for breakfast (normally oatmeal with fruit, which I personally can never get sick of!) and lunch (either sandwiches or salad), not only to cut costs but to embed the calorie intake into my brain, and mix things up a bit for dinners.  This week we will be having the london broil dinner, a chicken, brown rice, bean, salsa, and cheese scramble, salmon caesar salads, my spinach&parmesan turkey burgers, and... Leftovers! We're big fans of leftovers and grabbing pre-made foods out of the fridge as we are hungry or running in and out of the house. I also plan on making breakfast on our lazy Sunday- an egg white, peppers, red potato, and cheese scramble with a side of turkey sausage, which is my go-to, protein enriched breakfast choice in place of pancakes, french toast, or something of that sort.

Note: *you should be eating every 2 1/2 -3 hours to keep your metabolism up. This is why we eat 5 small meals each day. Try to include protein in every one of these meals.*

Ok, so.. this is the added on items I personally needed to complete my grocery list this week:

As I stated in my first post, I am an avid list maker, so, just to add another, here is a list of rules I, and Bob Harper, live by:

Just a tip: I always have pasta in the house. Piper eats it like crazy, and Eddie can't get enough of my meatballs or eggplant. When we sit down to eat an italian style dinner, I substitute pasta for low sodium french-style green beans, right from the can! I'll still eat the meatball or eggplant with the sauce and reduced fat cheese, but the green beans are just as filling and I happen to love them. I do, though, boil 'Barilla Plus' pasta elbows and put a little bit of them on my salad to make it more filling. (thanks for that tip Meg)

Now, I'll leave you with some simple recipes:
Lemon Honey Dressing Recipe(my favorite)Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper- to taste

Instructions

1. Blend honey and lemon juice together and slowly whisk in olive oil. Voila!

Make Your Own Crutons!
Ingredients

• whole wheat buns (I use hamburger buns) 
• 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' Light 
• Parsley 
• salt and pepper
• minced garlic

Instructions

1. Cut wheat buns into small cubes (cruton size!)
2. heat about 2 tablespoons 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' in pan with garlic. Add salt pepper and parsley and bread cubes. Allow bread cubes to absorb all the butter.
3. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes+ until crispy. You'll never buy the store bought kind again. Yum!

My Spinach-Parmesan Turkey Burgers
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mushrooms- chopped 
• 1/2 cup spinach- chopped 
• 1/4 cup Fat Free grated parmesan
• parsley- fresh or dried
• 1-2 tablespoons garlic-minced 
• salt and pepper- to taste
• 1 package ground turkey meat

Instructions

1. Foolproof- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Patty out your burgers and grill (or cook in pan)

*I like to melt a slice of Sargento Fat Free provolone or Reduced Fat Feta on top and eat it on my 'Arnolds" honey wheat flat rolls with low fat mayo, avocado spread on top, spinach, and tomato OR without bun, with slice of fresh mozzerella, slice of tomato, basil leaf, and topped with balsamic and eaten with a fork. So flavorful, no other condiments necessary!

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