The Grocery Queen

I want to tell you all something about myself. I am literally the worst person on the planet when it comes to being able to follow directions. I literally get lost the first time I go anywhere. I even get lost coming out of a building sometimes. If you are with me and I tell you a direction, just do the opposite and you will be right. With that being said, there is one place in the world that I am the navigation queen. The grocery store. I know this sounds really lame, but I have been known to talk to certain people on the phone for their entire trip and navigate them through the grocery store.  So, I might not be able to get to your house, but I can tell you where to find the PB2 at Kroger! 

I come from a very creative family, and we all have our own outlets. One of my sisters is an artist, the other is a poet, my mother and grandmother can make or create anything you can imagine, and my favorite creative outlet is cooking. Anyway, this makes the grocery store one of my favorite places. The special people in my life even take me to whole foods on special occasions, because they know how happy it makes me. I just think food is beautiful. I would say I go to the grocery store 2-3 times a week. This might seem excessive to you, but I have mastered the art of grocery shopping, and I want to share it with you! 

I started going to the grosh (as my sister and I call it) a lot after I got diagnosed with food allergies. I would roam the isles reading almost every food label, because I was just trying to figure out what I could still eat. I still remember getting way too excited when I would be pleasantly surprised about a certain food or when I found a allergy free baked good that actually tasted good! Anyway, here is how to be a pro at grocery shopping (because I’m sure that has been your life-long dream).

1.     The healthy stuff is on the outside perimeter. All of your fruit and produce is where you start your trip, and as you go along the outside you will find the deli, meat counter, dairy, eggs, and water. I buy 90% of my groceries in these areas.  

2.     The organic section: many of you probably pass by this “extra healthy” part of the grocery store, because you think the food wont taste good or it’s too expensive.  You just have to give it a chance! Almond milk is in this section, and that is a very important item for any healthy eater! It is great for shakes, oatmeal, and different recipes. I buy unsweetened vanilla flavored and it has 30 calories a cup. This section is also where you find the best protein bars (the Uber bars from What’s that? Wednesday a while back) come from this section. A few of my other favorite items include Zevia soda, Justins Nutbutters, and Skinny Pop popcorn!  I would encourage you to just explore and try a new healthy item each week! 

3.     The “inside isles”: this is the part of the grocery store where we will mindlessly throw cookies, candy, chips, and cereal into our carts. It doesn’t have to be though, there are some quality items found in the center isles. Canned green beans being one of my personal favs, along with herbal tea, gum, and Dijon mustard! If I were you, I would stay clear of the isles or items that you know you will deter you from your diet. My personal kryptonite is tortilla chips. I know, I live on the wild side. Anyway, I never buy them because when they are in the house I take a few almost every time I am in the kitchen. 

So now that you understand how the grocery store is laid out, I am going to give you an example of a weekly grocery trip for me. Just a warning people, if I go to the grocery store this week, and all my food is gone...I am not gonna be a happy camper. 

This is in the order in which I put the items in the cart

·      Strawberries, Blackberries

·      Bananas (organic)

·      Eggplant

·      Zucchini

·      Mushrooms

·      Shallots

·      Broccoli 

·      Baby Granny Smith Apples

·      Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

·      Organic Free Range Eggs

·      Gluten Free Oats

·      Justins Almond Butter/Hazelnut Butter

·      Roasted Garlic Hummus

·      Canned Green Beans/ Black beans/Garbanzo Beans

·      Ground Turkey

·      Chicken Breast

·      Egg Whites

·      Shredded Hashbrowns

·      Gum

·      Kool-Aid Liquid

So as you can see, most of my food is fresh, and doesn’t stay good for more than a few days or a week. When I buy my produce I only buy enough for a few days, because I always know I can go back and get more later. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I don’t spend much money at the grocery store, because it’s quite the contrary. But, I can probably name on one hard how many times I have gone out to eat during the week in the last couple years. Feeding my body in a healthy way is very important to me. It is such a vital part of what keeps your body running smoothly, so I look at the grocery as an investment.