building a grocery list

this weekend i'm going grocery shopping and i thought i'd ask for some insight.  what do you typically keep on your grocery list as far as healthy choices are concerned. 

what are some must-haves for  health gurus like ourselves?? 

these are some things that i ALWAYS keep in my pantry: [[but i'm looking to spruce up this somewhat boring diet of mine in a healthy way]]

whole wheat bread
sliced deli turkey
brown rice
frozen veggies
fresh tomatoes
all natural peanut butter

please feel free to comment.  i eat almost EVERYTHING....but also keep in mind that it's very hard to find certain vegetarian/vegan foods in my area.  even at the health food stores...so try to keep the list common...or add the uncommon and i'll see if i can find it.

CHOLLA.

my staple list is very similar to yours (pretty boring - I agree!).  I also make sure to always have a bunch of yogurts (I like Dannon Light n Fit for 80 cals).  Also, different types of fruits (I like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches).  If you buy a bag of chopped lettuce, you can always whip up an easy salad with some other veggies.  Nonfat plain yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream or for smoothies with frozen fruit.  Another thing I kind of live on are Kashi TLC cherry dark chocolate granola bars (120 cals) -- they are first of all delicious, second of all they don't have too much sugar, and they have some fiber and protein, and they are an easy grab n go snack.  I also like Laughing Cow light swiss cheese (the spreadable kind that comes in little wedges) -- for 35 cals, it adds great flavor to a piece of toast or wheat thin crackers or something.  My diet is pretty boring but I find it easier to stick to that way and the food I eat is still yummy..so that's all the suggestions I have.

Oats! Steel cut, large oats. Yum yum yum.
Spices and herbs. :]
Mixtures of fruit and veg - try to get as many colours as you can.
Dried beans and legumes of other types. Easy to soak and prepare overnight and they store for a long time.
Tinned tomatoes are handy for bases to certain dishes.

I'll think of more when I'm more inspired!

I would buy a turkey breast and roast it myself. Deli turkey is full of sodium.

Egg beaters, eggs, tuna in water but rinse it in a strainer to remove some of the sodium,

whole grain pasta, whole grain pitas, sweet potatoes, low fat or fat free cottage cheese, fruits and veggies, yogurt, whole grain low sugar cereals, fat free milk, boca burgers, fish and chicken.

bread, rolls, bagels, pb, jelly, cold cuts, cheese, canned tuna(sandwich stuff), hamburger buns

greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, cheddar cheese(whatever dairy you like)

cereal, trail mix, choc pudding

bagged salads, frozen veggies, apples, plums

potatoes

veggie burgers, nuggets, fish sticks

Wow, all my favorites have already been said, but I'll say them anyway, just to show how cool I am :)

-bran flakes
-whole wheat bread (I like store brand lite wheat for 40 cals a slice and 2.5 grams of fiber)
-whole wheat pita bread (I buy Kangaroo brand, it's pretty good)
-Boca Burgers (original vegan is my favorite)
-Smart Dogs (fat free, protein-packed, taste just like real hot dogs)
-apples
-bananas
-plums
-broccoli
-cucumbers
-tomatoes
-potatos and sweet potatos
-boneless skinless chicken breast
-onions
-Jello sugar free chocolate, vanilla, swirl, or dulce de leche pudding (I am addicted to these things right now)
-sliced cheese for sandwiches
-low fat cottage cheese
-lean turkey breast
-lean roast beef slices
-hummus
-luna bars, pria bars, nature valley bars, kashi granola bars (for snacks at school)
-salsa (my mouth is burning from some even as I type this)
-oatmeal
-sugar free jelly
-dried or canned beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
-brown rice
-whole wheat pasta
-hellman's canola mayo (45 cals a tbsp, no saturated fat--and tastes GREAT)
-eggs
-nuts/trail mix
-peanut butter
-thomas light english muffins (can't beat 8 g fiber, 100 calories, 1 g fat)

Wow that's a lot!  that's all I can think of for now!

Some of our must-haves (had to repeat some key ingredients):

For salads: baby carrots, baby spinach, broccoli (repeat) and tomato (repeat).

Peanuts and raw almonds (both unsalted)

Blueberries or strawberries to top your cereal, especially if you only get bran flakes.

Extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar (for the salad of course)

I like Total raisin bran or Total cranberry crunch, wife likes Kashi go-lean cereal.  I can't eat Kashi without toppings (blueberries, bananas, raisins).

Oh, raisins. to top off yogurt or cereal.

I use a good deal of lemon juice, wine, olive oil, oregano, pepper, garlic powder and salt when cooking.

Chicken breast, look for largest you can buy.  I cook up a bunch of it on Sunday keep a few in the fridge and throw the extra in the freezer & defrost the night before as needed.

Snacks:

Healthy pop 100 cal popcorn (or equivalent)

Ghiradelli twilight delight (72% cacao) chocolate. Only one square a day though. 

my big must-haves are oatmeal, whole wheat bread, pitas, tortillas, tofu, fresh fruits and veggies, popcorn, rice, canned/dry beans, peanut and soy nut butter, soy yogurt, and almond milk. sometimes i get a few extra things here and there, like mock meat, but that's basically what i eat all the time.

All the perishables... fruit, vegetables, dairy products, eggs etc. get bought weekly.  I keep salmon steaks, beef steaks, steak mince, chicken breasts and other cuts in the freezer together with bags of peas, sweetcorn, chunky oven chips and there's usually some ice-cream.  Also love dried beans which get cooked in bulk and frozen to be used as and when.  The cupboards are full of brown rice, basmati rice, dried lentils, quinoa grain, cous-cous, mixed seeds, pasta (different shapes), canned tomatoes, tomato puree, baked beans, flour, dried yeast, onions, potatoes.  I keep a BIG selection of condiments, herbs and spices and things like fresh garlic, ginger root and chilli peppers so that even if all I've got is a cabbage and couple of potatoes I can turn it into something a bit more exciting.

thanks, people! 

a lot of the stuff that you guys mentioned are already staples in my pantry/fridge....and some of them are not, so i'm going to pick up a few.

here's a better detailed list of things i keep on hand or buy every week.

kashi cereals [[love em!]]
salsa [[pace is my favorite...and it's always in the fridge]]
whole wheat bagels, breads, pasta [[ALWAYS have all three]]
brown rice [[i cook this with low-sodium chicken/beef stock for more flavor]]
eggs, milk, cheese, cream cheese [[i'm a dairy lover]]
cucumbers, tomatoes, baby carrots, strawberries, watermelon, squash, red potatoes, plums, cabbage, bananas  [[always pick up fruits/veggies at the produce stand]]
green giant steamed singles [[they're easy to grab for lunches]]
quaker weight control oatmeal [[instant, because it's all i have time for.]]
turkey bacon, ground turkey, turkey sausage [[because i don't eat red meat/pork]]
chicken breast tenderloins [[because they're cheaper than chicken breasts and 1 pack will make two meals for my family.]]
frozen veggies [[they taste better than canned veggies]]
diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, whole canned tomatoes [[because you can do ANYTHING with them.]]
spaghetti sauce  [[because it's good for a lot more than spaghetti]]
canned and fresh mushrooms  [[because i like to cook them in my brown rice with the broth for more flavor]]
veggie crips or bagel crisps [[because i like something crunchy with my sandwiches...but i don't like greasy chips.]]
bottled water  [[we go through a 24 case a week.]]
v8 splash, fusion, and original v8  [[i warm my v8 up and drink it like tomato soup]]
whole wheat waffles and reduced fat syrup  [[i LOVE waffles in the morning]]
goya ham flavoring  [[0 calories and is GREAT for cooking with veggies]]

keep the tips coming.  i'm going shopping tonight...and i really want to know what you guys keep in your pantry so i can incorporate some new and healthy foods!

Ok, so I'm all about quick and easy so here are my staples in that regard:

* Amy's low sodium lentil soup (nutritious and you just have to heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes).

* Bird's Eye microwaveable steamed vegetables (i.e., broccoli florettes, sweet corn, green bean cuts).

* Another brand forgot the name of microwaveable steamed vegetables (that features asparagus).

* Dannon all natural vanilla or coffee yogurt (because Light 'n Fit has artificial sweetner in it which isn't good for you) or any other natural yogurt brand.

* Nonfat or lowfat ricotta cheese (instead of cottage cheese).

* Bananas, apples and pears (because they're cheaper than berries).

* Organic herb turkey breast (they have it at Whole Foods).

* Vanilla almond milk.

* Spectrum organic olive oil mayo.

i love grocery shopping!

must-haves:

ezekiel sprouted grain english muffins & sesame seed buns

gala apples

peanut butter

cajun turkey, deli sliced

tuna/pre-packaged tuna salad from whole foods

fat free marinated bean salad (from jewel. amazing)

dora/princess/lego fruit snacks

rice krispie treats

nature valley PB granola bars

soy milk

frozen veggies

edy's pure fruit bars (strawberry)

peanut butter

bagged salad

quaker old fashioned oatmeal

 

I'd buy some saltless nuts. They're quick protein. :) I also get these things called Steamfresh; they're frozen veggies that only have water in them, so they're healthy. You just stick 'em in the microwave. :)

Whole wheat bagels, low fat cream cheese, cheese sticks, blueberry yoghurt, life cereal, special K chocolaty delight (SO GOOD!), and canned tuna... all good. :)

 

Also, remember, don't go shopping when you're hungry, or else you'll end up buying more, and buying worse food!

Our shopping list consists of pretty much the same thing each week,my other half eat ALOT and i'm not in the finacial position to buy 2 sets of food at week

but we buy

Lean Beef mince
Chicken Breasts
Chicken legs/thighs
Steaks
Potatoes
Carrotts
Celery
Lettuce
Rolls
Tuna


And then anything needed to make meals from scratch, they are always very varied.