There are thousands of options at the grocery store, and often times, we're in a hurry to get in and get out.
"Having a plan of action is one of the key steps of eating great in 2008," said Roberta Anding, dietitian for the Houston Texans.
Anding says you must do two things before you shop. First, write up a healthy dinner menu. And second, make a list of all the ingredients.
"You have to set your goals and then you have to stick to them," she said.
Roberta advises that you stay away from the junk food section and shop mostly in the produce and frozen sections.
"Change the mindset before you walk into the grocery store," she said.
We begin with fresh fruits and veggies. "Look what we have, we have everything we need to for a quick and healthy dinner," said Roberta.
Grocery stores have made it easy for us by dicing up veggies, bagging up ready to serve salads and slicing up fresh fruit.
We also picked up a rotisserie chicken. Because our fresh food won't last more than a few days, it's off to the frozen food section to get food we will use closer to the end of the week.
"So this is a nice mix," said Roberta. "You can make that into a Mexican dish with your brown rice."
Frozen veggies are quick and easy to cook and just as nutritious as fresh produce.
We also pick up some frozen meat. Grilled chicken and lean choices like fajita meat are on our list. Stay away from fatty meats like pork and sausage.
A box or two of whole grain rice made at the beginning of the week will give you a healthy side all week long. You'll be able to refrigerate, then re-heat as needed.
Finally, we grab sauces full of flavor not fat and low fat cheese to add some flavor. The ingredients we purchase make up the five following meals:
- Bagel night: Rotisserie chicken on bread with pesto sauce and side salad.
- Fiesta night: Using leftover chicken, black beans and rice with pico de gallo, veggies, and cheese.
- Beef stir fry: frozen veggies and whole grain noodles.
- Chicken and rice: Frozen grilled chicken strips, leftover rice, and pre cut onions and peppers and a side of apples.
- Italian night: It's italian! Grilled chicken strips, leftover noodles tomato sauce and fresh fruit.
And here's the grocery list:
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Whole Wheat Bagels
Rotisserie Chicken
Pesto sauce
2 Pre-packaged salads
Can of Black Beans
2 Boxes of Whole Grain Rice
Ready to serve diced pico de Gallo
8 oz. bag of 2% shredded cheese
Frozen Lean Beef for Stir Fry
Frozen Stir Fry Veggies
Whole Grain Noodles
Frozen Chicken Strips (white mean)
Pre-cut onions and Peppers
Pre cut Apples
Reduced Calorie Pasta Sauce
Pre-cut fresh fruit
Stir-fry sauce
