Smart Grocery Shopping Today

I am all about healthy, nutritious food—but it also has to be good to the taste buds. A lot of nutritious food out there doesn't taste good. Becoming a certified nutritionist has helped me learn about how our bodies react to the food we put in it and how to eat better. So I am on a mission to cook healthy and tasty food.

I will be posting my recipes on here. And please feel free to post your go-to recipes or experiment with these recipes and let me know your feedback!

First off, you should know that I buy most of the meat from Costco. It's cost efficient, easy and you always have meat for a variety of meals. I also purchase a lot of our whole wheat bread there and freeze it till I'm ready to use it. I purchase:
100% whole wheat sandwich thins—great for sandwiches, breakfast, mini pizzas
Whole Wheat, reduce fat English Muffins—great for all of the above!
Whole Wheat wraps—all of the above



Meat I purchase:
Chicken breast tenderloins
Ground turkey
Salmon fillets or Salmon burgers (so good with quinoa or on a salad)
Cooked and peeled shrimp (jambalaya, chili, pasta)

I purchase these on a monthly basis. Not all of them, just most of them depending on what I want to do for the month. Plan ahead!

I don't usually purchase my vegetable from Costco. I don't really need to say why (pesticides, pesticides, pesticides). Plus, Seattle is filled with Farmer's Markets EVERYDAY. And I actually love going to them picking out fresh fruits and veggies. If you look at a garden, you will see that not all tomatoes, apples berries look the exact same. But guess what, the ones at grocery stores do. Ever wonder why? To prevent them from bruising and insects—on the ride to your store, they are injected with growth hormones and pesticides to keep them looking them same. No lie. Read more info here on the top 20 scariest food facts.

Next tip, get to your framers markets! Click here for a great website that lets you know where farmers markets are in your area. Would love to hear about your experience. And don't be afraid to ask the producers about the products they are selling. It's their baby and they will tell you everything from how often they water, when they pick to best preserve their freshness, etc.

Canned Items I purchase:
black beans—can be used in omelets, salads, chili's. But make sure you rinse and drain them to wash out all the extra sodium.
crushed tomatoes—tomato sauce, eggs, chili's, saute with veggies, pizza sauce

Frozen items I purchase:
Vegetable Medley. I've said this before, but don't be afraid to purchase frozen fruit or veggies. As they are frozen at the peak of their freshness which means you still get all the antioxidants and benefits from eating them compared to grocery store f&v's.
Frozen Fruit mixture—great for breakfast smoothies, after dinner desserts(not loaded with HFCS) and snacks.

I also purchase their Havarti Cheese in bulk. Here is some nutritional info about Havarti. Just remember portion size! It's cheaper then the deli sliced cheese and healthier than some of their options. Swiss or pepper jack cheese is also a good option. As for turkey (lower in sodium than ham) for our sandwiches, I purchase that at Safeway.

I hope this helps. I always try to write down what it is that I do and how it is helpful. I cook dinner for Chris and I every night, so purchasing the meat and canned items in bulk saves time and money—and makes it easy when I'm preparing meals for the week.

Leave your tips here and let me know what else you would like to see. I will be posting some recipes soon!

HAPPY AND HEALTHY EATING