I do my grocery shopping at my local store and at a local organic store. Since products are more expensive at the organic store I try to buy as much of my groceries at the supermarket to save money, but make sure you check the labels! In this post I will provide you with a list of items which I get at the local supermarket every week or regularly. Keep in mind that some of these items are foods that are only available in the Netherlands and that they suit my taste and diet, so you may need to adjust something's to make it suitable for your preferences. In the "What's in my pantry and should be in yours" post you will find more items or items that aren't in this list because I don't eat them often or don't need them regulary and I have them in my pantry because I bought them on sale!
I do my grocery shopping once a week and I always make sure that I make a list at home to avoid buying unhealthy foods and to make sure I have everything I need for my meals for that week.
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| Some ingredients which I bought at the organic store |
The Shopping List
I always start by loading my cart with fresh fruits and vegetables! This could help you stay motivated to stick to only the healthy and nutritious products and you'll be less inclined to add items which don't belong in your cart. By looking into your cart an seeing all the beautiful colors from the fresh products you will be more motivated to stick to your clean eating journey!Vegetables
I will present a list with vegetables which I often buy but add any other vegetable to your shopping list which you like or need for a recipe! Keep in mind vary your vegetables!
- Cabbage-lettuce, spinach or Romaine - essential for my lunch salads!
- Organic tomatoes and cherry tomatoes: get any tomatoes you prefer!
- Cucumber
- Sweet paprika or yellow, green and/or red paprika
- Zucchini and/or Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- White onions (sometimes red onions)
- Broccoli or Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
- Green beans
- At least once every month: beetroot, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, corn
Fruits
I always buy bananas and apples because I have them in my oatmeal and often in my yogurt in the morning and for me bananas are the perfect snack at 10-11 A.M.
- Bananas! I eat one every day so can't do without them!
- Apples
- Avocados - Delicious on sandwiches and in salads
- To save money I buy only one or two other fruits which depends on what I'm craving at that moment, the season or on what's on sale! These fruits include: strawberries, blueberries, white grapes, kiwi, peaches, oranges or raspberries. Feel free to add any other fruit you like to the list or replace an item with another type of fruit! Just make sure you have some variation!
Grains, Starches & Legumes:
I only buy bread at the organic store and suggest you do the same or make your own! It's much healthier!
- Spelt bread - Is my favorite and my body reacts really well to it. However, for some people the high amount of gluten in spelt products can lead to problems. So see what's best for you but make sure you only eat whole wheat breads!
- Spelt or Kamut pasta - Again try other whole wheat pasta's if you prefer
- Gluten free pasta - Yes they do sell this at the organic store! I eat this once a week to vary with the Spelt/Kamut pasta. I buy the one made from brown rice but they also sell one which is based on corn!
- White or Red quinoa
- Oats
- Brown rice
- (spelt) rice crackers
- Spelt couscous
- Noodles - I prefer the gluten and wheat free noodles because I eat Spelt products and don't want to ingest to many gluten.
- Chickpeas - Perfect for salads or as a snack.
Dairy/Non-Dairy
- Yoghurt: I always get natural yoghurt and Greek yoghurt. Don't buy any flavored yoghurts because these contain lots of additional sugars and food additives. Just flavor with some fresh fruit yourself!
- Quark: perfect source for protein!
- Cottage cheese
- Feta cheese (or you can try goat cheese)
- Pecorino or parmesan cheese
- Unsweetened almond milk: I generally but the unsweetened version because I like the taste better and it's healthier compared to the sweetened version which contains agave syrup!
- Coconut milk
Meats, Poultry & Fish:
- Eggs: can't live without eggs in stock! The egg yolks have some nutritional benefits but make sure you eat these in moderation! That's way my vegetable omelet contains only 1 complete egg and two egg whites!
- Chicken (or Turkey but this is a little bit more expensive)
- Fish: I eat fish at least two times a week so you will always find different kinds in my refrigerator/freezer such as (smoked) salmon, tuna, white fish etc. Most fish is considered to be clean, but make sure that you are aware of the high mercury content in most fish these days.
- You probably noticed that beef and pork are not on the list! On rare occasions I eat beef but never pork. I choose to eat lean meats like chicken. But if you do want ot buy beef I suggest you choose the leanest options possible. I stay away from pork completely because it's generally full of sodium and is high in fat. Pork is not considered clean, unless organic.
Nuts & Seeds:
I have a lot of different types of nuts and seeds in my pantry because this is very handy. But when you're just getting started it is expensive and I would advise you to buy the following items:
- Pine nuts - You can never go wrong with pine nuts! Perfect for in salads.
- Sunflower seeds or Pumpkin seeds
- Pecans or Walnuts
- Flax seed
- Hazelnuts or Almonds
- During your journey you can add other types of nuts and seeds to your list and only buy new ones if you're running out!
The same as for the nuts and seeds, start with a few basic items and then just add other oils and vinegars if you specifically need them for a recipe.
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil and Olive oil extra virgin
- White wine vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Soy sauce
Herbs & Spices:
For
all dried spices I advise you to slowly start adding these to your
collection based on the recipes you're making I will add a few dried
spices to the list because I use these regurlaly.
- Fresh Mint - perfect for tea and pimping up your water
- Other fresh herbs depend on the meals your making that week!
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cinnamon
- Cumin seeds
- Sweet paprika powder
- Oregano
- (Himalayan) sea salt
- Pepper
Baking needs:
At the supermarket these are a lot of unhealthy choices and desires in this aisle! So to avoid temptation and for the simple reason that they just don't sell any baking goods that fit clean eating I skip this aisle completely and buy everything at the organic store!
- Almond meal: only contains ground almonds and is a great low-carb option! But it does contain twice as much calories compared to regular or whole wheat meals.
- Coconut meal: Could be an alternative for almond meal, has the same benefits but is lower in calories. However, you can't simply replace almond meal with coconut meal because it's naturally dry and needs more liquids!
- Spelt flower - Or another whole wheat type of flower! I also make my pizza with this!
Other items:
- Tea: I generally buy green tea but there are other healthy options like chamomile and chai tea. or try and make fresh ginger or mint tea!
- Agave syrup
If you have any other suggestions, comments or questions feel free to leave a comment!
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