My Shopping List

One thing I found helpful when starting my healthy-eating journey was reading other people's shopping lists. For those of you who are new to healthy-eating, I decided to share my typical grocery list so you could get some ideas.

I don't buy all of these items every time I shop, but I try to rotate some of them for variety and to make sure I always have healthy options available. Not listed are flour and various dried herbs and spices.

Feel free to share you grocery list in the comments!

DAIRY/COLD ITEMS:

• Unsweetened Almond Milk (usually Almond Breeze)
• Light Soy Milk
• Skim Milk
• Low-fat or Fat-free Cottage Cheese (great for breakfast because of the protein, but also a good alternative to ricotta)
• Fat-free Shredded Cheddar (I know a lot of people hate this stuff, but I like it because it's a good source of protein and is capable of melting when mixed in with other items and/or with added moisture)
• 2% Cheese Blends
• Part-skim/Low-moisture Mozzarella
• Reduced-fat or Fat-free Feta
• Reduced-fat Cheese Slices (usually Sargento)
• Light Cream Cheese
• Light String cheese/Reduced-fat Colby Sticks
• Regular Full-Fat Cheeses (In moderation and usually for special recipes where a low-fat version just won't do...)
• GREEK YOGURT! My regular brands are Chobani, Fage and Oikos. I usually stick to the plain varieties and add my own mix-ins.
• Light Sour Cream
• Flavored Coffee Creamer
• Fat-free Half & Half (great for coffee and comes in handy for cooking)
• Light Butter (Land O' Lakes has a great canola oil blend)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Tofu
• Good Ol' Regular Eggs
• Liquid Egg Whites (Walmart has their own store brand; convenient and budget friendly!)

DRY GOODS:

• Pasta (My favorite is Ronzoni Smart Taste, but any ol' cheap pasta is good to have around.)
• Brown and White Rice
• Lentils
• Split Peas
• Popcorn Kernels (Buy some paper bags, throw in some kernels, staple the top and you've got your own microwaveable popcorn!)
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Kashi Cereal (Go Lean or Go Lean Crisp)
• Oat Bran
• Corn Meal (Great for making quick polenta.)
• Splenda packets/granulated (I use it in moderation. No big whoop.)
• Protein Powder (I opt for Designer Whey. Great for making Protein Pancakes!)

CANNED GOODS:

• Tuna
• Chicken (Nice to have for those lazy nights; great for shredded chicken quesadillas or BBQ sandwiches!)
• Salmon
• BEANS! (Pretty much every variety; Black, Red, Pinto, Great Northern, Navy, Black-eyed Peas, Kidney, Garbanzo and Baked.)
• Veggies (Spinach, collards, asparagus, pumpkin, artichoke hearts, black olives, mushrooms and green beans.)
• Tomatoes (Diced, sauce, paste and Rotel.)
• Pineapple (Packed in juice, not syrup; great for cooking or adding to cottage cheese and yogurt.)
• Soup (Campbell's Healthy Harvest or some of the lighter Progresso varieties.)
• Fat-free Cream of... Soups (Chicken, mushroom, celery.)
• Chicken & Beef Broths

CONDIMENTS/SAUCES/OILS:

• Ketchup
• Mustard
• BBQ Sauce (I love Famous Dave's.)
• Soy Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Hoisin Sauce
• Vinegar (Red Wine, Rice Wine, Apple Cider, White, Malt.)
• Jarred Minced Ginger
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Light Mayonnaise (I like Kraft's Olive Oil Mayo or Best Foods Light Mayo.)
• Tabasco
• Cholula Hot Sauce
• Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce
• Salsa (Grab a can of Mexican-style Rotel and make your own to save some cash!)
• Sriracha
• Bottled Lemon/Lime Juice
• Hummus (I'm partial to Sabra.)
• Light Salad Dressing
• Sugar-free or Lite Maple Syrup
• Lite Chocolate Syrup
• Jams/Jellies
• Pasta Sauce (I go for the store brand varieties that have garlic and various veggies.)
• Honey
• NUT BUTTERS! Peanut and Almond.
• Canola Oil
• Olive Oil (Both regular & Extra-Virgin.)
• Canola Oil Cooking Spray
• Sesame Oil

MEATS/SEAFOOD:

• Lean Ground Beef
• Lean Ground Turkey
• Lean Cuts of Steak (When I can find a good deal.)
• Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs
• Boneless Pork Chops
• Cold-cuts (I like Oscar Mayer's Natural line)
• Bacon (Yes, real bacon. I despise turkey bacon, but if you like it, go nuts!)
• Turkey Sausage Patties
• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Cod

BREADS:

• Whole-Wheat Bread (I like Nature's Pride, but there are tons to choose from; just look for a good amount of fiber and moderate calories per slice.)
• Thomas Bagel Thins
• Santa Fe Wheat Tortilla Wraps (Can be found at Costco's or Sam's Club; other good alternatives are 100-130 cals, loaded with fiber and maybe even some protein.)
• White or Yellow Corn Tortillas

FROZEN GOODS:

• FRUIT! Berries and peaches, mostly. (No sugar added. Good to have when some things are out of season.)
• Veggies (Spinach, green beans, broccoli and mixed veggies.)
• Edamame
• Waffles (Van's Lite, Nutri-Grain, Kashi, Special K, light store-brand; whatever has the best price.)
• Roasted Green Chile
• Pizza Dough

PRODUCE:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Oranges
• Clementines
• Pears
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple
• Lemons/Limes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onions (Red, Yellow, White, Green)
• Garlic
• Potatoes (White, Red and Sweet)
• Squash (Acorn, Butternut and Spaghetti)
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce (Romaine or Green Leaf)
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Avocado
• Corn
• Radishes
• Bell Peppers

NUTS/SEEDS:

• Raw almonds
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Roasted Peanuts
• Soy Nuts
• Sesame Seeds
• Chia Seeds

BEVERAGES:

• Tea
• Diet soda
• Fitness Water Mix (In the on-the-go packets.)
• Sugar-free Flavored Drink Mixes (Obviously avoid if you don't do artificial sweeteners, but if you don't mind and are looking for great cocktail mixers, stock up on these!)
• Coffee

TREATS/DESSERTS/MISC.:

• Dove Dark Chocolate Squares
• Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses
• Dried Fruit (Cranberries, Cherries, Apricots and Mango.) 
• Larabars
• Luna Bars

ALCOHOL:
Some of us who are of drinking age like to party from time to time and I'm no exception! Enjoy straight or with low-cal mixers (diet soda, sugar-free flavored drink mixes, club soda, diet tonic water, light fruit juice and lemon or lime juice).

• Vodka
• Tequila
• Rum
• Gin
• Coffee Liqueur (Try a White Russian with almond milk! Add some lite chocolate syrup for dessert in a glass!)
• White and Red Wine 
• Champagne
• Light Beer