Tips for Grocery Shopping

 

To be honest grocery shopping was just one of those things where I never really liked. I never knew where anything was. I was one of those people who would just go in and roam every single aisle, fill my cart with what I thought I needed, and then wonder why my bill was high at the end of the day....with nothing in the cart.

Until I got the hang of it..... (I still don't like to go by myself)

How I got the hang of it.

1. Look for recipes/meal plan: Pinterest is my GO to place. Look for ideas on what you want for lunch/dinner. And meal plan it out, it seems very difficult & it was stressful at first for me. But what I found worked for me was that I had a calendar, write S-Sat on it. Plus what I was having, but what I found worked better was listing every ingredient I needed for that recipe. Then I would go through my fridge, pantry, etc and cross off what I have.

2. Stay on the outside aisle:  The outside aisle has your fresh fruits, fresh veggies, chicken, ground turkey, fish. The middle aisle is more of the high sodium and processed foods. The only time I step in the middle aisle is for brown rice, frosty paws (for Bubba), and cereal (for Eric)

3. Stick to your meal plan:  You made a meal plan for a reason. Stick to what is on your list. This will avoid getting unwanted, unhealthy things. Plus jacking your grocery bill up higher.

BONUS: WHAT TO DO AFTER FOOD SHOPPING

 

 

4. Meal Prep: It takes time, but it saves you a lot of time during the week. Bake off your chicken, cut up your fruit/veggies & package them, pre make your salads, salad dressing, and maybe a dinner so its done.

5. Stack everything in containers, put in the fridge/freezer, grab and go: This makes life so much easier. I can't tell you how many times when I come home from work I just do NOT want to worry about what I am having for lunch the next day and even making it. All I have to do is empty out my lunch box from that certain day, go in the fridge, grab all my containers I have cut, put them in the bag, & I'm finished.

No hassle.
No stress.
No worrying at 9pm (OH NO! I didn't pack my lunch)

Something simple.
Something easy.
And it makes life 100% better.

Taco Casserole

Everyone likes a little Mexican dish in their life..right? Mexican food is my one downfall, my true weakness...so anytime I can spice it up and make it a little clean I am all for that! Something totally unique and different and I never would have thought to make it.

Ingredients:
-1 lb of lean ground turkey
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 packet of taco seasoning
-8 oz jar of taco sauce
-2 tomatoes, sliced
-Iceberg lettace, chopped
-Plain Greek Yogurt (in replace of sour cream)
-Low fat cheddar cheese (optional)
-Whol Grain Tortilla Shells (hard)

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.
-Brown ground turkey & onion in pan over medium heat.
-Drain the liquid and add taco seasoning with 1/4 cup of water.
-Stir until mixed well. Add the taco sauce.
-Layer baking dish with crunched up taco shells.
-Then put a layer of ground meat, thin layer of greek yogurt, tiny bit of cheddar cheese, then layer with shells, ground meat, greek yogurt and cheddar cheese on top.
-Top with lettace, tomatoes, and whatever other toppings you are adding.


       

                                 

Chicken Quesadilla

Ingredients:
 

• 16oz skinless chicken breast, fat trimmed
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Garlic powder
• salt and fresh pepper
• Olive Oil Spray
• 1/2 small onion, cut into strips
• 1 bell pepper (red or green) cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1-1/3 cup  Mexican blend shredded cheese
• 8 low carb whole wheat flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Slice chicken breast in half so you have 4 cutlets.
2.  Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and garlic powder.
3. Lightly spray a skillet on medium heat with oil or if using a grill, grill chicken until cooked on both sides.
4.  Remove from heat and cut chicken into strips, set aside.
5. To the skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and cook onions and peppers, season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook about 2 minutes, add garlic and continue cooking until vegetables are soft being careful not to burn the garlic. Set aside.
7. Heat skillet on medium heat and lightly spray with oil.
8. Add tortilla, top with cheese, chicken, onions, peppers, and pico de gallo or avocado-mango salsa. Top with the other tortilla.
9. Cheese should be melted and the bottom of the tortilla should be golden brown. Put a plate on top of the quesadilla to flip it over onto the plate. Then slide the other side onto the skillet. Cook another minute and remove with a spatula.
10.   Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream if you wish

Smoky Southwestern Seasoning

Day #1 Twenty-One Day Fix is in the bag and dinner was nothing fancy but a little bit of spice. Everyone needs spice in their life ...right?!

Let me just say I am loving this journey already and day number two is practically over, I just have to go to sleep for it to be.

BUT.... this week in my challenge group is really focusing all about food. What we are eating, learning the benefits, etc. So I have been posting like crazy and this was something everyone was interested in. Now let me just start and tell you this is nothing fancy by any means. I didn't do anything different when cooking except add spice.

21 Day Fix

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Philly CheeseSteak

Shout out to a fellow coach and friend Katy Ursta for finding this AMAZING recipe!! It's totally the bomb and super delish!!!

                 

                   

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup of mushrooms (not a fan so I didn't have on my sandwich)
*1 small onion chopped up
*1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
*6 slices of roast beef, sliced in strips ( low sodium is best)
*2 red bell peppers
*4 slices of prov cheese

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms, onions, and olive oil.
2. Add roast beef strips on low heat for a few minutes.
3. Cut red bell peppers in half.
4. Place a slice of cheese on bottom of the pepper.
5 Add the veggies & roast beef.
6. Place another slice of cheese on top.
7. Place in oven on 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

Chicken Bake

Oh meeeeeee GOSH!! This meal is amazing and so simple anyone can make it. And I mean anyone!! Trust me, this girl has no skill in the kitchen (just yet) but its literally a couple simple steps and BAM your done! Working all day and have the husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/wife home. Have him get the veggies, chicken, spices out and mix it together. Simple, quick, and teamwork!

Ingredients:
* 2 skinless chicken breasts chopped into 2 inch cubes
* 1 lb red potatoes chopped into 2 inch cubes
* 1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
*  Peppers sliced into 1 inch pieces
* 1 onion sliced
* 1/3 cup fresh basil
* 4 garlic cloves sliced thin
* 1.5 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
* Ground pepper for taste
*1/2 cup of chicken broth if you want

**add any veggies you want, we also added green beans.

Directions:
*preheat oven to 400 degrees and add chicken, potatoes, veggies, basil, garlic, chicken broth, and olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary add pepper if wanted. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, turning every once in a while, until tender. ENJOY!!!

Mexican Turkey Burgers

This is what you get when you are sitting home alone on a Friday night, and your kiddies (cat&dog) are sleeping

I love anything Mexican so I decided to do something different for dinner tonight. Trying to become a cook since I sort of have too. Mexican & burgers?!?! So how did it all turn out.....
 

Time to prep

Ingredients: 

*lean ground turkey 

*any veggies you want (i used green peppers & onions)

*extra virgin olive oil

* taco seasoning 

Directions: 

*cut the amount of  veggies you want 

*place ground turkey in mixing bowl

*add a little evoo to your turkey

*add veggies

*start by adding 1/2 packet of seasoning (depending on how much seasoning you will want)

*add a little evoo to the pan and cook (you can use a grill, but it was too chilly for me to do that)

Something simple and quick. Different from your everyday burger, all because I was bored one night.

Let me know what you think!!!!

Hope you enjoy!