Happy Motivation Monday, you guys! Last night I put up a poll on Instastories about what you’d like to see today, and it turns out y’all are interested in our weekly grocery list. I’m all about convenience these days, so every Sunday, Chris and I have been ordering our groceries from Whole Foods and having them delivered! We use the Amazon Prime app, and they’re super fast and reliable – they can deliver within two hours. We usually order it in the morning before church and schedule the groceries to be delivered between 2 and 4 pm – that way we have enough time to prepare dinner that night.
So, without further ado, these are the TEN ITEMS that are always on our grocery list!
1. Organic, Pasture-Raised Eggs
I’ve been eating eggs for breakfast every morning lately! They’re packed with nutrients (especially the yolks!) and the protein keeps me really full without weighing me down. In the case of eggs, the word “organic” does not mean that much, because even certified organic eggs can come from hens living in inhumane, factory conditions – making their eggs both a nutritionally and ethically inferior product (source). The key is to look for organic, pasture-raised eggs – they’re much more nutritious than those obtained from cage-free confinement or battery cages. True organic, pasture-raised eggs contain two times more omega-3 fatty acids, three times more vitamin E, up to six times the vitamin D, and up to seven times more beta carotene than most supermarket eggs (source). If you’re unsure which brand to buy, this Organic Egg Brand Scorecard is really helpful!
2. Dark, Leafy Greens
One thing that’s always on my shopping list is dark leafy greens – I usually prefer spinach, but sometimes I’ll also add kale to the list (depending on what I’m making that week). One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to eat greens every single day, and it’s really easy when you always have them available in your fridge! The easiest way for me to get my greens in is by throwing spinach into my green smoothie every morning, but I also like spinach salads, scrambled egg with spinach, or using them as a topping on whatever we’re having for dinner (for example, on top of tacos).
3. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are absolutely a weekly staple for me. I loooove sweet potatoes 🙂 I usually buy four of them, and use two for lunches and the other two I’ll incorporate into a dinner recipe. For dinners, we really like cutting up sweet potatoes into cubes, tossing them in olive oil, chili powder, turmeric powder and black pepper and then baking them in the oven alongside salmon. If I’m having a sweet potato for lunch, I’ll usually poke a couple of holes in it with a fork and then bake it at 425 for 45 minutes. Then I mash it up in a bowl (I take the skin off) with a little bit of grass-fed butter and some cinnamon. It’s delicious!
4. Avocado
Avocados are another staple for us… we make a lot of Mexican recipes (tacos, quinoa bowls, tortilla soup) and avocado is our go-to topping. Eating a small avocado is a bit like taking a multivitamin, since you get Vitamin K, folate, Vitamin C, potassium (more than a banana!), Vitamin B5, B6 and Vitamin E. It also contains small amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin). And don’t forget about the 15 grams of healthy fats and 7 grams of fiber!
5. Lemons
Lemons are a must-have because I put fresh lemon juice in my smoothie each morning and as a topping for, errr, pretty much everything. Seriously: salmon, pizza, sparkling water, berries, salads, dressings, pasta, & like six million other dishes. I use this lemon juicer to juice my lemons – it’s beautiful and easy to wash!
6. Bone Broth
We use organic chicken bone broth as a substitute for vegetable broth and chicken broth in every recipe. I love the taste of bone broth and often make it for lunch and sip it by itself out of a Yeti all afternoon! (It’s warm and comforting, and reminds me of chicken noodle soup.) Bone broth has soooo many benefits (and is great for fertility!) because it’s chock-full of compounds that feed the body on a cellular level. Bone broth is incredibly healing; it can help seal up holes in the intestines, and is packed with collagen (a building block of cells found everywhere from your skin and bones to your brain) and gelatin (a form of collagen that aids digestion). Just be sure to look for pasture-raised or grass-fed bone broth if you can find it in your grocery store!
7. Wild-Caught Salmon
Chris and I eat a lot of wild-caught salmon in our household because we love the taste, and it happens to be super good for you. The label “wild-caught” refers to fish caught in their natural environments by fishermen. In their wild habitats, fish have plenty of room to roam and tend to be leaner and less fatty than farm-raised fished due to a lifetime of long-distance swimming and a diverse natural diet (source). Our favorite recipe is quick and easy and uses fresh rosemary, lemon slices, and chopped garlic (let me know if you’d like a recipe post!).
8. Dark Chocolate
A podcast I was listening to recently recommended that adults eat one bar of dark chocolate per week for brain health. I’ve taken that advice to heart! Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants including polyphenols, flavanols and catechins. It’s also a naturally fermented food and a top source of magnesium, and can even improve brain function by increasing blood flow! My FAVORITE DARK CHOCOLATE OF ALL TIME is this Alter Eco Burnt Caramel chocolate bar – the burnt caramel bits are crunchy and sooo yummy. We buy two bars per week – one for Chris and one for me 🙂
9. Organic Dried Mango
One of my favorite snacks is dried mango – it’s easy to keep in your purse and grab when you’re on-the-go. I love it on airplanes, too. It’s important to read the ingredient list when shopping for dried fruit – “organic mango” should be the ONLY ingredient. I love this brand and can always find it in Whole Foods and even the airport!
10. Kombucha
I’ve always liked kombucha but Chris and I are really on a kombucha kick right now! We just just discovered Lenny Boy kombucha and it’s sooo good – if you live on the East Coast you can probably find it at a grocery store near you. Lenny Boy kombucha is really light and bubbly – I’ve been drinking it out of a wine glass at night as a substitute for wine. (Side note: since kombucha is fermented, it actually does contain a very small amount of alcohol, but you’d have to drink eight of them to feel the effects of one beer!) If you don’t know what kombucha is, it’s a fermented tea that has been consumed for thousands of years. Not only does it have the same health benefits as tea, it’s also rich in beneficial probiotics (because it’s fermented). This article explains a lot of the health benefits.
Here’s an example of a typical grocery list for us! This was from one of my past orders a few weeks ago.
Let me know what you’d like to see next week for Monday Motivation! 🙂
This is awesome! You make it seem so doable and realistic! Thanks 😊
Did you say lemon on your pizza?!?!?!?
Yes haha when we make our own veggie/spinach pizza with cauliflower crust, a little lemon tastes really good on top! 🙂
Oooh this sounds so good! Recipe please!
I’d love a post on the wild caught salmon recipe! ♥
Avocado is a definite must on my grocery list! Especially if they’re on sale lol I have to add dark chocolate to the list, it’s so yummy! (:
Erika Marie | https://imerikamarie.com
Thank you so much for sharing! This is definitely helpful in my grocery planning (I’m also trying to eat more veggies in 2020!). I’ll have to try both of those sweet potato recipes 😊
For bone broth for lunch, do you find that it fills you up or do you supplement with afternoon snacks like carrots/hummus?
Absolutely loved this post. I need to switch from buying just organic eggs to organic pasture-raised, and I had no idea about all the benefits of bone broth!
Well, that’s a first! I’ve never heard of lemon on pizza or berries. I’m a huge fan of it with sparkling water though. I’d love to see a post of your all-time favorite recipes you make, especially during the winter, Caitlin! x
She Sweats Diamonds
So just to clarify, cage-free is different than pasture-raised?! 🙊🙈 this whole time I thought I was buying the best raised chicken eggs and I think I might have been wrong 😭
Yes, they’re different!! Here’s an excerpt from an article that helps explain: “Cage-free is a loose, unregulated term where eggs could be from chickens confined to a barn, or from chickens with access to outdoor space. Many people buy “cage-free” eggs believing that the hens that lay them have access to outdoor pasture, but the reality is that these chickens usually live inside dark sheds. They are free to roam around within the enclosed space and to stretch and spread their wings—which is a significant improvement over battery cage conditions—but they don’t typically have access to outdoor pasture.”
Love this post! Thanks for taking the time to make it! Are you going to do a weekly menu with the groceries you ordered for next Monday’s post?
I love how you credit the sources for everything you’ve learned – it’s encouraged me to get more educated on my own health and wellness journey! I’d love a post or even just some swipe up links on stories of your favorite resources for clean(er) eating. Cookbooks, informational books, articles, etc.!
Curious, do you have any vegetarian recipes? Going to take a peep at your Wellness tab!
Instagram | Youtube
Yes!! I have a couple of posts dedicated to vegetarian recipes!
Yum! This list looks a lot like mine…I use avocados to make avocado pudding…two ripe avocados, 6 tablespoons of unsweetened raw cocoa powder, 5 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of greek yogurt plain, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of sea salt….chocolate and avocados are my favourite ! You can put peanut butter in it too…I can’t remember where I got this recipe from but I make it all the time.
Me too
Your top ten items are pretty much the same as mine!! I also love to get fruit every week like apples and bananas!
Olga
http://www.littlethingsolga.com
Great post! Thanks for the egg scorecard.
If you’re big in dark chocolate, y’all might enjoy making your own! It’s actually super easy and fun. One of my friends from home (and a fellow Tar Heel) has a great recipe I’ve left below.
https://reclaimingyesterday.com/paleo-homemade-chocolate/
Xo,
Julia
Love seeing other people’s grocery lists haha, this was so enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this blog post because it was very educational to me! I find educating myself on nutrition to be quite hard, as I do get overwhelmed with all the guides and sources out there. Great post!
Xx Janine
https://walkinmysneaks.blogspot.com
Lenny Boy Kombucha is our favorite!!! I love the Lavenderaide and my husband loves strawberry. Thank you for sharing this list – definitely picking up some bone broth.
xo Laura Leigh
http://louellareese.com
oh yes, recipe for this please!
Great post! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
http://www.johnandsuki.com
Please post salmon recipe 🙂
Loved reading this!
I tried kombucha once and was SO thrown off by the flavor. haha But I may give it another try someday! It’s just such a popular drink and I know it’s healthy. So for those 2 reasons, I so badly want to love it, too!
I did not realize you can order groceries via Amazon Prime! That is seriously amazing! I’m glad you mentioned it!
Also, I make a lot of soup recipes for my husband and I and we always buy organic to try to keep things healthy, but have never thought to try bone broth for all recipes. I’ll definitely give it a shot sometime. Thanks for sharing! <3
Key
https://storiesbysuddreth.com/
Love peaking into your grocery list- definitely makes me feel inspired to eat healthier haha!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Hi! I loved the post and even sent it to a few girlfriends! You are such an inspiration. I appreciate the knowledge behind what you eat as well.
Do you have recipes that you use the bone broth with that you can share?
I don’t see that your salmon recipe is posted. Can you please share? We’re doing A LOT of cooking now that we’re home.
Thx so much!
You eat just the bone broth for lunch? I’ve seen this type of thing criticized a lot for encouraging disordered eating because experts say it’s “not a meal” – curious if you’ve been told different! Thank you 🙂