grocery shopping!!

sorry for the long delay in posts, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks, and it's only going to get crazier. not sure when i'll be able to post this upcoming week, so i'm doing it now.

so today i was able to go grocery shopping at a super walmart (my first time in one!! i'm totally amazed!!) and i was able to pick up some pretty decent things at awesome prices. here's a peek into what's in my shopping cart:

1) eggs: i picked the medium sized eggs; just hardboil some these bad boys and they're a perfect snack to pack into my purse. just a dash of salt and i get an awesome protein fix quick. very nutritious and tasty.

2) apples: can't go wrong with fuji apples. fruit spoils too quickly for me to eat all of it, so i buy very small amounts--2 or 3 of each kind. i already have bananas at work, so none for me this time around. fruits are an awesome way to satisfy my sweet tooth, plus apples pack about 3 grams of fiber to keep you nice and regular :)

3) nectarines: a summertime favorite of mine--sweet, tasty, full of fiber, potassium, vitamin c and other goodies.

4) frozen veggies: good as fresh--and they last so much longer too!! i like to buy big bags of frozen veggies and ration them out in my lunch box. also another awesome snack by itself. just heat up a cup for a couple of minutes, add some seasoned salt and you're good to go :)

5) dairy: i like dairy products in the morning--milk, yogurt, cottage cheese--i just feel weird if i don't have some kind of dairy product for breakfast. as a kid, i grew up on whole milk, but now i've switched to skim. i like to mix my milk with a scoop of whey protein and drink it either before or after my workouts. i also picked out some low carb yogurt here (be careful when buying yogurt--if it's not plain then chances are it's packed with unnecessary sugar) and some lowfat cottage cheese for quick, yummy snack. if you need some sugar, try some natural sweeteners (a dash of honey) or some splenda.

6) chicken: an awesome lean source of protein. i'm not big on white chicken, so i got some thighs here instead, because i do prefer dark meat over white meat. yes i know dark meat is not as lean or as healthy as white meat, and if you can eat or prefer white meat, go for it, but i can't. i like to take these and rub them down with spices and throw them on the grill--dinner is ready in minutes.

7) fish/seafood: i normally don't buy much seafood, i actually prefer to eat it in restaurants, but they were having a huge sale at walmart--$5 a bag, and each bag has about 4-6 servings. eating healthy doesn't mean you have to eat expensive, there's always ways to get around it :) so i bought some shrimp (who doesn't love shrimp?), but i like to ration it out, since shrimp can be high in cholesterol. catfish is my fish of choice; i love the tender, flaky texture, but this time around i bought salmon and tilapia. i recently started eating salmon (last year, in december) and i love it (oh and tuna as well). but i can only do fresh salmon or tuna, the canned stuff makes me gag. if you can stomach the prepacked fish, then stock up on those as well too. but i love herb grilled salmon for dinner; it's amazing and filling. tilapia also has a wonderful texture--juicy and flaky (i don't think i can tell the difference between catfish and tilapia in a blind taste test), and of course it packs the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids we don't get enough of. quick tip: try not to eat fish too often (3 meals a week or less) to avoid mercury poisoning :(

8) lemons: i love adding lemon to my water and drizzling it all over my fish. all fish really needs is some olive oil, herbs and lemon and it's a perfect dish :)

some other things i bought but didn't make it into the picture:

9) cereal: as much as i try to avoid processed foods, sometimes i do need a tiny amount of cereal in my life. i pretty much lived on it during college, so i get cravings every now and then. nowadays i only purchase the kashi go lean cereal, as it packs an excellent amount of protein and fiber for a cereal. and, as always, beware of cereal--they're sugar bombs packed in pretty boxes.

10) lemonade: i'm such a sucker for lemonade. definitely my favorite drink of all time. i could drink it with anything. in this case i buy the minute maid light lemonade (i get my fix and don't feel bad about consuming a ton of sugar--15 calories a serving) and during the summer, all i want to do is drink lemonade.

now, don't get me wrong, i'm far from a perfect eater, but rather i take it one day at a time and try to correct my habits as i progress. i won't lie, saturday i had apple pie for breakfast and sesame chicken for dinner, and sunday i had oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast, curry chicken with white rice for dinner, and a toffee coffee frosty for dessert, but i tell myself i'll pay for it when i go though my workouts this week. it's fine to cheat on the weekends, but as long as it's in moderation and in controlled portions (i only ate a third of my frosty today--the sugar was too much to handle), enough to curb the cravings. it's all about fine tunes and tweaks here and there, until you are able to handle a clean, healthy, sustainable diet. remember, it's all about you and how far you want to go :)

enjoy what's left of the weekend and sweet dreams :)