"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail" - Benjamin Franklin. This is my motto for meal prepping/grocery shopping. If I don't plan out what I will eat for each meal, I fall into grabbing quick carbohydrate-laden, nutrient-less food. This inevitably leads to unnecessary spikes in my blood glucose levels. This spike makes me feel unenergized, sluggish, hungry, and tired. It then becomes a vicious cycle -- who wants to take the time to cook or prepare a nutrient-dense meal when you are tired, sluggish, and hungry?!
Thus, planning ahead and making sure my fridge/cupboard is stocked each week allows me to stick to my health goals, fuel my body well, and keep me energized.
This week for #wftuesdaytips, I am sharing my weekly grocery haul, and my staples that I buy as needed.
Weekly Buys:
Produce
Produce is typically 75%-85% of our groceries. I try to eat 4+ servings of vegetables a day and 1 or 2 servings of fruit.
Carrots
Brussels Sprouts
Organic Baby Romaine
Broccoli or Broccolini
Depending on what the menu is/what sounds good I will purchase one of these vegetables: Cauliflower, Asparagus, Organic Kale.
3-5 Organic Honeycrisp Apples
1-2 Avocados
Shiitake Mushrooms
Organic Sweet potatoes or Organic Fingerling Potatoes
Pineapple or Organic Berries
1 Yellow Onion
Lemon
Baby Butterhead/Clamshell Lettuce
*For more information on what items I buy organic vs. conventional, check out this blog post I wrote.
Dairy Products
I am somewhat lactose intolerant. Saying I am full blown "intolerant" is too extreme because I can handle smaller portions. But if I am making a latte or eating yogurt, I definitely want it to be lactose free.
Fairlife Whole Milk: This is my all-time favorite milk! It is lactose free and has 13 grams of protein per serving, and 50% less sugar than regular milk. I make a plain latte every morning (80/20 -- a balanced lifestyle!) and use this milk for it, and it is one of the things I look forward to most about getting out of bed in the morning. Using this for my daily latte makes it guilt free for me because I count it towards my protein intake, calcium, and as a healthy fat.
Siggi's Plain Lactose Free Yogurt OR Green Valley Organic Plain Lactose Free Yogurt: I rotate between the two of these yogurts. The Siggi's version has more protein and less sugar, but is not always available in my grocery store. I also enjoy how the Green Valley yogurt tastes a bit more, but it definitely has more sugar so I try not to eat it as often.
Parmesan (we buy this in bulk from Costco -- it is much cheaper that way).
Complex Carbohydrates
I try to eat 2 servings of complex carbohydrates a day (this also includes whole wheat pasta, quinoa, sweet potatoes, oatmeal...etc).
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Aunt Millie's Koepplinger 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Protein
I add 2 scoops of Vital Proteins, 1 scoop of Beachbody Performance, 6-8oz of water, and a few ice cubes to make to my protein shakes. I make this protein shake after every workout. I buy the Vital Proteins from Costco as well. Also, shameless plug...if you buy the Beachbody Performance Recover, feel free to add my coach ID -- it helps me out. :) It is: 2067821.
USDA Organic Ground Turkey
USDA Organic Chicken Breasts
Some Sort of Pasture-Raised Red Meat
Rotisserie Chicken
Low-Sodium Salami
I like to buy all of our ground turkey, and chicken from Costco in bulk. I buy salami from Marianos (again...80/20 mindset), and our red meat from Whole Foods because I like getting it fresh. We normally only have red meat once a week.
Pantry Items
Dark Chocolate
Annie's Sour Bunnies
Your girl has a serious sweet tooth that I am always working on taming, haha! This week I cut out all desserts because I was starting to stray from my 80/20 mentality too much. When I am eating dessert, these are my favorites! They quell my hankering for sweets, and I feel fine about putting them into my body.
Other
Kombucha: I absolutely love GT's Synergy Guava Goddess flavor. I have about 8oz of it 2-3 times a week. It is rich in probiotics. This is my special drink that I will often drink out of my wine glass, haha! :) I don't drink pop. I occasionally drink alcohol, but not super often. To learn more about the potential benefits of kombucha, read this article.
I also have my staples that I consume weekly, but don't need to replenish every week.
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter: I admit, I am a butter SNOB! This butter is the best of the best. It is so much richer and creamier than your typical brand. The natural color comes from the beta-carotene in the milk of grass-fed cow. Also, it truly adds so much deliciousness to the way your baked goods taste! I also try to buy this at Costco (although that is not always the case) to save some $$$.
Orange Juice
Nuts/Seeds (chia seeds, hemp seeds, unsalted sunflower seeds, unsalted pumpkin seeds, unsalted cashews).
Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Quinoa
Whole Wheat Pasta
Aunt Millie's Koepplinger 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Ezekiel Bread
Pasta Sauce/Pizza Sauce
Turkey Pepperoni
Mozzarella
Minced Garlic
Organic Tahini (my new obsession!)
Pasture-Raised Eggs
Flour (Whole Wheat, White, Almond, and Coconut)
Feta Cheese
Purely Elizabeth Granola (SO good! It is made with all organic ingredients. I love adding it to my oatmeal or yogurt).
Primal Kitchen Dreamy Italian Marinade/Dressing
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (fun for weekend at home date nights!)
That's about it! I will take a video in the near future so you can see what brands I like as well. I hope this helped!