Meal Planning and Grocery Lists

**Meal Planning and Grocery Lists**

"Failing to PLAN is PLANNING to FAIL"

Here is something to think about... would you start your day, leave on vacation or show up to a job interview without a plan? No, probably not. I used to eat on the go and was constantly stopped at fast food restaurant... guess where that got me? 40lbs heavier and feeling awful about what I looked like, not to mention my skin was HORRIBLE from all the grease and processed "food".

So I want you to think of meal planning and prep as your PLAN for a HEALTHY BODY! Your biggest obstacle is going to be managing your time so that getting fit and healthy doesn't complete with the rest of your commitments. We all have busy lives but that doesn't mean that they have to be unhealthy ones.

Believe it or not, prioritizing and planning ahead actually make life EASIER! Not to mention, it will set you up for success in the long term! I know it seems time consuming and not necessary BUT I promise that it’s worth it! By having everything ready and packed will be less stressful than leaving your meal choices up to chance. (We all know how awful our decisions can be if we are hungry!)

If you are on the go a lot, keep snacks on hand; raw almonds, low-fat string cheese, chopped veggies, fruit, rice cakes, hummus ect. You can keep little ziplock baggies almonds in your car so you ALWAYS have something to grab. ((TIP: Get yourself a small cooler to keep your snacks fresh or to take yogurts and other refrigerated items.

Healthy Grocery Shopping List Guide

Proteins
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Tuna (water packed)
Fish (mahi mahi, cod, halibut, and on occasion salmon and sea bass)
Shrimp
Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%)
Buffalo steak (lean) 

Egg Whites or Eggs
Rib eye Steaks or Roast
Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
Top Sirloin
Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% Lean Ground Round)
Extra Lean Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)



Complex Carbs
 Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal (watch sugar, less than 6 grams)
Brown Rice
Ezekiel Bread (frozen healthy section)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Pasta (Whole Wheat, Ezekiel brand – watch serving, very dense)
Rice (jasmine, basmati, Arborio, wild, brown)
Potatoes (red, baking)
Kashi Low Sugar Cereals (less than 6 grams of sugar)
Whole Wheat Pita
Corn Tortillas
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Rice Cakes (lightly salted only)


Vegetables

(Fresh first, frozen second, canned last choice)
Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Celery
Mushrooms
Cabbage
Sprouts
Cucumber
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Squash
Spaghetti Squash


Fruit

Berries (blueberries and raspberries)
Lemons or Limes
Melons (not watermelon)
Grapefruit
Apples
Dates
Grapes
Oranges

Eat bananas, strawberries, peaches or plums sparingly (lots of natural sugar)
No dried fruits, including raisins (loaded with sugar)


Healthy Fats
Natural Style or Organic Peanut Butter, even better, Peanut Wonder (Whole Foods Market)
Almond Butter
Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
Nuts (peanuts, almonds)
Hummus

Flaxseed Oil
Avocado


Dairy & Eggs
Eggs
Low or Non-Fat Milk (eat dairy only occasionally)
Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
Plain Greek Yogurt (I like Chobani the best)
Fat-free String Cheese



Beverages
 Bottled Water
Iced Tea (decaf)
Coffee (decaf) (I do have 1 cup of regular coffee in the morning! I use organic Stevia as a sweetener!)
Sparkling Water



Condiments & Misc.

Fat-free Mayonnaise (on occasion)
Ketchup (Heinz One Carb brand only)
Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic or Raspberry Vinaigrette
Salsa or Fresh Pico De Gallo
Steak Sauce
Chili Paste
Mustard (yellow or Dijon)
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc)
Low Sodium fat-free beef or fat-free chicken broth
Tomato sauce, puree, paste (look for low sugar)
Worcestershire Sauce
Fat-free cooking spray
Sugar-free applesauce for baking


Herbs & Spices

Chili powder
Mrs. Dash (all varieties)
McCormick’s (all varieties)
Cinnamon
Allspice
Basil
Bay leaf
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Dill
Ginger
Sage
Rosemary
Paprika
Thyme
Oregano
Curry Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
Marjoram
Tarragon
Dry Mustard

Cumin
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Black Pepper

How I meal plan:

Every Sunday I sit down and write out my meal plan and grocery list. Then I shop and prepare my snacks and lunches so everything is READY! Each day all I’ll need to do is worry about cooking the breakfast and dinner that I already PLANNED! It makes some time getting a hang of it but once you do it’s SO WORTH IT! A little time in the store and kitchen on Sunday means for the rest of the week you can JUST GRAB AND GO!

To make my MEAL PLAN I follow a very simple technique. I basically just plug in the foods I want into the categories I have laid out for each meal or snack.

On the left are the food groups I am eating for that meal.
On the right is an EXAMPLE of what I would eat for that day. 

By sticking to the same lay out each week, I can make my meal plan quickly without having to put much thought into where exactly I place my foods. The 21 Day Fix taught me much of what I know about meal planning and HOW to place my foods throughout the day so I am not hungry. You can see it is color coded according to what food group it fits into.

To keep my weekly grocery budget under control I tend to eat a lot of the same foods for certain meals. For the week, my breakfast, snacks and lunches all are pretty much the same. I change up the dressings for my salad or have it in a wrap but overall I am using the same foods. Dinner is the main meal that changes each and every night so we have some variety in our diet. Each week I change up the foods I buy so we won't get burnt out. Its work WONDERS so far! 

I get a lot of people telling me that Clean Eating is SO expensive. I can promise you that I actually spend LESS now they I ever have. Check out my post about Clean Eating on a Budget for some useful tips!