MY HEALTHY GROCERY SHOPPING GUIDE
WHAT I ALWAYS BUY AT THE GROCERY STORE
So many of you love my IG stories about what I buy at Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods, so I figured it only made sense to capture it in a blog post for you to have it here whenever you need it! I hope this list helps you get on a healthy lifestyle path and feel less overwhelmed when shopping for healthy food. I am going to keep it simple this week and stick to just to Trader Joe’ and I will write a separate blog post on my Whole foods grocery list. At the bottom of this blog I have also left a link for you guys to shop on my amazon shop. Which is great for some of you guys who cant get to a Trader joe’s.
When shopping on my list I like to categories it so I know exactly what I am getting and don’t miss anything off, or end up picking up so many different snacks that I don’t even need and are not going to be great for me.
Lets get to it y’all!!
Fruit & Veg
Bag of lemons (For my water every morning & salad dressings
bag of limes (For dressings, marinades and drinks)
Oranges
Bananas- Try and find ripe ones. That is when it has more of its nutrients. I like to them freeze them for smoothies or use them for my homemade vegan & gluten free banana loaf.
Fresh blueberries – love having these on to of my over night oats.
spinach – The base of all my salads Check out this salad recipe
Kale – So good mixed in to salads, stir fry’s & soup/stews
Avocados – I either get these here or Whole Foods, which ever are looking more ripe and big
Bell peppers (keep a watch out for a yummy recipe featuring these soon on the blog)
Eggplant- I love bakes eggplant with most meals its super yummy. Its also great blended to make a eggplant pesto sauce ;p.
Organic Sweet potatoes (I like to pic them out individually rather than the bagged ones) but getting a bag is totally fine too.
Carrots- For fresh homemade soups, sauces and dipping in to hummus (yummmm)
Shredded carrots – For salads and stir fry’s – Try this ‘soy and gluten free Tahini stir fry’
Mushrooms – I love to have these with most meals and making patties with them.
Zucchini noodles – I love these as they are already spiralled for you so you can cook them straight from the tub and add to pasta sauces and salad bowls. If you sign up to my 8 week program there is a delicious zucchini pesto recipe.
Tahini, Pepita & Apricot Slaw Kit – Another great staple to have in the fridge for busier days and evenings
Riced Broccoli – I like to have this with stir fry’s and if I make a chilli or pasta sauce and have it in stead of the rice or pasta.
Fresh organic basil – great for adding in to sauces, salads and making homemade pesto ;p.
Dates – Fancy medjool dates ( I used these so much to make either date paste, raw Nola (recipe coming soon), energy balls and also making homemade grainless granola. Dates are fabulous to take when in your 2nd and 3rd trimester as they contain fibre, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
Pantry Staples
Olive oil- So much cheaper here than at other stores in NYC
Avocado oil
seasoning – For example black pepper, paprika, cumin – For my homemade falafels . I love their chilli and lime seasoning and cinnamon ect.
beans- Red kidney beans, black beans, butter beans, red lentils and Pinto beans. I buy these all to make patties andfalafels and also to add to salads, stews and chillies. Great protein specially for some one like me that very, very rarely eats meat).
Tomato paste – Sauces & to add to patties
Tins of tomatoes (no added salt)
Coconut Aminos – Coconut aminos have about 65% less sodium than regular soy sauce.And it is gluten and vegan free.
Gluten free rolled oats- Check out this recipe for my over night oats.
Tricolour quinoa- Great substitute for rice and pasta.
Hemp seed hearts – To sprinkle on top of oatmeal, over night oats or granola.
Freezer section
Carrot & Zucchini Spirals – These are good to have in your freezer! I prefer these non-frozen, but they’re for when your in a rush and also they never go off.
Vegetable Melange – I usually buy frozen vegetables since they are the most economical. Ideally, we would all be better off if we always ate organic, fresh vegetables. The advantage of frozen fruits and vegetables is that they usually are picked when they’re ripe, and then blanched in hot water to kill bacteria and stop enzyme activity that can spoil food. Then they’re flash frozen, which tends to preserve nutrients. If you can afford it, buy frozen fruits and vegetables stamped USDA t the peak of ripeness, when their nutrient levels are highest.
Blueberries, berry mix, strawberries & sometimes there pre packed acai berry. – I love having these in the freezer for smoothies and to put on top of granola, oats or yogurt. high in antioxidants and polyphenols, which help fight chronic disease and cancer. re also low fat, free of saturated fat, and a good source of fiber and vitamin C. No wonder they’re linked to a lower risk of heart attack!
Snacks
I try and always snack on ‘real’ food for example carrot sticks, homemade falafels, nuts, berries or my homemade grainless granola (Also recipe in 8 week program). How ever we all have days where we are too busy and also to tired to think about getting up and making homemade snacks. So the list below are brands I trust have the most pure, fresh ingredients with the fewest ingredients.
Lara bars – Also cheapest at Trader joes – Basically only made of dates and nuts.
Dates – As mentioned above
Nothing but fruit & nuts – They have three flavours but my favourite is the Date, halzenut and cacao flavour.
Coconut Sesame Clusters – These are a bit naughty but I love them occasionally as they are sweat and savoury and have a nice crunch to them.
All the other snacks and shopping items I buy from whole foods which I will list in a separate blog soon