The first time I went to the grocery store after our pantry clean out I was wondering how I was going to shop. With three under four I was worried that I wouldn't be able to change our eating habits. B we have affectionately named out "carb" girl. Here favorite meal is mac and cheese. If we let her she would eat nothing but mac and cheese for every meal. Also on Friday nights we have family pizza night. We usually sat in the TV room and watched a movie and ate pizza. There were a few other unhealthy go to favorites too.
As I started to figure out our new menu I needed some go to meals that I could easily make that would replicate some of the unhealthy things we used to make. For example I found a wheat pizza crust that uses honey instead of sugar and only has wheat, oil, and honey as the ingredients. I wouldn't eat it every night but once in awhile it is still ok.
I also knew I needed to keep lots of fruits and veggies in the house. My three girls were already accustomed to eating a bag of oranges, a bag of apples, two big containers of grapes and a bunch of bananas every week so I knew I'd need to buy more of these items for Brian and I.
One of the things I learned was that I was not eating enough times a day so I needed some quick snack foods. I also learned that I was eating way to many carbs. This meant that I needed to purchase more protein for snacks. No more bowl of popcorn for morning snack and instead replacing it with celery sticks and PB2.
One of the keys to shopping for clean eating is shopping the parameter of the store. When I shop at our local grocery store I spend the majority of my budget in the produce section. Then I pick a few things up in the Organic section. Then I find a few more items in the dairy case. Lastly, I do go in the aisles for brown rice, quinoa, farro, and some spices. I also buy many frozen veggies.
Don't dis the frozen veggies. Most of the time they are picked when they are perfectly ripe and flash frozen for freshness. They contain many nutrients that may have leached out of their fresh counterparts due to improper handling. Usually if I am cooking them I will buy frozen. IF I am using them for a whole wheat pasta salad then I will buy fresh. Also some things like cauliflower and brussel sprouts roast better when fresh verses frozen.
Lastly make sure you price compare. We have a SAMS Club close to use. The chicken, while bigger breasts, is $.20 per pound than our grocery store. Things like frozen berries and fish are usually cheaper too. Nuts and eggs are cheaper too.
One thing I love is that our local grocery store has an ap. I can use the ap to price out my trip at that store and then when I am at SAMS I can check out the price and see if there is a difference.
Lastly, remember to use fooducate.com when trying to choose between different brands. All brands are not created equal. Also some brands that toot their horn about being organic are anything but healthy. Always check their rating.
I hope these tips help you with your first clean eating shopping trip. Please share what was the hardest meal to replace once you started clean eating?
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