The Essential Shopping List

If you are like me, a grocery list is essential. Without it I am completely lost in the store. I'll wander up and down the aisles looking at the best deals and tend to walk out of the store with about 10 extra items that magically appeared in my basket (and I really didn't need). And if you are even MORE like me - you'll convince yourself that you really needed those items or that you deserved a small treat.

Let's be real. 99% of the time the items "sneaking" into your basket aren't chicken breasts and bananas and raw almonds. It's mostly sugar/carbohydrate based processed foods. And if those items are in the house, chances are you will eat through the junk before hitting the good stuff. Believe me, I know.

In order to avoid such purchases I now take a list with me and don't venture down the middle aisles of the store. Take a look at your grocery store sometime. The "good stuff" lines the outer walls (fresh produce, meats, dairy, eggs, etc) and the "junk" is everywhere in between.

Here's the essential on my shopping list (a very broke-graduate-student friendly list): 
Chicken breasts
Ground turkey
Tilapia (I get mine frozen) 

Cans of Tuna Fish Egg whites
Whey protein powder (GNC for the bulk and Wal-Mart Jillian Michaels for the smaller/cheaper version) 
Turkey bacon
Unsweetened almond milk
Spinach or Mixed greens 
Kale (generally frozen for me) 
Asparagus
Bell peppers

Onions

Carrots Broccoli/cauliflower (I eat pounds of this stuff - so I get it frozen) Green beans (frozen) 
Brussel sprouts
Garlic
Sweet potatoes
Oat bran (NOT oatmeal - oat BRAN - there is a difference)
Brown rice
Blueberries

Strawberries Apples

Bananas (I buy them ripe and freeze them = good for smoothies or making ice cream!) Grapefruit
Salsa (look for salsa with less than 200mg of sodium) 
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Green tea
Think Thin bars (order on Amazon, much cheaper and a FANTASTIC bar) 
Raw almondsCinnamon 
Cumin 
Salt-Free Spice Mixes 
Truvia 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Balsamic Vinegar 
Natural Peanut Butter 


Some tips on buying cheaper: 
- for meats/fish always go shopping when it's on sale. buy in bulk if it's SUPER cheap. Open up the packages and freeze a few chicken breasts together in a freezer bag. My freezer is almost always full. 
- if you can stand frozen vegetables - it makes life easier in terms of survival rate of your produce
- if fruit is on sale, buy it and freeze that too (you can use it for smoothies!) 


*Note: I don't necessarily buy all of this at the same time, it depends on what I'm out of/what's in season and what I plan on cooking for the week. 


Happy Grocery Shopping!