Grocery Shopping #101 for us Newbies

So thought I'd share a few of my new grocery cart introductions & I encourage you to add them to yours.

Many of these are new items to my weekly grocery receipt & I will try to help you spend your grocery dollars wisely following my research.
#1- Red Swiss Chard - I sauteed this bundle in 2 Tble. butter & absolutely nothing else.  It is my new favorite side dish! The only problem is one bundle is not big enough when you are cooking for two.  So easy, so tasty....BUY it now!
#2 -Cottage cheese with a covering a fruit is a fantastic healthy snack.  Blueberries were my choice of topping today.  No it's not exciting, but when you're looking for something quick you'll be thankful to see this in your frig.
#3 - I favor any natural sweetener over anything artificial & will be looking for ways to use my Agave nectar.  The jury is still out on this one.
#4 - Eggs are one of nature's most natural proteins.  As long as I know the chickens are able to move about freely as they make my meal, I can fully enjoy their nutritious bounty.  We always prepare a few hard boiled eggs to have on hand later.  They are very handy for just about any type of salad or snack.
#5 - Non-fat plain Yougurt is THE new staple for my frequent protein shakes.
#6 - Quinoa was a new protein rich side dish I experimented with today and I really liked it!
#7 - Almonds are now my easy go to on the road snack.  I always keep a package in my car.
#8 - Spinach  It now goes right in the freezer like this so it's ready for smoothies.

Already in my frig/freezer or not pictured:
Fresh Seafood - We eat Organic Norwegian Salmon about once weekly & frozen shrimp/scallops whenever time or stores do not allow a good alternative
Frozen Mango for smoothies
Bananas
A good assortment of multi-colored veggies- Brussel Sprouts, Red Peppers and Green Beans are some of my favorites.
Humus- an awesome dip for veggies or Plain pita chips if you must.

& an exceptable sweet snack.  I made my virgin batch of Black bean Brownies tonight, which I highly recommend for your sweet tooth.  Take your standard Brownie mix, add a can of mashed black beans or if you're feeling lazy like me:)  a can of refried Black beans.  Mix well.  I added a little water to make it more like the normal consistancy of Brownie mix.  Bake as directed & enjoy with much less calories and fat!

Although I prefer to shop once per week I've found in order to really eat fresh, it's best to go twice.  I typically only buy enough produce/ fresh meat to last half the week.  There is nothing more depressing than throwing away expensive produce don't you agree?  Can't wait for gardening season when the natural possibilities will be more numerous!