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

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great idea for a page! I may need to print this bad boy out to mix it up a bit on future trips.